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A total of 281 million people living in Africa are undernourished, a joint study has revealed, reports NaijaAgroNet.
According to the latest joint report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, led by FAO, informed NaijaAgroNet that aside the undernourished 281m, nearly 60 million African children under 5 suffer from stunting and 14 million suffer from wasting.
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Showing posts with label FAO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FAO. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
No food security without healthy plants says FAO - ITREALMS
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As the world marks the International Day of Plant Health (IDPH) for the first time, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has called for more investment in innovation in a field crucial for boosting food security and transforming how our food is produced, delivered and consumed.
“On this very first International Day of Plant Health, we will reflect on plant health innovations for food security,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu in his opening remarks, adding that investments are needed in research, capacity development and outreach. “We need to continue raising the global profile of plant health to transform agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable.”
“On this very first International Day of Plant Health, we will reflect on plant health innovations for food security,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu in his opening remarks, adding that investments are needed in research, capacity development and outreach. “We need to continue raising the global profile of plant health to transform agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable.”
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
MeCAM applauds FAO, WFP, Germany partnership on diet for school children - NaijaAgroNet
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… Partnership to boost school feed programme
The Media Centre Against Malnutrition (MeCAM) has commended the duo of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) for their joint efforts to improve the diet of school-aged children, with the support from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).
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Tuesday, October 15, 2019
FAO DG hails partnership potential with civil society -NaijaAgroNet
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Multiple level partnerships have been described as critical to
achieving a world without hunger, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said Saturday
at a meeting with leading exponents of civil society and indigenous peoples
representing small scale food producers and family farmers.
"We need all of civil society to play an active role",
the Director-General said in wide-ranging remarks underscoring the need to
improve global food systems. "FAO is here to help you."
He addressed the annual Forum of the Civil Society and
Indigenous Peoples' Mechanism (CSM), a vehicle for the participation
of non-governmental actors in policy formulation at the Committee on World Food
Security (CFS), itself a multistakeholder platform.
Today's event focused on how to strengthen commitments to achieving Sustainable
Development Goal 2, also known as Zero Hunger.
A cornerstone of effective action means making sure "family
farmers are the final beneficiaries," Qu added, noting that the UN Decade of Family Farming offers
a great opportunity to implement and leverage ideas and recommendations made by
CFS.
He emphasized the importance of learning and working together
for concrete solutions with "interaction, brainstorming and open
minds." In this context, digital solutions can play a decisive role in
improving the livelihoods of small scale and vulnerable food producers,
particularly in relation to the impacts of climate change, according to the
Director-General.
Qu also emphasized that FAO would pioneer youth and women
engagement initiatives at all levels and highlighted the positive way that
FAO's Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)
helps generate economic value, knowledge and rural-development solutions.
"We need to defeat hunger and poverty, which are
inextricably linked," said CFS Chair Mario Arvelo. "We need to use
every tool in the toolbox, as the Director-General said."
CFS itself needs to continually expand its inclusiveness, Arvelo
said.
The CSM is a self-organized body designed to give smallholder
family farmers, non-governmental organizations, Indigenous Peoples,
fisherfolks, herders, youth, consumers and other global citizens a voice in the
work of the upcoming session of CFS, which starts on 14 October and lasts
throughout the week.
The CSM's main message to the
upcoming CFS session, which starts on Monday 15 October, is that "the
possibility of attaining zero hunger is becoming more and more unlikely"
and that policy initiatives need not just to be accelerated but to change
direction.
The group noted with approval CFS progress in thematic areas
such youth employment in agriculture and food systems and reiterated its
priorities in the ongoing process of developing Voluntary Guidelines on Food
Systems and Nutrition, an exercise expected to be completed in 2020.
Among the panelists alongside FAO's Director-General at
Saturday's event were Silvia Dywilli from the World March of Women, Nettie Wiebe of La
Via Campesina, Azra Sayeed of the International Women's Alliance and
Musa Sowe of ROPPA, organizations representing a broad
array of global regions.
