Thomson Reuters Foundation and FAO launch global food security news platform

15 October 2014, Rome - The Thomson Reuters Foundation, the corporate charity of the world's biggest news and information provider, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today launched a comprehensive global news platform dedicated to food issues.

Hosted on trust.org, the Thomson Reuters Foundation news portal, the coverage combines the knowledge and expertise of FAO with the reach of the Foundation's global team of journalists, including a dedicated food security reporter based in Rome. The news section will provide trusted news on food production, food security, food waste, agriculture, land use, under nutrition and malnutrition, and food affordability issues, among others.

Stories will be produced and sourced by the Thomson Reuters Foundation and made available for free usage worldwide in order to spread information on food security as widely as possible.

"For millions of people, food is scarce or out of reach. By 2050, the planet will need at least 60 percent more food than it does today, as population is expected to reach more than 9 billion people. There is a pressing need for accurate reporting on these issues," said Monique Villa, CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "The goal of this dedicated section of trust.org is to raise awareness around the growing problem of feeding the world population. Climate change makes things worse for developing countries, while wealthier nations face obesity and the many socio-economic issues related to it".

FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said: "The global media have a critical role to play in the effort to build more sustainable food systems and eradicate hunger and malnutrition -- as observers and watchdogs, as explainers, as sharers of ideas and information. Good governance, an engaged citizenry, knowledge-transfer - all will benefit from the reliable, rigorous, and focused reporting that will take place via this new initiative."

The new platform will debut at a launch event in Rome today as part of World Food Day celebrations. The high-level panel discussion, titled "Feeding the global family: Does climate change put us all at risk?" will bring together experts from Uganda, India, Canada, and the US to debate how food production can be increased sustainability while dealing with ever-growing climate threats.

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