Simple Solutions To The Food Challenge

Last month a milestone was marked in the history of world agriculture when the bovine disease rinderpest was officially declared eradicated. Though unknown in North America, rinderpest or “cattle plague” has been a devastating killer of cattle and wildlife for millennia in Europe, Africa and Asia. After smallpox, it’s only the second disease in history

Food Security Key To Global Peace FAO Candidate

The world has to act against hunger, which affects 13 per cent of the population, if it wants to strengthen global security, a candidate to run the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said April 27. Franz Fischler, an Austrian who is former EU agriculture commissioner, said during an interview the whipsaw effect of volatile food


South Korea Likely To Lift Canadian Beef Import Ban

South Korea is likely to lift an eight-year ban on Canadian beef imports by the end of June and plans sweeping changes in its grain-growing and import policies in the face of rising global food prices, the country’s farm minister said April 14. Rising global food prices have prompted the country to eye participation in



Libya Turmoil Could Hurt Regional Food Security — UN

The United Nations expressed serious concern March 11 about the impact of the Libyan uprising on food security across North Africa because of the region’s dependency on cereal imports. “The ongoing crisis will likely have a significant impact on food security in Libya and in nearby crisis-affected areas,” the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said

FAO Warns On Oil As World Food Prices Hit Record

Global food prices hit a record high in February, the United Nations said March 3, warning that fresh oil price spikes and stockpiling by importers keen to head off popular unrest would hit already volatile cereal markets. Rising food prices are a growing global concern, partly fuelling the protests which toppled the rulers of Tunisia


Food Price Rises Bring Risk Of New Riots

France’s agriculture minister warned the United Nations Feb. 18 that food riots like those of three years ago could break out around the world because of steep rises in food prices. Bruno Le Maire was addressing the General Assembly after the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reported earlier this month that its food price index

Saudi Arabia To Import More Wheat

Saudi Arabia plans to import around two million tonnes of wheat in 2011 like last year and will boost imports to three million tonnes after 2016 as it ends local production, a source at the grains authority said Feb. 2. The top OPEC oil exporter has emerged as a major wheat buyer to feed its


UN Food Body FAO Warns Against Food Export Curbs

The United Nations’ food agency warned food-producing countries Jan. 26 against introducing export curbs to protect local markets as world food prices rose close to levels that triggered food riots in 2007- 08. Global food prices rose above 2008 highs in December with the Food Price Index of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Rising Food Prices Bring Political Risks

Record food prices will hit the world’s poorest hardest, raising the risk of riots, export bans, foreign-owned farmland expropriation and further price spikes fuelled by short-term investors. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization said on Jan. 6 food prices hit a record high in December and could rise further on erratic global weather patterns. For