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
FAO, IPPC to jointly lead crusade on plant health - NaijaAgroNet
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The UN General Assembly invited FAO, with the International Plant Protection Convention
(IPPC) Secretariat, to serve as the lead agency to spearhead activities related to International Year of Plant Health, and called on governments, civil society, and the private sector to engage at global, regional and national levels, reports NaijaAgroNet.
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(IPPC) Secretariat, to serve as the lead agency to spearhead activities related to International Year of Plant Health, and called on governments, civil society, and the private sector to engage at global, regional and national levels, reports
An International Plant Health Conference will be among
thousands of plant health events to be held around the world during the course
of 2020.
Finland first proposed the year to the governing body of the
International Plant Protection Convention in 2015. In July 2017, the FAO
Conference adopted a resolution in support of the proposal.
"Pests and diseases don't carry passports or observe
immigration requirements and, therefore, the prevention of the spread of such
organisms is very much an international undertaking that requires the
collaboration of all countries. This is why Finland proposed to proclaim 2020
the International Year of Plant Health," Jari Leppä, Minister of
Agriculture and Forestry of Finland said.
"Despite the increasing impact of plant pests and
diseases, resources are scarce to address the problem," said Semedo.
"We hope this new International Year of Plant Health will
trigger greater global collaboration to support plant health policies at all
levels which will contribute significantly to the Sustainable Development
Agenda," she added.
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Monday, November 12, 2018
‘Strengthen indigenous food systems key to achieving zero-hunger world’ - NaijaAgroNet
NaijaAgroNet:
Indigenous Food systems and indigenous traditional knowledge have survived hundreds and sometimes thousands of years, therefore they may have some of the answers we are looking for, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva, reports NaijaAgroNet.
According to him, FAO considers indigenous and tribal peoples as fundamental actors in the fight against poverty, hunger and all other forms of malnutrition, as well as in the promotion of sustainable agriculture practices.
Graziano da Silva also said in a keynote speech wrapping up High-Level Expert Seminar on Indigenous Food Systems held to explore how to build on traditional knowledge to achieve Zero Hunger. Failing to grasp and support indigenous food systems risks losing ancestral knowledge and centuries of know-how.
"The loss of biodiversity, is also the loss of our identity of our foods and medicines, said Taita Ignacio Morales, a traditional healer from the Muiska-Piuret people of Colombia.
Seventy panelists coming from indigenous communities and organizations; universities; research centers and more than 180 attendees and 49 countries, exchanged their expertise and knowledge on indigenous food systems. By combining presentations on traditional knowledge and expertise from scientific knowledge, the seminar allowed to increase the understanding and contributions that indigenous food systems have been making to the world.
Participants reviewed some of the analytical and field studies done over the past year by a task force set up by FAO and Bioversity International, the Center for International Forestry Research, France's Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD) and the Indigenous Partnership for Food Security and Sovereignty, as well as several local indigenous organizations, on how indigenous communities around the world generate food while managing the territory and the environment in a sustainable way.
"In the path to achieve the Zero Hunger Goal we need more efficient food production methods. We need to cease environmentally unsound practices. We need to innovate on and open to all manner of food systems" highlighted Patrick Rata, New Zealand Ambassador.
Co-organized by FAO, UNESCO, UNPFII, FILAC and DOCIP, the expert seminar was an opportunity to exchange knowledge, understandings and concepts, which will be articulated in a future publication. The expert seminar and the publication are key contributions to the global debate on sustainability and climate resilience in the context of the 2030 Agenda and the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition.
Indigenous peoples number more than 370 million people speaking more than 4,000 languages in 90 countries and occupying around 22 percent of the earth's surface while acting as custodians of 80 percent of the planet's biodiversity. Yet while representing around 5 percent of the world's population, they make up 15 percent of the world's poor.
