The world's farmers produce enough food to feed more than the global population yet, hunger persists. Food is the third most basic human need after air and water – everyone should have the right to adequate food. This (16 October) advocates for the need of having a greater diversity of nutritious foods available in our fields, fishing nets, markets, and on our tables, for the benefit of all. Follow our live coverage for all the day’s events.
Agriculture and Food
How are agri-small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) affected by the current onslaught of global crises? What is doing to during this volatile time?
With its sandy white soil, Suriname’s savannah belt, tucked between the country’s Atlantic coast and the dense tropical forest of its interior, may not count among its most fertile soils. But it’s considered one of the birthplaces of the pineapple, and its rich and unique collection of varieties testifies to this. Cultivated mainly by the region’s Indigenous Peoples, especially the Lokono (Arawak) and Kaliña (Caraiben) peoples, the pineapple offers great prospects for improving livelihoods – potential which and its United Nations partner agencies are working to help unlock.
approached producer organizations in Uruguay to assess individual farms and help implement climate smart strategies that encourage the regrowth of vegetation and the return of biodiversity.
Proud of her land and community, Nila has always looked for new ways to contribute to its development. An opportunity arose when and partners implemented a joint programme called: Strengthening the bridge to development strategy to break the cycle of poverty at the local level with a gender and environmental approach. Nila worked hard to get involved in the programme and obtain the capital that allowed her to start a chicken farm. This support set Nila off with 25 chickens and four months later, she had quadrupled her stock.
South–South and triangular cooperation (SSTC) can play a catalytic role in accelerating progress towards the SDGs. A new publication provides a snapshot of through three case studies.
Fertilizer prices have skyrocketed and remain volatile. This poses a serious threat to food security, as the planting season starts this summer.
Cities, which occupy just 3 per cent of the Earth’s land, account for up to 80 per cent of energy consumption and 75 per cent of carbon emissions. Safeguarding urban food security while limiting stress on human and environmental health is a key challenge cities face – and urban agriculture may be one of the solutions needed. Read the latest .
Our very existence depends on water. We all need water to drink and water to grow food. Water-related ecosystems also sustain livelihoods, food security and nutrition. However, freshwater is becoming increasingly scarce. Today, 3.2 billion people live in agricultural areas with high or very high water shortages or scarcity, of whom 1.2 billion people live in areas with very high water constraints. Ensuring more productive and sustainable use of freshwater and rainwater in agriculture, the world’s largest water user, is key to managing scarce water resources.
What does a world where no one is left behind look like? Does it have healthy food for everyone? Show us by drawing a poster and participating in the Poster Contest. The deadline to submit a poster is 4 November 2022.
In turbulent times one feelgood gesture has connected populations across the globe. The simple act of sharing a cup of tea. We prepare tea in many ways, but this ancient ritual stretches beyond cultures. Tea is a culture in itself. Tea is bonding.
Farmers and pastoralists in the small village of Yarwa, in Sudan’s semi-arid region, face several threats to their way of life. Climate change and environmental degradation are damaging lands, destroying forests, and increasing the risk of drought, while the growth of commercial mechanized agribusiness is reducing their access to land. For a long time, small-scale farmers and pastoralists didn’t have any way of accessing finance to grow their businesses. And women, especially, were held back by societal norms, which gave them little say in financial decisions. Today, however, the 13 members of the Alwifaq women’s savings and credit group are charting a way to a better, more resilient future for their community.
The number of people affected by hunger globally rose to as many as 828 million in 2021, an increase of about 46 million since 2020 and 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a United Nations that provides fresh evidence that the world is moving further away from its goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. We must transform our agrifood systems so everyone has access to the food they need. Read the 's to learn more.
Have you ever wondered where your coffee beans come from? Chances are it was prepared in Guatemala, ninth largest coffee exporter in the world. In the remote region of Ixil, far off the beaten tracks of the northern part of the country, low literacy rates and poverty have long plagued the Maya Ixil Indigenous population. Employment opportunities are far and few between and many parents feel that they have no choice but to bring their children to work with them in coffee fields to make ends meet. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and partners in the Ixil region are tackling child labour and poverty by promoting education and safe youth employment in the coffee industry.
Producers: Anais Hotin, Charlotta Lomas
Presenter: André Vornic, FAO
Photo credit: © FAO/Santiago Billy
’s flagship publication, the , shows how efforts to make progress towards SDG 2 - Zero Hunger, are proving insufficient.