Farmers of coastal Tamil Nadu are compelled to grow rice despite its low returns, as rice alone has the unique feature of withstanding water stagnation for a longer period of time. Integrating fish culture and poultry rearing in rice helped farmers in 3 coastal districts in Tamil Nadu to double their...

Ma Thi Ninh thought farming would be relatively easy. The Yen Duong area of Viet Nam where she lives has excellent, arable land and offers many sought-after products, including organic sticky rice, seasonal vegetables and bamboo used for traditional handicraft products. But once she started to farm and trade in...

The community of Bunlap, which a Kustomary Area in South Pentecost, Vanuatu is building its capacity and diversity in agroforestry production thanks to the Integrated Sustainable land and Coastal Management (ISLCM)/FAO project. In the second phase of the Tropical Cyclone (TC) Harold Livelihood Recovery Program for South Pentecost, the project team...

Krishi Vigyan Kendras have been instrumental in helping farmers adopt integrated systems on the farm, thereby helping them produce more and earn more. Lyngrah’s farm, now a model farm, serves as an example of such support provided by KVK. Shri Wallam Kupar Lyngrah, a dedicated progressive and innovative farmer, hails from...

The area of Bamyan in central Afghanistan is located right in the middle of what was known as the Silk Road and used to be a strategic resting point for travellers and merchants. It was meeting point of cultures and once a hub of Buddhism, but today it is more...

Cuando las asociaciones locales de campesinos son debidamente capacitadas y empoderadas, pueden desempeñar un papel fundamental en la gestión de riesgos. En el 2007, la Ley Nacional de Cooperativas de Campesinos fue adoptada en China, estableciendo un marco institucional sólido para el desarrollo de cooperativas agropecuarias a nivel local. Sin...

China and India are the major organic agriculture producers in Asia. But other Asian countries too are working well to increase their share in the global organic market. Some countries worth mentioning are Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand, which are making systematic efforts to promote organic agriculture in their own ways....

You can convert garden waste into a rich garden resource. This video explains how Nasira Habib does it in her home garden.  

The Fijian Government’s agenda and strategic priorities – as informed by their international and national commitments – end up the shaping Fijian food systems, and the diets of Fijians. This agenda influences policy decisions and can either support or deter Fijian food systems from providing affordable and healthy diets for...

Naning Suprawati is the eldest daughter in a family of farmers and while she never argued with her father, she had always known that she wanted something different than the two options her father laid out for her. Suprawati went on to major in education in university but when she started...

The 2020 report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the Asia and Pacific region, provides an update on progress towards the 2030 targets (SDGs and WHA) at the regional and country level. Selected indicators look at undernourishment, food insecurity, childhood stunting, wasting and overweight, adult overweight, child...

The Asia–Pacific region is growing at an impressive pace: it is home to the highest population numbers and densities, and is a hub for technological advancements. Asia and the Pacific have the potential to lead the future of food and agriculture. However, the levels of country capacities vary widely: an...

Residents in Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are turning to innovation and digitalization to tackle the growing problem of long-term poor dietary habits and the health concerns that often follow, such as stunting among children, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight and obesity and the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), specifically diabetes. NCDs...

The region of Asia and the Pacific has a long history in farming livestock at the household level: this practice is linked with cultural identities and economic development in rural and low-mid socioeconomic communities. Household and village level animal production is well-aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and...

The Rapid Assessment of the Impact of COVID-19 on Food Supply Chains in the Philippines Report is a publication prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with technical support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Department of Agriculture (DA). The study...

Pardhis are a community of traditional hunters, who live a nomadic life, and hunt predominantly for meat. They also help farmers against crop raid by wild herbivores, cull man-eaters on behalf of communities and governments, and in the past helped royalty on hunting expeditions. They had an important role in...

Mounting evidence points to the fact that climate change is already affecting agriculture and food security, which will therefore make the challenge of ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture even more difficult (FAO 2016). Through Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13, the 2030 Agenda calls for...

Humans domesticated sheep and goat thousands of years before the cow. Initially sheep and goat were the livelihood source mainly for meat, milk and skin and now commercial production is order of the day. Global production of sheep meat is 9 million tons and developing countries are at the top...

The need to ensure farmers’ livelihoods and welfare as well as national food security urges decision-makers to effectively tackle the challenges posed by climate change. Understanding how climate change affects the crop sector is essential for identifying appropriate and effective solutions to increase the resilience of the agriculture sector to...

Access Agriculture Panorama No. 14 - September 2021 Newsletter