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According to him, FAO considers indigenous and tribal peoples as fundamental actors in the fight against poverty, hunger and all other forms of malnutrition, as well as in the promotion of sustainable agriculture practices.
Graziano da Silva also said in a keynote speech wrapping up High-Level Expert Seminar on Indigenous Food Systems held to explore how to build on traditional knowledge to achieve Zero Hunger. Failing to grasp and support indigenous food systems risks losing ancestral knowledge and centuries of know-how.
"The loss of biodiversity, is also the loss of our identity of our foods and medicines, said Taita Ignacio Morales, a traditional healer from the Muiska-Piuret people of Colombia.
Seventy panelists coming from indigenous communities and organizations; universities; research centers and more than 180 attendees and 49 countries, exchanged their expertise and knowledge on indigenous food systems. By combining presentations on traditional knowledge and expertise from scientific knowledge, the seminar allowed to increase the understanding and contributions that indigenous food systems have been making to the world.
Participants reviewed some of the analytical and field studies done over the past year by a task force set up by FAO and Bioversity International, the Center for International Forestry Research, France's Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD) and the Indigenous Partnership for Food Security and Sovereignty, as well as several local indigenous organizations, on how indigenous communities around the world generate food while managing the territory and the environment in a sustainable way.
"In the path to achieve the Zero Hunger Goal we need more efficient food production methods. We need to cease environmentally unsound practices. We need to innovate on and open to all manner of food systems" highlighted Patrick Rata, New Zealand Ambassador.
Co-organized by FAO, UNESCO, UNPFII, FILAC and DOCIP, the expert seminar was an opportunity to exchange knowledge, understandings and concepts, which will be articulated in a future publication. The expert seminar and the publication are key contributions to the global debate on sustainability and climate resilience in the context of the 2030 Agenda and the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition.
Indigenous peoples number more than 370 million people speaking more than 4,000 languages in 90 countries and occupying around 22 percent of the earth's surface while acting as custodians of 80 percent of the planet's biodiversity. Yet while representing around 5 percent of the world's population, they make up 15 percent of the world's poor.
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Pix: FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
AfDB, FAO sign deal to end hunger, malnutrition - NaijaAgroNet
The African Development Bank (AfDB)
and Food and AgricultureOrganisation (FAO)
have signed deal aimed at catalysing agriculture sector investments
in Africa to end hunger and malnutrition and increase prosperity throughout the
continent, reports NaijaAgroNet.
The
agreement, NaijaAgroNet gathered comprised
that AfDB and FAO are committed to raise up to $100 million over five years, to
support joint partnership activities.
The new
alliance precisely seeks to enhance the quality and impact of investment in
food security, nutrition, social protection, agriculture, forestry, fisheries
and rural development.
AfDB President
Akinwumi Adesina and FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva signed the
agreement, which builds on a longstanding collaboration between their
organizations, at the UN agency's Rome headquarters.
"FAO and
the AfDB are deepening and broadening our partnership to assist African
countries achieve the sustainable development goals. Leveraging investments in
agriculture, including from the private sector, is key to lift millions of
people from hunger and poverty in Africa and to ensure that enough food is
produced and that enough rural jobs are created for the continent's growing
population," said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva.
AfDB President
Akinwumi Adesina said: "The signing of this supplementary agreement is a
milestone moment in the relationship between the African Development Bank and
FAO. It signals our joint commitment to accelerate the delivery of high quality
programs and increased investment for public-private-partnerships in Africa's
agriculture sector. This will help us achieve the vision of making agriculture
a business, as enshrined in the Bank's Feed Africa strategy."
The Bank's
Feed Africa strategy, launched in 2015, targets to invest $24 billion into
African agriculture over a ten-year period. The aim is that of improving
agricultural policies, markets, infrastructure and institutions to ensure that
agricultural value chains are well developed and that improved technologies are
made available to reach several millions farmers.
