The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2020 (SOCO 2020) aims to discuss policies and mechanisms that promote sustainable outcomes – economic, social and environmental – in agricultural and food markets, both global and domestic. The analysis is organized along the trends and challenges that lie at the heart of global …
The message of community based water harvesting is spreading - not just in India but also globally. The Food and Agriculture Organisation ( fao ) now sees "increasing water harvesting and water conservation" as a key challenge for ensuring food security. For a large number of people, especially those who …
More than 500,000 tonnes of obsolete pesticides are threatening the environment and the health of millions of people in almost all developing countries, warns the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Asia accounts for 200,000 tonnes of these pesticides, Africa for 100,000 tonnes and eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent …
pesticide companies, that are members of the Brussels-based Global Crop Protection Federation ( gcpf ), have taken up the responsibility of cleaning up their products in developing countries. " gcpf companies will contribute financially once they have been able to identify which of their products are truly obsolete,' said Chris …
Climate change will have a negative impact on food production in tropical developing countries, reports a document of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). It states that the losses of production associated with climate change will be higher than those linked with weather-related disasters like cyclones. The FAO said that …
Around 30 per cent of pesticides marketed in developing countries do not meet internationally accepted quality standards, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Health Organisation (WHO). These pesticides have an estimated market value of us $900 million annually. "The labeling often fails to provide data …
The destruction of the world's forests is continuing, but evidence shows that the rate of deforestation is slowing down, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (fao). The agency reported that its preliminary analysis of more than 300 satellite images shows that the rate of deforestation in tropical …
The international community's goal to reduce half of the world's food availability problem by 2015 will not be achieved as per schedule, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). "Progress towards meeting the 1996 World Food Summit's target has been so far very slow, and at the current pace …
Italy's largest producer of dairy products, Parmalat, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN FAO) have signed a cooperative agreement to fight world hunger together. Towards this end, Parmalat will provide US $ 1.5 million over a period of three years to sponsor FAO activities aimed at reducing …
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (unfao ) has launched a study to determine how government policies to control tobacco consumption impact the world tobacco economy. The study has been funded by fao and the Swedish International Development Agency (sida), and together they have contributed us $250,000. Announcing the …
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has launched an urgent international appeal for US $2.5 million emergency funding to help flood victims in Mozambique. Director general of FAO Jacques Diouf said, "Around US $2.5 million is needed to help Mozambique's farmers get back to farming as quickly as …
In an effort to help developing countries compete more effectively in the world starch markets, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has urged research institutes to study various properties of starch. FAO began studying starch properties a year ago and is now working in research institutes in Italy …
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in a recently-released report says that some 1.6 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa are facing starvation due to drought and long-running civil conflict. In Somalia, the report says, "the effect of the drought was compounded by civil strife.' The 15 countries facing …
In order to explore avenues for minor forest produce, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with the assistance of the Indian government, has prepared an action plan for non-wood forest products (NWFP). The plan will be implemented in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The …
The United Nations Children's Fund (unicef), in a drive against polio in Pakistan, will provide a high potency vitamin for children under five years. The aim of the programme is to eliminate one aspect of "hidden hunger' in the country, within a year. The initial policy decision was taken in …
The United Nations Education Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) will launch the first-ever planet-wide climate research programme involving nearly 70 countries. Under the programme CLIVAR (Climate Variability and Predictability) existing global data will be collected to study the complex interactions among the atmosphere, …
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has called upon various governments to closely work with the Convention to Combat Desertification, a body fighting for reversal of dryland degradation. "The most effective actions for preventing dryland degradation are often the same actions needed to protect biological diversity or minimise the risk …
Various , United Nation (UN) agencies - United Nations' Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nation's Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nation's Industrial Development Programme (UNIDP) - will be releasing funds to the tune of US $69 millions, to phase-out ozone-depleting substances. The programme will be approved at the meeting of …
The world's leading environmental thinkers drawn from government, business and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have created a blueprint for future joint action to foster global environmental improvement. Recently, about 60 environment ministers, United Nations officials, senior business executives and NGO leaders met at the UN headquarters to discuss critical environmental protection …
a report of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (fao) shows that 31 countries faced food emergencies during 1997 as against 25 countries in 1996. The report blames bad weather, poor crops and civil war for such calamities. Of the affected countries, Africa accounted for 20, Asia - five, eastern Europe …
Five widely used organophosphate-based pesticides have been added to the list of 17 harmful pesticides by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). As a result, international trade in these pesticides will be strictly monitored. These pesticides are methamidophos, methyl parathion, monocrotophos, parathion and …
