Norway, FAO will boost transparency and accessibility of global forest information

Information on the world’s forests will be more transparent and easy-to-use than ever in the coming years, thanks to a $3 million grant to FAO from Norway, which aims to improve global statistics on forest resources and their changes.
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The world is producing more food than ever before, yet the current food system is unequal. More than 820 million people – one out of every nine – still suffer from chronic food deprivation, while at the same time obesity is on the rise among children and adults, particularly among marginalised groups.

Urban areas are facing increasing food insecurity and malnutrition and unhealthy diets have become a leading risk factor for disease and death worldwide. Getting food on the table in cities is the theme of the next edition of Environment & Urbanization, that will be launched on World Food Day on 16 October.

Food systems must shift from simply producing food to providing sustainable and healthy diets for all and addressing all parts of the food system. IIED has worked with Hivos and others through the Sustainable Diets for All programme to document the problems and find solutions for improving access to sustainable, affordable, diverse and nutritious foods for all.

This year, World Food Day will promote healthy diets, and IIED and Hivos will host a ‘Healthy Diets Week’ between 14 and 18 October to highlight the contribution of sustainable diets to transforming local and national food systems.

More information available here

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Healthy Diets Week Twitter chat

On Thursday, 10 October from 2-3pm (BST), IIED will host a Twitter chat to stimulate dialogue and debate around healthy diets and the need to transform our food systems to tackle the worsening nutrition crisis. In order to kickstart the conversation, IIED will tweet out a series of key questions and invite responses. The chat questions will be tweeted from IIED's Twitter account, @IIED.

The world is producing more food than ever before, yet the current food system is unequal. More than 820 million people – one out of every nine – still suffer from chronic food deprivation, while at the same time obesity is on the rise among children and adults, particularly among marginalised groups.

Urban areas are facing increasing food insecurity and malnutrition and unhealthy diets have become a leading risk factor for disease and death worldwide. Getting food on the table in cities is the theme of the next edition of Environment & Urbanization, that will be launched on World Food Day on 16 October.

Food systems must shift from simply producing food to providing sustainable and healthy diets for all and addressing all parts of the food system. IIED has worked with Hivos and others through the Sustainable Diets for All programme to document the problems and find solutions for improving access to sustainable, affordable, diverse and nutritious foods for all.

This year, World Food Day will promote healthy diets, and IIED and Hivos will host a ‘Healthy Diets Week’ between 14 and 18 October to highlight the contribution of sustainable diets to transforming local and national food systems.

More information available here

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Feeding people and protecting our planet should go hand in hand

Green agriculture has a vast potential to transform the agricultural sector in a way that enables access for everyone to nutritious food and at the same time ensures conservation of crucial natural resources, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said today at the International Agro-Industrial Forum in Moscow.
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Sensitisation of Traditional Leaders on the MCBM Progamme

The Food and Nutrition Council conducted Traditional leaders’ sensitization meetings on the Multi-sectoral Community Based Model for addressing food and nutrition insecurity to reduce stunting (MCBM) programme across the nine districts of Murehwa, Mutoko, Hwange, Beitbridge, Insiza, Binga, Nkayi, Kariba and Zvimba. The meetings were held between the 16th and 19th of September 2019 and were attended by Chiefs, Headmen and Councilors. The purpose of the meetings was to secure the concrete commitment of traditional leaders to the programme. It also served as a platform for outlining the roles and responsibilities of the community leaders in food and nutrition programmes as well as updating the traditional leaders on the food and nutrition situation in their respective districts.

Traditional Leaders As Conduits of Stunting Reduction -Lessons Learnt


Since traditional leaders are fully connected with their communities, their involvement as agents of change towards optimal food and nutrition security is fundamental to the MCBM approach. This is one of the critical lessons that has been learnt in the implementation of the MCBM since its pilot and scale-up phases.

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Cotton sustainability is key for rural development

Managing trade policy and climate risks are critical to supporting the more than 25 million farmers who grow cotton, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu and other experts gathered at the World trade Organization for a World Cotton Day event emphasized.
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Healthy Urban Childhoods

Uppsala Health Summit is a recurring international policy arena for dialogue on challenges for health and healthcare, and how we can overcome them. In 2019, the discussion will be on Healthy Urban Childhoods and held in the Uppsala Castle in Sweden. Initiators are Uppsala University, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala County Council, Uppsala City Council and World Class Uppsala.

For more information, visit their website.

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FAO and partners intensify efforts to help countries combat banana disease threat

FAO has launched an emergency project under its Technical Cooperation Programme to help countries in Latin America and the Caribbean fight the spread of Fusarium wilt (TR4), a fungal plant disease that can wipe out the banana crops upon which the livelihoods of millions of people depend.
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FAO Food Price Index holds steady

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly-traded food commodities, averaged 170 points in September, virtually unchanged from August and 3.3 percent higher than in the same month in 2018.
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Activist from Burundi receives top forestry award

Burundian forestry activist Leonidas Nzigiyimpa was awarded the 2019 Wangari Maathai ‘Forest Champion' Award in recognition of his passionate commitment and outstanding contribution to improving forests and the lives of indigenous peoples, women and youth in his country.
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