Isaac Oyimah/ED,
Ops
Monday, July 23, 2018
FAO reiterates support to eradicate hunger, malnutrition - NaijaAgroNet
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The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has reiterated support to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, especially in Portuguese-speaking countries, reports NaijaAgroNet.
FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva disclosed this in Cape Verde, Monday, as part of efforts at consolidating the National Councils of Food and Nutritional Security function.
He pointed out to the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) that in the implementation of their Regional Strategy for Food Security and Nutrition to eradicate hunger and will ensure adequate food in the lusophone countries.
He stressed that FAO will continue to support the work of the National Food and Nutritional Security Councils (CONSAN), that have been set up in seven of the bloc’s nine member states (Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Timor-Leste, Guinea-Bisau and, as of last week, Portugal)) and said he hoped that both Angola and Equatorial Guinea would follow their example.
"National Councils are fundamental to promote better governance of the Regional Strategy and an inclusive dialogue between the various governmental and non-governmental actors," said Graziano da Silva, addressing the Second Meeting of the Food and Nutrition Security Council of the CPLP taking place this week in Cape Verde.
"Today, more than ever, it is essential to listen to and consider the opinions of international organizations, civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians, research institutes and the academic world," he added. Graziano da Silva reiterated that only by working together, the international community will be able to overcome the challenges for sustainable development and ensure that no one is left behind in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Ulisses Correia e Silva, Prime Minister of Cape Verde, emphasized the importance of raising the status of CONSAN as an advisory body to CPLP Heads of State and Government, suggesting that is regular meetings always be held on the sidelines of CPLP summits.
The Santa Maria Declaration adopted today by CONSAN-CPLP recognized Graziano da Silva’s work and leadership as FAO Director-General and his efforts to make it a more efficient and effective organization in support of member states for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
The community of Portuguese-speaking countries includes Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe and Timor Leste.
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Pix: FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva
Monday, July 16, 2018
Environmental institute ISPRA joins FAO’s renewed partnership - NaijaAgroNet
The Italian Institute
for Environmental Research and Protection (ISPRA) has joined FAO and three of Italy's
main research institutions - the National Research Council (CNR),
the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), and the National
Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development
(ENEA)
- in a partnership aimed at enhancing sustainable food production and nutrition
in developing countries, reports NaijaAgroNet.
"The world is facing unprecedented global challenges that affect the long-term sustainability of food and agriculture systems, impacting global food security and the livelihoods of millions of family farmers worldwide," said Maria Helena Semedo, FAO Deputy Director-General and Natural Resources Coordinator.
With a world population expected to grow to nearly 10 billion people in 2050, , FAO estimates that agricultural output will need to increase by almost 50 percent compared to 2012 to meet projected food demand. Research is going to be crucial to help countries find the right balance between increasing agricultural productivity while sustainably managing valuable natural resources and conserving ecosystems.
"Italy's top research institutions can provide crucial expertise, information and science to move towards sustainable food systems and the achievement of Zero Hunger by 2030," Semedo added.
"With this wide-ranging cooperation agreement Italy can better support FAO in the field of agriculture innovation for family farmers and smallholders. Together, we can transform agriculture and food systems to make them sustainable in innovative ways!" said Ambassador Pierfrancesco Sacco, Permanent Representative of the Italian Republic to the UN Agencies in Rome during the signing of the partnership.
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Tuesday, May 8, 2018
FAO convenes 34th Session on Near East regional confab 2018
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Near East
Regional Conference has opened in Italy bringing together delegates from 30
member countries across the region, reports NaijaAgroNet.
The participants, NaijaAgroNet gathered, include 15 government
ministers, to elaborate on regional challenges and priorities for food
security, and to promote regional coherence on global policies.
The Conference is set within the framework of achieving the
Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 2 Zero Hunger. At a high-level
side event on Zero Hunger on 10 May, attendees will examine the challenges to
achieving Zero Hunger in conflict zones including Somalia and Yemen, and
develop recommendations for strengthening collective action.
