Coinciding with World Food Day, the African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), in a new report titled “Transitioning out of GM maize: towards nutrition security, climate adaptation, agro-ecology and social justice” makes a compelling case for South Africa to urgently transition out of GM maize production, to systems that are socially...

West Asia and North Africa is the most water scarce region in the world. The mounting challenges with climate change is fast undermining the region’s ability to feed its growing population. The region is the most food-import dependent in the world. Farmers confront erratic rainfall, frequent droughts, increasing salinity, and...

After decades of successful collaboration, China and FAO have agreed to broaden the scope of their cooperation, building on their achievements to further promote rural development worldwide.

Mono-cropping of cash crops for generating incomes has displaced mixed farming systems and associated local crop diversity, negatively impacting on food security and climate resilience. Initiatives to produce improved varieties through participatory varietal selection, intercropping trials with pulses and millets and promoting local millet seed production through community seed banks...

Le projet porte sur les voies à explorer pour retrouver des équilibres entre les usages pour l’élevage et la capacité des végétations steppiques à se renouveler. La transformation des sociétés basées sur l’élevage avait été appelée la "Révolution silencieuse" du pastoralisme au Maghreb dès les années 1990. Elle s’expliquait par...

Aquaponics is a symbiotic integration of two mature food production disciplines. Aquaculture (the science of fish farming) and hydroponics (the science of growing plants without soil) are combined within a closed recirculating system. This technology describes in detail how to build Bumina and Yumina special aquaponic type systems. Bumina system...

Este artículo incluye algunos ejemplos de uso de la tracción animal como fuente de energía para operaciones de post-cosecha. Detalla las características del equipo de tiro impulsado por animales, molienda motorizada de granos (molinos de placa, de rodillos y de martillos), extracción de aceite motorizada (prensa de tornillo sinfín, prensa...

Enike and Istvan run a CSA farm that provides many of our Ecoruralis hosts with their weekly box on a year-round basis. The essential aspects of shared risk and benefits are in place, as is the year-long commitment to their farm, even if payment is made on a weekly basis....

Despite its enormous contribution to food security and to rural economy, small-scale agriculture faces a number of intertwined constraints that are impeding its productivity, its profitability and its contribution to economic growth. These include a limited access to productive assets (land, water and capital), poor linkages to markets and the...

In the coming year, the Commission will work in the framework of the 10 priorities outlined in the Political Guidelines – presented at the start of our mandate following discussions with the European Parliament and inspired by the European Council's 'Strategic agenda for the Union in times of change' –...

The project 'Economic Assessment of GHG mitigation policy options for EU agriculture (EcAMPA)' is designed to assess some aspects of a potential inclusion of the agricultural sector into the EU 2030 climate policy framework. In the context of possible reductions of non-CO2 emissions from EU agriculture, the scenario results of...

The overall objective of the ER+ component is to assist ultra-poor women and their families in disaster-prone areas of Bangladesh in lifting themselves above the lower poverty line toward greater food security. To achieve the objective, a third “promotional” year has been introduced to ER, during which women—either ER laborers/trainees...

Rural land provides a range of key functions and services on which society depends. However environmental and social benefits continue to be undervalued in land management decisions. Using the concepts of public goods and ecosystem services, the PEGASUS project will investigate new ways of thinking about the way farmland and forests...

The food supply chain plays a substantial role in the European economy, connecting sectors such as agricultural, food processing industry and distribution that together make more than 5% of European value-added and 7% of employment. Furthermore, all European consumers are directly affected by EU food supply chain performance since food...

A new laboratory in the village of Tsilkani in Georgia has been furnished with all the equipment needed to conduct seed quality control – thanks to an FAO project financed by Austria. Operated by the Scientific Research Centre of Georgia’s Ministry of Agriculture with, the new lab is equipped with seed...

Organised by the European Commission, the European Development Days (EDD) bring the development community together each year to share ideas and experiences in ways that inspire new partnerships and innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. For its tenth anniversary, EDD 2016 will focus on the ‘2030 Agenda for Sustainable...

L’Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’Alimentation et l’Agriculture (FAO) et l’Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) ont lancé le projet de « Conservation de la biodiversité et la gestion adaptative des systèmes ingénieux du patrimoine agricole au Maroc ». Un investissement de 772.000 dollars est attribué pour préserver la biodiversité des systèmes agricoles...

The International Symposium on Agroecology for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems has been jointly organized by FAO and CAAS, and the People’s Government of Yunnan Province of China, with the support of the Government of France. In his message from the Director General of FAO, Ren Wang, Assistant Director-General stressed that:...

The forestry sector has seen many changes in recent years, leading to a need for adapted management methods. Demands of society and markets are evolving, bioeconomy is increasingly important and new business potential and innovative possibilities are appearing. A Finnish project looked into how to support forest owners in this...

Yam has several nutritional benefits, yet the crop remains neglected and underutilized. In the absence of national research and extension programmes on yam, LIBIRD’s initiative to promote yam cultivation on terrace walls has caught up with the Chepang communities in Nepal.