National Geographic/FAO: Raising awareness on hunger and nutrition

17 October 2014, Rome - The National Geographic Society and FAO today agreed to work together to provide information and raise awareness about hunger and nutrition.

In particular, when reporting on food and agriculture, National Geographic will utilize food and agricultural statistics as well as trends and data sets, sourced from FAO's statistical service, FAOStat.

Speaking at the agreement's signing ceremony in Rome, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva noted that National Geographic and FAO "share the view that wide access to reliable information is a key tool in the fight for human rights, and specifically when it comes to the right to food."

National Geographic's Chief Content Officer Chris Johns said: "National Geographic's reporting on food greatly benefits by our partnership with the FAO and we are very pleased to be formalizing a longer term relationship."

The FAO and National Geographic partnership envisages cooperation, a regular dialogue and access to FAO expertise, knowledge exchange, content-sharing, cross promotion, joint activities and participation at events and on publishing platforms.

National Geographic magazine's in-depth eight-month Future of Food series, began in May 2014, and has included food and agricultural statistics and trends on topics such as feeding megacities in a world of changing demographics, reducing food loss and waste, and global forestry issues. FAO is also providing material for articles and graphics for the NatGeoFood.com website.

FAO and National Geographic today inaugurated at FAO's headquarters, a travelling photo exhibit that showcases the Future of Food series.

An expanded version of the exhibit - a project involving FAO and National Geographic Italia, the Society's Italian chapter - will go on show at Rome's Palazzo delle Esposizioni on 13 November, 2014.

This exhibit will coincide with the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), the high-level intergovernmental meeting co-organized by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) in Rome from 19-21 November.

FAO and National Geographic plan to collaborate on a number of other initiatives including the December 5, World Soil Day which will also see the launching of International Year of Soils  2015.

National Geographic is publishing a free iPad app, collecting all currently published stories from the magazine's food coverage, while a short companion video, "Food by the Numbers," and a world diet interactive will be published online at natgeofood.com.