The agenda also includes agricultural transformation in the
region and the challenge of youth employment and migration; adapting to climate
change in semi-arid areas through agroecology; and regional cooperation to
address transboundary plant, animal and fish pests and diseases.
Results and priorities for FAO in the Near East and North
Africa Region will also be raised.
Isaac Oyimah/GEE
Friday, May 4, 2018
GMG join forces in crafting global compact on migration
Joint efforts of the 22 United Nations agencies under the aegies of Global Migration Group (GMG) and led by the duo of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and International Organisation for
Migration (IOM) have resulted into crafting a global compact on migration, reports [NaijaAgroNet.
Speaking at the opening of the GMG meeting in London on
Wednesday, the two co-chairs of the Group, IOM's Director General, William Lacy
Swing and FAO's Director General, José Graziano de Silva, highlighted the
importance of the current negotiations of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly
and Regular Migration, and of the Global Compact on Refugees, due to be
completed later this year.
DG Swing said: "This is a period of great promise, but
also uncertainty. The UN family, working in close partnership with each other,
must be ready to support governments and relevant stakeholders at all levels in
implementing the outcome of the Global Compact negotiations itself in the
coming years."
"Migration can contribute to development, and that
should be kept front and centre of public attention" added FAO
Director-General José Graziano da Silva.
"The GMG brings together the diverse expertise and
operational capacity of its members. This is fundamental to harnessing the many
opportunities migration brings for development, and managing the challenges
that can arise. In addition, the members of the GMG can help states achieve the
sustainable development goals which are influenced by human mobility."
The Global
Migration Group (GMG) is an inter-agency group comprised of 22 UN
agencies working on migration issues. It is co-chaired by FAO and the
International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2018, and is providing
technical support to the intergovernmental negotiations taking place in New
York expected to lead to the adoption of a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and
Regular Migration by December 2018.
The Group discussed ways in which they can help ensure that
communication on migration increases understanding, counters xenophobia and
ensures a more balanced picture of migration, to give space to governments to
develop fact-based migration policies. A number of events highlighting case
studies and examples of good practice are planned for coming months.
The GMG's members include the following organizations, in
addition to FAO and IOM: IFAD, ILO, OHCHR, UNCTAD, UNDESA, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO,
UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNODC, UN Women, UNU, World Bank, WFP,
WHO, and the UN regional commissions.
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Sweden partners FAO to tackle dignity preservation @EMC
The Government of Sweden is partnering the Food andAgriculture Organisation (FAO) and The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as well as
Arab Republic of Egypt to tackle issues on “Preserving Dignity and Sharing
Responsibility: Mobilizing Collective Action for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), reports NaijaAgroNet.
The Extra-ordinary Ministerial Conference slated for March
15 at the FAO Headquarters, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, NaijaAgroNet gathered, will afford
UNRWA to host the event on the oldest and largest UN humanitarian and human
development programme in the Middle East, serving over five million Palestine
refugees.
NaijaAgroNet equally
gathered that UNRWA is experiencing the worst financial crisis in its 70 year
history and may be forced to suspend services.
The Foreign Ministers of Jordan, Sweden and Egypt will
co-chair the Extraordinary Ministerial Conference in support of UNRWA, which
the aim to actively support a collective response by the international
community to protect the rights and dignity of Palestinian Refugees and ensure
that UNRWA’s unprecedented funding crisis of US$ 446 million is urgently
resolved.
NaijaAgroNet the
Extraordinary Ministerial Conference will include special attendance of the UN
Secretary-General, Mr Antonio Guterres, and the High Representative of the
European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms Federica Mogherini.
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Wednesday, February 28, 2018
FAO warns that food insecurity is set to rise again
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However, at the household level, many smallholders and rural families are still recovering from losses due to the severe El Niño- associated drought, and they are vulnerable to a downturn, GIEWS noted. This is especially the case where harvests in 2017 were poor, such as Madagascar.
