FAO and The Nature Conservancy discuss support for farmers in a changing environment

7 February, Rome - FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, today met a delegation from The Nature Conservancy to discuss greater collaboration and new approaches to agriculture that will help farmers in a changing global environment.

Meeting at FAO headquarters in Rome, the Director-General discussed several issues with the delegation led by Michael Doane, who is the Global Managing Director for Sustainable Food and Water for the American environmental organization.

Dr Qu noted that the agricultural sector is now dealing with a complex ecosystem and noted that more needs to be done to help farmers shape new business models which create value tailored to their changing future needs.

The Director-General and the delegation also discussed the impact of urbanization and the fact that 80 percent of the global population will be living in cities by 2050.

Dr Qu introduced the “Green city” initiatives that will to build healthy cities, contribute positively to the environment and regenerative agriculture food systems. He also discussed how FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative, which aims to create "matchmaking" between donors and recipients to support tailor-made assistance for the world’s most vulnerable, could contribute to strategic partnerships and change the business model for development.