A major meeting this week brought together farmers, bankers, governments and development partners from across Africa and beyond to discuss ways to ensure smallholder farmers, the backbone of the region’s food system, have access to the finance they need to improve and scale up sustainable forest and farm management practices. The...

Tropical agricultural landscapes often consist of a mosaic of different land uses, yet little is known about the spectrum of ecosystem service bundles and materials they provide to rural households. We interviewed 320 households on the different benefits received from prevalent land-use types in north-eastern Madagascar (old-growth forests, forest fragments,...

Potatoes are cultivated in over 150 countries and consumed all over the world, including here in Europe and Central Asia where it is both an important crop and a staple in regional diets. It is food, fodder, and a source of income for farmers. Potatoes are low in fat and high...

With the support of the OK-Net EcoFeed project this field lab has been investigating ways of reducing pig and poultry farmer's reliance on imported protein for animal feed. Beans are commonly grown in rotation as a fertility-building cash crop, but they contain antinutritional factors, which limit their inclusion in monogastric...

The present study reports the population structure, genetic admixture and phylogeography of cattle breeds of Sri Lanka viz. Batu Harak, Thawalam and White cattle. Moderately high level of genetic diversity was observed in all the three Sri Lankan zebu cattle breeds. Estimates of inbreeding for Thawalam and White cattle breeds...

My wife and I have always dreamt about going back to the rural areas to start farming. Mainly to start growing our own food, spending days tending a flock of chickens, and maybe growing a big garden for our family and perhaps allow our children to enjoy what nature is...

The interlinked crises of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss threaten Europe’s agriculture and long-term food security. No pollinators means no life on the planet. Losing insect pollinators would destabilise the functioning of ecosystems. Since the start of the ECI in 2019, the Commission has taken ambitious actions under the...

This interview is part of a series conducted in the lead-up to the 4th Global Conference of the One Planet Network Sustainable Food Systems programme to be held from 24-27 April in Hanoi, Vietnam.  When asked about the current moment for food systems, Lim Li Ching brings the conversation back to 2009, when...

With a clear decrease in the agricultural households’ incomes, the increase of food and production factors prices, and the negative effects of climate change on agricultural production, smallholders’ farmers are facing food insecurity challenge, especially in arid regions. The objective of this paper is to examine the resilience of households to food insecurity...

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has announced that fishing for seahorses and selling them in markets is now illegal. Anyone caught fishing for seahorses or selling them will face fines and legal action.

“Agrifood value chains of small and medium-sized producers in the Near East and North Africa region have the potential to generate more value through improved access to high-value markets. Limited logistics capacity in the region, coupled with lack of access to continuous cold chain, has resulted in weak supply chain...

In the azure waters surrounding the Italian island of Procida in the Gulf of Naples lies a rich and dynamic marine environment. This is the home of the stony, purple sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus), an important herbivore, as well as prey for a number of fish, starfish and molluscs. This...

The message is clear: the role of fishers, fish farmers and fishworkers is central. They are custodians of aquatic resources for all. In scores of events and other engagements across Africa in 2022, conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and our valued partners, what...

This brochure presents the key findings from Component Document 1 of the Assessment of the contribution of livestock to food security, sustainable agrifood systems, nutrition and healthy diets. Component Document 1 focused on the downstream impacts of terrestrial animal source food on healthy diets for improved nutrition and health.  

Inclusive agribusiness development has been increasingly prioritized by countries and development organizations as a key driver of economic growth, rural transformation and shared prosperity. In Africa, several high-level continental African Union policies and strategies feature this objective, including the Maputo Declaration, the Malabo Declaration, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme,...

Food, Gastronomy, Sustainability, and Social and Cultural Development analyzes the relationship between gastronomy and sustainability from a sociocultural perspective. It uses practical case studies to reveal the connection between food, society, culture, and the impact they have with each other. Beginning with the introduction of the relationship among gastronomy, sustainability,...

With the support of the OK-Net EcoFeed project this field lab has been investigating ways of reducing pig and poultry farmer's reliance on imported protein for animal feed. It is common practice to clean grains prior to sale leaving a waste product known as tailings, however this product is often...

This booklet provides guidance on prevention, detection and control of African swine fever (ASF) in resource-limited settings. It is designed primarily for places where ASF is endemic with few or no prospects of eliminating the disease, and places at high risk of incursion. The guide is divided into five sections. The...

Sturgeons are among the most iconic of all Black Sea species but also among the most threatened species groups in the basin and in the world. Though fishing for the several species of sturgeon (Acipenseridae) present in the Black Sea basin is no longer permitted, this prohibition alone will not...

In 2023, temperature records toppled, while storms, floods, droughts and heatwaves caused devastation. UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report 2023: Underfinanced. Underprepared – Inadequate investment and planning on climate adaptation leaves world exposed finds that progress on climate adaptation is slowing when it should be accelerating to catch up with these rising climate change...