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The Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has warned that food insecurity
may be on the rise again over the course of 2018 farming season, reports NaijaAgroNet.
The number of food-insecure people in the South African subregion
is likely to rise over the course of 2018, partly reversing last year's sharp
decline, the GIEWS alert warned.
According to the latest Special
Alert issued by FAO's Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) and made available
to NaijaAgroNet, FAO noted that
in 2016, crop production declined due to El Niño drove up significantly the
number of food-insecure people in the subregion.
In Malawi, for instance, FAO said, an estimated 6.7 million
people and in Zimbabwe just over 4 million people were food insecure.
“But the significant rebound in the subregion's cereal
production to a record level in 2017 led food insecure numbers to fall by up to
90 percent, according to official estimates,” FAO said.
Maize production in 2017 increased 43 percent above the
recent average and the subregion produced more than required for domestic
consumption for the first time in five years, even excluding South Africa,
a traditional net exporter. As a result, most countries were able to build up
inventories. The higher stock levels should be able to partly cushion the
effects of the likely production decreases to come. Local maize prices,
currently down on a yearly basis, also reflect favourable supply
conditions.
However, at the household level, many smallholders and rural families are still recovering from losses due to the severe El Niño- associated drought, and they are vulnerable to a downturn, GIEWS noted. This is especially the case where harvests in 2017 were poor, such as Madagascar.
It is also likely to be the case in areas where the weather
trends have been unfavourable, notably parts of Lesotho, southern and central
areas of Mozambique, western South Africa, southern parts of Zambia and Malawi,
eastern Zimbabwe and southwestern Madagascar.
Precipitation trends also matter greatly for the Fall
Armyworm, an invasive species that has now been detected in all countries
of the subregion, except Lesotho and Mauritius. While recent heavy rains in
some localities may have contributed to containing the pest's spread, the
general dry weather may help it spread and could exacerbate the impact on
yields.
Isaac Oyimah/GEE
Friday, February 9, 2018
Commodity prices broadly steady says FAO
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United Nations agency, the Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO) has said that food community prices broadly steady , reports
NaijaAgroNet.
According to the FAO
Food Price Index which averaged 169.5 points in January, nearly
unchanged from the previous month, as rising prices for staple grains and palm
oil were offset by declining quotations for sugar, butter and cheese.
The FAO Cereal Price Index rose almost 2.5
percent from December, as the effect of large supplies was more than offset by
concerns over weather and a weaker U.S. dollar. The index, which covers wheat,
rice and coarse grains including maize, is 6.3 percent higher than its January
2017 level.
FAO's Food Price Index is a trade-weighted index tracking
international market prices for five major food commodity groups.
The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index was
virtually unchanged in January, as palm oil values rose moderately while those
for sunflower and rapeseed oils weakened.
The FAO Dairy Price Index declined 2.4
percent from December 2017. Lower international price quotations for
butter and cheese – spurred by abundant supplies in the northern hemisphere and
Australia - outweighed higher prices of milk powders.
The FAO Sugar Price Index declined 1.6
percent to more than 30 percent below its year-ago level, driven by strong
production outcomes and consequently ample export availabilities.
The FAO Meat Price Index was almost
unchanged month-on-month, as weak import demand for poultry and pigmeat offset
stronger demand for ovine meat and reduced quantities of bovine meat offered
for sale from Oceania.
Isaac Oyimah/GEE
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
EU, FAO agree to deepen strategic alliance, halve food waste
The European Union (EU) Commissioner of Health and Food
Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis and FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva have
agreed to ratchet up collaboration between the two organizations to address
food waste, food safety, and antimicrobial resistance in supply chains, reports
NaijaAgroNet.
