is raising awareness and fostering concrete actions to improve safety and health for workers in the coffee supply chain through its campaign.
Agriculture and Food
An International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) expert talks about the challenge of obesity; a Technical Specialist on Nutrition discusses how food inflation impacts diets. Lastly, we chat with IFAD鈥檚 Director for Food Systems Coordination Nadine Gbossa to discuss the nutritional challenges of Guyana鈥檚 indigenous communities.
From 27 to 29 September 2023, is organizing its first-ever . This event will provide a forum for FAO Members, farmers, universities, agricultural scientists, mechanization service providers, development agencies, and other actors for dialogues to prioritize actions and strengthen technical networks for sustainable development of agricultural mechanization.
Located at two hours鈥 drive east of Lagos, Nigeria鈥檚 sprawling business capital, Eriwe farm village is the site of one of the countries鈥 biggest catfish clusters. Along the banks of a little river lie the ponds of nearly 600 fish farmers, organized in cooperatives as part of the Eriwe fishers鈥 union. These farmers produced some 2,000 tonnes of catfish in 2022. Mary Stephens and her husband also have a few ponds in Eriwe farm village. But their main business is fish processing. FISH4ACP, a global fish value chain development programme in partnership between , the EU and others, is helping Nigeria to make its catfish sector stronger. Mary hopes to get a machine to replace some of their manual work.
Water issues have always been crucial for Odina鈥檚 district in Uzbekistan, and they were highly dependent on water sources coming from neighboring Kyrgyzstan. Farmers would have to wait for her or his turn to use the water to irrigate their land from the few existing canals. introduced the 鈥溾 project which provides simple innovations in water management, pest control and greenhouse improvements. With these new skills and practices, Odina has grown her tomato business into a thriving small enterprise and receives two to three times her previous income. When farming becomes "smart" and incomes become sustainable, confidence in the future increases.
The waters that surround the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Pacific are home to remarkable marine ecosystems. The fish and other marine species they host are deeply intertwined with many Pacific peoples鈥 cultures, livelihoods and food. But while the communities of these islands continue to consume fish in significant quantities, the diversity of Islanders鈥 diets is declining, and their nutrition is deteriorating. So, what are some new approaches and innovations that can help reverse this trend? A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations () and WorldFish has some suggestions. .
Increasing shocks from climate change, a global water crisis, loss of biodiversity, and other challenges continue to drive food insecurity and force more people into hunger. is taking a multi-faceted approach which focuses simultaneously on production, supporting vulnerable households with emergency and resiliency programs, and investing in sustainable food and nutrition. The current approach of responding to food crises through short-term measures is making a difference, it is critical to accelerate the transformation of the global food system
Uganda is often described as Africa鈥檚 breadbasket, but it still faces a multipronged challenge in eradicating hunger. Floods earlier this year followed a prolonged drought, while global supply disruptions increased prices for imported foods. Traditional humanitarian assistance 鈥渃annot keep pace鈥 with today鈥檚 soaring and complex hunger demands without simultaneously addressing their root causes, says East Africa Senior Advisor Sibi Lawson-Marriott. She specializes in food systems and issues of climate action, resilience building and women鈥檚 empowerment. 鈥淲e need a new approach鈥.
Smallholder farming has become increasingly unpredictable. Extreme climate-induced disasters 鈥 from floods and droughts to more powerful storms 鈥 are on the rise, with corresponding devastation. With accurate, location-specific climate and weather data, farmers can make more informed decisions about which crops to plant, or livestock to rear, or which livelihood options to pursue for a better income. 鈥楶articipatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture鈥 is part of 鈥檚 strategy to bring actionable data and affordable digital technologies to those who need them.
The benchmark index of international food commodity prices declined again in June, led by price decreases for all major cereals and most types of vegetable oils, according to the latest . The index dropped 1.4 percent from May and 23.4 % from its peak in March 2022. Nevertheless, FAO warns that high food prices, economic downturns, conflict, droughts, and the impending risk of weather aggravate food security concerns in 45 countries that are assessed to need external assistance for food. .
In 1969 final plans for travel to the moon were being fine-tuned, including how to keep food safe so the astronauts, orbiting in space, would not get sick from the food prepared for the flight. Foodborne illnesses in the 1960s were not a rarity. So, the team approached food safety the way it tested engineering reliability: by checking the weak points in the system. During this period, another body made these standards international for the sake of everyone on the planet, not just in space. An / endorsed 鈥渇ood code鈥 defined hygiene-related food standards for the next 50 plus years.
More than 1 in 10 people fall sick each year from foodborne illness, and 420,000 die. The young and the vulnerable are disproportionately affected by the 200 different foodborne diseases that result from unsafe food, most of which are preventable. Prevention of such illnesses requires food safety to be observed at each stage of the food production chain, from primary production right up to the consumer. On 7 June, World Food Safety Day, and host a hybrid high-level event to highlight how food safety standards contribute to saving lives 鈥 live streamed on the
For Zulaikha, a 48-year-old, widowed the cost of the everyday items she needs for her family of six seems beyond her means. Like many other smallholder livestock keepers and farmers across Afghanistan, Zulaikha鈥檚 livelihood has been battered by a combination of severe drought, the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of economic prospects in the recent past. Things began to improve after supported her with emergency assistance for her livestock to enhance the health of her animals and increase the family鈥檚 access to nutritious food through improved dairy production.
Bees and other pollinators are the tiny linchpins of diverse food systems 鈥 some bees also make honey. That's why many around the world have taken up beekeeping, with 鈥檚 help.
and partners are helping Maasai men and women become beekeepers which is helping regenerate the forests around their hives.