Dry weather increases by two the list of countries in need of external food assistance

The effects of inadequate rainfall on agricultural production added two countries – Namibia and Tanzania – to FAO’s list of countries in need of external assistance for food, adding to strains triggered by desert locusts, says FAO's quarterly Crop Prospects and Food Situation report.
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World food prices drop in February

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of commonly-traded food commodities, averaged 180.5 points in February, down 1.0 percent from the previous month but still 8.1 percent higher than a year earlier.
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Germany contributes EUR 50 million to strengthen resilience in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), through the German Development Bank KfW, has contributed EUR 50 million ($54 million) to a resilience building programme to be implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
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FAO welcomes €17 million contribution from Germany to combat the impact of the Desert Locust upsurge in East Africa

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu has welcomed a €17 million contribution from Germany to provide assistance to those directly affected by the Desert Locust upsurge in East Africa.
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Harnessing Artificial Intelligence’s transformative power to make food systems more efficient, sustainable and inclusive

"Artificial Intelligence needs to be transparent, inclusive, socially beneficial and accountable," Qu said, adding: "We need to ensure the human-centric approach in designing and implementing artificial intelligence today and in the future.
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FAO welcomes European Union contribution of €11 million to fight Desert Locust outbreak

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu today welcomed an €11 million contribution from the European Union as the UN agency steps up efforts to fight the Desert Locust upsurge which has now spread from East Africa to the Persian Gulf.
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Ramping up the fight against Fall Armyworm

“We will need to step up the alliance among key partners from all relevant sectors at the global level,” FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said today while opening the first meeting of the Steering Committee of the Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control.
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Locusts in East Africa: A race against time

The locust upsurge affecting East Africa is a graphic and shocking reminder of this region's vulnerability. This is a scourge of biblical proportions. Yet as ancient as this scourge is, its scale today is unprecedented in modern times.
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World’s food systems rely on biodiversity

Everything we eat is produced in ways that imply some transformation of the environment, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said at the beginning of the second meeting of the Open-ended Working Group established by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
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FAO welcomes $10 million donation from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fight Desert Locust upsurge in East Africa

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu today welcomed a $10 million donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support the fight against the Desert Locust upsurge in East Africa as the UN agency expanded its appeal.
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Hunger threatens over half of the population in South Sudan

Some 6.5 million people in South Sudan – more than half of the population - could be in acute food insecurity at the height of this hunger season (May-July), three United Nations agencies warned today.
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Rethinking trade policies to support healthier diets – Global Panel Policy Brief No 13

As part of its series of briefs on food systems, the Global Panel’s new brief, Rethinking trade policies to support sustainable food systems and healthy diets, shows that there are clear benefits to aligning trade policies with the goal of providing healthy and sustainable diets for all. The brief aims to help policymakers address the key issues to take into consideration when choosing trade policies. It shows why policymakers who are committed to improving diets and nutrition should pay more attention to the value of trade instruments as part of their portfolio of actions.

The primary focus is on cross-border flows of food and agricultural commodities, exploring the effects that trade can have on the supply and affordability of nutrient-rich foods. It also considers how trends in global trade affect diets, greenhouse gas emissions and the natural environment upon which food systems depend.

The brief provides a series of policy actions and opportunities for leveraging trade to improve diets with the following top-line messages:

  • Close attention should be paid to trade policies that influence the relative price of foods within domestic markets.
  • High priority should be given to trade policies that specifically help to increase the availability and to reduce the price of nutrient-rich foods.
  • Policymakers should be alert to the effects of trade policies on the availability and pricing of imports of ultra-processed foods.
  • Policymakers should pay close attention to trade agreements which embody strong investor protections, as they can be problematic.
  • Food trade can be especially beneficial in managing price volatility and climate change risks.
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