In a new letter of intent signed between, FAO and the EU,
both pledged to work closely together to halve per capita food waste by 2030, a
goal established under the new Sustainable Development Goals global agenda. It
also commits them to intensified cooperation on tackling the spread of
antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on farms and in food systems.
Speaking at a signing ceremony at FAO's Rome headquarters,
Commissioner Andriukaitis said: "Food loss and waste represent an
unacceptable, unethical and immoral squandering of scarce resources and
increase food insecurity, while AMR marks a grave societal and economic
burden," adding: "We are becoming more united, more efficient and
more strategic in how we tackle these issues, and as such, this agreement
should be celebrated."
Calling AMR growing global concern, Graziano da Silva said:
"Unfortunately the use of antibiotics, including their use to promote
growth, is already widespread."
He described FAO's vision that antibiotics and other
antimicrobials should be only used to cure diseases and, in certain
circumstances, to prevent epidemics. They should not be used for growth
promotion, he said.
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Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Good agricultural practices according to FAO
The importance of good agricultural practices has been
stressed by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), reports NaijaAgroNet.
FAO, through its Deputy Director-General, Maria Helena
Semedo, at a United Nations General Assembly side event on Anti-Microbial
Resistance (AMR), Semedo said that good health, good productivity and good
economies depend on safe and nutritious food, which underscored the importance
of work done at field level to bring AMR under control.
"Progress in the fight against AMR depends on good
agricultural practices. We need to promote sustainable agriculture and food
systems," she said.
In addition, she said, "The use of antimicrobials in
agriculture is not a substitute for insufficient hygiene and bad management practices."
She also said that "we need improved mechanisms for the
quality assurance of pharmaceuticals because counterfeit, substandard medicines
contribute to resistance. Although Codex Alimentarius develops impressive
global surveillance guidance and codes of practice, there remains a staggering
lack of capacity for adequate surveillance of AMR at national levels."
Semedo, therefore, urged the international community to act
now to invest in the future “we want to build together.”
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Monday, August 28, 2017
Food security: Pope Francis donates to FAO
The Catholic pontiff, Pope Francis, in an
unprecedented move, has symbolically donated €25,000 to the Food and
Agricultural Organisation (FAO's) efforts supporting people facing food insecurity
and famine in East Africa, reports NaijaAgroNet.
Pope Francis said the funds are "a
symbolic contribution to an FAO programme that provides seeds to rural families
in areas affected by the combined effects of conflicts and drought."
The pontiff's remarks were contained in a
letter to FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva by Monsignor Fernando
Chica Arellano, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN food agencies in
Rome.
Pope Francis' gesture stemmed from a pledge he
made in a message to FAO's Conference on 3 July 2017 and was "inspired
also by the desire to encourage Governments," Monsignor Chica wrote in the
letter.
Famine was declared in parts of South Sudan in
February and while the situation has eased after a
significant scaling up in the humanitarian response, some 6 million people in
the country are still struggling to find enough food every day.
Meanwhile the number of people in need of
humanitarian assistance in five other East African countries - Somalia,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda - is currently estimated at about 16
million, which marks an increase of about 30 percent since late 2016.
Pope Francis, who has made solidarity a major
theme of his pontificate, is set to visit FAO's headquarters on 16 October to
mark World Food Day. This
year the event is being held under the slogan: "Change the future of
migration. Invest in food security and rural development".
Isaac Oyimah/ED, ops
... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
OECD, FAO predict decline growth in world food prices
The duo of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development ( OECD) and Food
and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) have predicted a decline in growth in the
world food prices, reports NaijaAgroNet.
A joint press statement on the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook
2017-2026, informed NaijaAgroNet that
the global food commodity prices are projected to remain low over the next
decade compared to previous peaks, as demand growth in a number of emerging
economies is expected to slow down and biofuel policies have a diminished
impact on markets, according to the latest 10-year agricultural outlook published
today by the OECD and FAO.
