News

Rome/Nanjing - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences (JAAS) have signed a partnership agreement which foresees joint efforts to support smallholder farmers through technological innovation.  The collaboration will focus on developing...

Rome - Tools are available to wrestle Fall Armyworm, a voracious invasive species that is ravaging crops in Africa, Asia and the Near East, and it is imperative to intensify coordination to curb the insect's spread.  "We will need to step up the alliance among key partners from all relevant sectors at the global level," FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said today while opening the first meeting of the Steering Committee of the Global action for Fall Armyworm Control. Fall Armyworm, or Spodoptera frugiperda, is a moth native to the Americas that has spread in recent years and has now reached Australia....

Rome - The 6th High-Level Strategic Dialogue between FAO and France was held from the 5 to 6 of February at FAO Headquarters. Maria Helena Semedo, Assistant Director-General for Climate and Natural Resources, welcomed a French delegation led by Philippe Lacoste, Director of Sustainable Development at the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. Semedo heralded this latest “meeting of friends” and praised France for its continued commitment to the Organization, which was underscored once more in 2019 by a promised contribution of EUR 2 million to the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund (ASTF). The first day of the event was dedicated to...

Rome - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Roma Tre University showcased findings from a joint study on producer organizations, highlighting strategies that can be used to ensure the inclusion of poor family farmers in cooperatives and producer organizations (POs). The study, which ran from 2018-2019, contributes both to FAO Strategic Objective 3 – Reduce rural poverty, and Pillar 4 of the United Nations Decade of Family Farming, Strengthen family farmers’ organizations and capacities to generate knowledge, represent farmers and provide inclusive services in the urban-rural continuum. Masters students from Roma Tre undertook fieldwork...

Rome - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met with Martin Kropff, Director-General of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). The two were also joined by Robert Bertram, Chief Scientist of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). During the meeting they highlighted the urgent need to develop new evidence based solutions and toolkits to tackle the most destructive pests in agriculture, specifically Fall Armyworm (FAW). In this context, QU referred to the launch of the FAO’s Global Action for FAW Control in December 2019 and the establishment of the Steering Committee as a major step forward in this...