The FAO/WHO/WTO International Forum on Food Safety and Trade

23-24 April 2019
Geneva, Switzerland

Continuing the discussions from the Addis Conference, the Geneva Forum will address the trade-related aspects and challenges of food safety. The food safety priorities set by this Conference will facilitate global collaboration and help ensure that no one is left behind. It will provide an opportunity for participants to explore the challenges and opportunities arising from rapid technological change and digitalization, namely:

  • the use of new technologies in the realm of food safety and trade;
  • how trade in safe food can be facilitated at the borders, and the role of partnerships;
  • harmonizing food safety regulation in a period of change and innovation.

The conference will result in a document summarizing key issues and recommendations from both, the Addis Conference and the Geneva Forum, to better align and coordinate efforts to strengthen food safety systems across sectors and borders.

More info available here

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The FAO/WHO/WTO International Forum on Food Safety and Trade

23-24 April 2019
Geneva, Switzerland

Continuing the discussions from the Addis Conference, the Geneva Forum will address the trade-related aspects and challenges of food safety. The food safety priorities set by this Conference will facilitate global collaboration and help ensure that no one is left behind. It will provide an opportunity for participants to explore the challenges and opportunities arising from rapid technological change and digitalization, namely:

  • the use of new technologies in the realm of food safety and trade;
  • how trade in safe food can be facilitated at the borders, and the role of partnerships;
  • harmonizing food safety regulation in a period of change and innovation.

The conference will result in a document summarizing key issues and recommendations from both, the Addis Conference and the Geneva Forum, to better align and coordinate efforts to strengthen food safety systems across sectors and borders.

More info available here

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$35-million Green Climate Fund grant to FAO will help address climate change impact on farming in El Salvador

The five-year RECLIMA project seeks to strengthen resilience of smallholder farmers, who are often on the frontline of climate change impacts, by promoting climate adaptation measures such as the use of seeds tolerant to drought.
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Food and Water Security: A Balancing Act in the Era of Climate Change

Wednesday, 17 April 2019 | 5:00pm – 7:00pm EDT
Rome Building, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC 20036

Welcome and Introduction: Jessica Fanzo, Bloomberg Distinguished Associate Professor of Global Food & Agricultural Policy and Ethics, Johns Hopkins University

Opening Keynote: Ben Zaitchik, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University speaking on water security and Janet Ranganathan, Vice President for Science and Research, WRI speaking on food security

Featured Panel: David Reidmiller, Director, National Climate Assessment (U.S. Global Change Research Program); Mark Rosegrant, Research Fellow Emeritus, IFPRI and Patty Lovera, Assistant Director, Food and Water Watch

Moderator: Johannes Urpelainen, Director and Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Professor of Energy, Resources and Environment and Founding Director, Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy (ISEP)

Register here

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Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) 2019 Integrated Rural and Urban Livelihoods Assessment

The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) will be undertaking the 2019 Integrated Rural and Urban Livelihoods Assessment in May. As part of its commitment to conduct assessments in a multi-sectoral and consultative manner, a consultative meeting was held on the 11th of April. The meeting was attended by stakeholders from Government, development partners, academia and food and nutrition experts. The purpose of the meeting was to harness all the necessary input to ensure that the assessments remain relevant and inform stakeholders’ work. 

The Integrated assessment will see the Rural and Urban ZimVAC surveys being undertaken concurrently. Furthermore, the survey will also focus on Early Recovery, zeroing in specifically at the Cyclone Idai affected areas. The findings will facilitate provision of timely and accurate data to enable Government and its Development Partners to implement strategies to save lives.

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The Green Climate Fund allocates $25 million to support FAO climate resilience project in Paraguay

The five-year project aims to benefit 17 000 vulnerable families, including those from indigenous communities, who depend on forests for their livelihoods, energy and income, by supporting the government’s efforts to safeguard Paraguay's forests.
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FAO starts distribution of much-needed seeds and tools in cyclone-ravaged Mozambique

Farmers in areas left devastated by Tropical Cyclone Idai in Mozambique have started to receive much-needed agricultural inputs thanks to a joint effort by FAO and Mozambique’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to assist farmers to plant in the impending secondary growing season.
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Sida, FAO and ECOWAS join forces to protect West Africa’s forests

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have joined forces to protect West Africa’s forests and help safeguard the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on them.
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Combatting all forms of malnutrition and promoting innovation in agriculture top FAO priorities over next two years

FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva in an opening address today to the organization's executive, the Council, has stressed that FAO will focus over the next two years on promoting nutrition-sensitive food systems and innovation in agriculture.
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Joint child malnutrition estimates – Levels and trends, 2019 edition

The UNICEF-WHO-World Bank Group team released new joint estimates for child stunting, overweight, underweight, wasting and severe wasting (March 2019 edition) using the same methodology as in previous years. These new estimates supersede former analyses results published by UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank Group. Note the entire time series is updated; for assessing changes over time, comparisons should be made based on the update time series.

Given that country data are at maximum available from surveys conducted in the year previous to when the modelling exercise takes place, in 2019 the joint estimates were derived up to 2018 with extrapolation for stunting until 2030. 

The key findings of the joint malnutrition estimates (2019 edition), interactive dashboard, joint data set, regional and global joint estimate tables (2019 edition) and updated 2019 regional classifications are available online.

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FAO guide outlines how to protect forests from invasive insects

To facilitate adoption of classic biological control, FAO has published a guide that distills information in a clear and concise way to help forest managers in developing countries implement it successfully.
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FAO Food Price Index holds steady

The FAO Food Price Index held broadly stable in March. FAO also released new figures on the world’s cereal production and inventory levels, reflecting major upward adjustments made on the back of China’s 2017 agricultural census.
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