The Outlook also predicted that vegetable oils, sugar and
dairy products are expected to be main provider of additional calories over
next decade.
Equally, the Agricultural Outlook, NaijaAgroNet gathered
indicated that the completed replenishment of cereal stocks by 230 million
metric tonnes over the past decade, combined with abundant stocks of most other
commodities, should also help limit growth in world prices, which are now
almost back to their levels before the 2007-08 food price crisis.
The report foresees per capita demand for food staples
remaining flat, except in least developed countries. Additional calories and
protein consumption over the outlook period are expected to come mainly from
vegetable oil, sugar and dairy products.
“Growth in demand for meat is projected to slow, with no new
sources of demand projected to maintain the momentum previously generated by
China,” part of the outlook showed.
Isaac Oyimah/GEE
... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology
Friday, June 2, 2017
FAO heads to Ocean Conference
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
(FAO) has concluded plans to take active role in the forthcoming Oceanconference slated for the city of New York, reports NaijaAgroNet.
The conference, NaijaAgroNet gathered, would afford FAO a
key role to play given its work on the sustainable use of marine resources upon
which millions of people around the world depend for food security and for
livelihoods.
NaijaAgroNet also reports that FAO is supporting countries
to develop and implement the Blue Growth agenda which aimed at eliminating
harmful fishing practices and overfishing while fostering approaches that
promote growth, improve conservation, and support adaptation to climate change.
In addition, NaijaAgroNet reports that FAO has been
instrumental in brokering the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (PSMA), which
went into force in June 2016.
The theme of the conference, NaijaAgroNet report, has been
geared towards partnering for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14:: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for
sustainable development.
The Ocean conference is holding at the United Nations office
in New York between June 5 and 9.
Isaac Oyimah/GEE
... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
From sea to plate: FAO leads tracking fish to keep illegal catches offshore
A Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)-led is pushing for
the establishment of internationally agreed standards that could guide the
development of catch documentation schemes aimed at keeping illegally caught
fish off store-shelves and consumers' plates has taken an important step forward,
reports NaijaAgroNet.
A set of draft Voluntary Guidelines on Catch Documentation
Schemes was last week unanimously adopted by a technical consultation that
brought a 5-year negotiation effort to a close, and are now poised for adoption
by all FAO Members at the UN agency's upcoming bi-annual governing conference
(Rome 3-8 July 2017).
Once approved by the Conference, the guidelines will act as
an internationally-recognized "gold standard" reference for
governments and businesses looking to establish systems that can trace fish
from their point of capture through the entire supply chain - from "sea to
plate" - in order to stop illegally caught fish from entering the
marketplace.
Globally, some 91-93 million tonnes of fish are captured
each year, and seafood products are among the world's most widely traded food
commodities, with an export value of $142 billion in 2016.
On top of that, Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU)
fishing is estimated to strip as much as 26 million additional tonnes of fish
from the oceans annually, damaging marine ecosystems and sabotaging efforts to
sustainably manage fisheries.
Catch documentation schemes (CDS) offer a way to cut down on
trade in illegal fish. The basic concept: shipments of fish are certified by
national authorities as being caught legally and in compliance with best
practices; certifying hard-copy documentation then accompanies the fish as they
are processed and marketed nationally or internationally. Only fish with valid
documentation can be exported or traded to markets where a CDS requirement
exists.
Until recently, only a few such schemes had been
established, and mostly focusing on high-value species whose overexploitation
prompted particular concern, such as Chilean Seabass harvested in Antarctic
waters, or Atlantic and Southern Bluefin Tuna.
But with seafood trade at record highs and consumer demand
still rising, catch documentation schemes are increasingly seen as a tool that
could be more widely applied. Indeed, the EU since 2010 has used a CDS that
covers all fish shipments imported into the bloc from overseas; and in 2016,
the United States announced its own scheme, the Seafood Import Monitoring
Program.
Isaac Oyimah/GEE
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