Food and Agriculture Organization Archives

Pandemic a threat to global food supply: FAO

Supply chains are the weakest link and require massive collaboration

By D.C. Fraser May 4, 2020

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) says COVID-19 is a threat to global food security that must be mitigated by ensuring supply chains are not disrupted. Agriculture ministers from G20 countries held a joint meeting, where FAO director general Qu Dongyu said preserving access to safe food and nutrition is an essential health response to the pandemic. “We need to

News, Other

Locust swarms raise food security concerns

Widespread crop damage could put 25 million in famine situation

By Phil Franz-Warkentin April 22, 2020

MarketsFarm – Locust swarms reaching levels not seen in decades are raising concerns over food security from Africa to as far east as India, according to reports from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The locust crisis has intensified since the beginning of 2020, but got its start in 2018 when

Livestock, News

Southeast Asia a ‘hot spot’ for antibiotic abuse

An FAO official says there’s a need for both better education and greater enforcement

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre February 14, 2018

Overuse and misuse of antibiotics in food is rife in Southeast Asia, a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) official said Jan. 31, warning of serious risks for people and animals as bacterial infections become more resistant to treatment. The official from the United Nations’ food agency issued the warning on the sidelines of an international

Editorial, Opinion

Editorial: Food solitudes

By Laura Rance-Unger October 19, 2017

World Food Day on Oct. 16 shed light on some confusing twists around global food security. The annual UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) event dating back to 1945 now falls five days after another big day — World Obesity Day, established by the World Obesity Foundation in 2015 to highlight the growing epidemic expected

News, Other

Multiple actions needed to address world hunger

Leaders in agriculture and science gathered in Winnipeg to discuss solutions towards feeding the world’s rising population

By Lorraine Stevenson October 10, 2017

The number of hungry people in the world could drop dramatically in our lifetimes — but achieving that goal will require action on many fronts, the former head of the United Nations World Food Program told a conference in Winnipeg last month. By 2050 the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) anticipates food production must rise

A crop-eating army worm is seen on a sorghum plant at a farm in Settlers, northern province of Limpopo, February 8, 2017.

Crops, International news

Pests, disease seen hitting southern African food output

A fall army worm outbreak is causing serious concern over food security in the region

By Reuters February 28, 2017

Crop pests and diseases sweeping through southern Africa pose a threat to food security in a region where production has yet to recover from drought, a senior UN food agency official said Feb. 14, calling for a swift and co-ordinated response. At the start of an emergency conference called by the Food and Agriculture Organization

It might look like a wild sunflower, but it’s actually a plant used in Cuba as a cover crop in between the rows on avocado and banana plantations, according to agronomist Scott Day.

Comment, International news

Cuba looks to adopt conservation agriculture

A recent UN-sponsored summit invited farmers and agriculture professionals to share their adoption experience

By Scott Day November 9, 2016

I recently had the opportunity to spend some time in Cuba, along with 20 other visiting farmers, scientists and agronomists, meeting with 80 Cuban agriculture experts and officials. The meetings were made possible by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), that was hosting the first-ever Conservation Agriculture Summit for Cuba, on Oct. 16-22

The FAO’s principles of sustainability say yield should not be the only criterion for farming, and that current intensification is detrimental to crop and animal biodiversity.

Comment, News & Opinion

Defining just what ‘sustainable agriculture’ really means

By United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization August 2, 2016

The term ‘sustainable agriculture’ is used often, but what does it mean? The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently issued these five principles to define sustainable agriculture. 1. Improving efficiency in the use of resources is crucial to sustainable agriculture. Modifying current practices can do much to improve the productivity of many food

Markets

World food prices edge up in April

By GFM Network News, Reuters May 5, 2016

Rome | Reuters — World food prices rose slightly in April, up for the third month in a row but they remained almost 10 per cent lower than a year earlier, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index, which measures monthly changes for a basket

(Giuseppe Carotenuto photo courtesy FAO)

Livestock, Markets

World food prices stable in February near seven-year low

By GFM Network News, Reuters March 6, 2016

Rome | Reuters –– World food prices stabilized in February, as rising vegetable oil and meat prices offset declining cereal, sugar and dairy prices, the United Nations food agency said Thursday. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index, which measures monthly changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar,

Daily Network News

U.S. livestock: Feeder cattle hit contract highs on tight supply

U.S. grains: Soybeans tumble on doubts over U.S.-China trade progress

Alberta harvest wrapping up: report

Tag Archives Food and Agriculture Organization