• Israeli assault on Rafah a ‘terrifying’ prospect: UN rights chief

    UN human rights chief Volker Turk urged world powers to "restrain rather than enable" as fears of a looming ground incursion grew among more than one million Palestinians trapped in the territory's far south. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to send ground troops into the crowded Rafah area as...
  • 1bn tons of food wasted every year while 783m people face hunger: FAO

    Rome, Italy - The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Environment Program (UNEP) said one billion tons of food are wasted every year, while up to 783 million people around the world are facing hunger. Ahead of the International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste...
  • Global food prices drop in August: FAO

    Led by staples other than rice and sugar, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations revealed that its Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of globally-traded food commodities, averaged 121.4 points in August, down 2.1% from July and as much as 24% below...
  • ‘Qatar leads the charge in food security initiatives’

    Several ministers of agriculture and food security from UN's Food and Agriculture Organization member states at the event discussed key innovative solutions to transform food systems in a way that contributes to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in addition to reviewing the challenges.
  • Global rice prices hit 15-year high after India curbs: FAO

    Rice is a major world food staple and prices on international markets have soared in the wake of the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the impact of the El Nino weather phenomenon on production levels. India announced in July a ban on exports of non-basmati white rice, which account for...
  • Global food bill will rise to US$1.98trn in 2023, up 1.5%: FAO

    According to a report by the FAO, the world food import bill is forecast to touch a new record this year, although it is estimated to grow at a much slower pace compared to last year. This at a time when surging world prices fueled by higher quotations for fruits,...
  • Collective action required for food security, says FAO

    MIYAZAKI, JAPAN  -  With hunger levels rising and food prices soaring in most of the world, collective actions are necessary for immediate and long-term global food security objectives, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Sunday. Director-General of FAO Qu Dongyu made the remarks at the G7 Ministers of Agriculture...
  • World food prices fall for 12 consecutive months, says UN

    World food prices are still high but have fallen by a fifth compared to a year ago when prices soared to a monthly record high after Russia invaded agricultural powerhouse Ukraine, UN data showed. Prices have fallen 20.5 percent since March 2022 after a 12th straight monthly drop, the Food...
  • Norway contributes US$23.7m of flexible funding to FAO

    ROME, ITALY  -  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a US$23.7 million contribution from the Norwegian government to scale up its response to humanitarian crises and emergencies. The contribution represents the largest single un-earmarked funding of its kind to date. The funds will be...
  • Foot-and-mouth variant hits Iraq buffaloes, threatening livelihoods

    This strain - never before recorded in Iraq - is resistant to the vaccines normally used in the country, leaving authorities scrambling to obtain the right doses to inoculate livestock and prevent further spread. "The infections are much higher," lamented 26-year-old Roumi from his farm in the village of Badush...
  • Downward slide in global food prices continues: FAO

    Vegetable oil prices fell 2.9 percent, stemming from subdued global import demand for palm and soy oils and ample export availabilities of sunflower seed and rapeseed oils.
  • Countries which transform food system can meet net-zero goals, says WEF report

    DAVOS, SWITZERLAND – A  report launched Monday at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 shows how countries can accelerate the food systems transformation. The report Food Nature and Health Transitions - Repeatable Country Models reveals how actions and investments can accelerate a country’s transition towards food systems that deliver...
  • World food prices hit record high in 2022, rice becoming costlier

    Food prices soared to a monthly record high in March after Russia invaded agricultural powerhouse Ukraine, a major supplier of wheat and cooking oil to the world. A Russian naval blockade that prevented Ukrainian grain exports was lifted following a deal in July that was brokered by Turkey and the...
  • UN report warns global food crises likely to increase

    ROME, ITALY - The world's ability to nourish its burgeoning population is under threat and without broader socioeconomic and environmental change, sustainable agrifood systems will be impossible to achieve, according to a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) issued Saturday. The report, "The...
  • World food prices hold steady in October, says FAO

    World food prices held steady in October, though cereal prices rose over uncertainty of a deal giving safe passage for Ukrainian grains on the Black Sea, a UN agency said. Global food prices have been falling since hitting an all-time high in March in the wake of Russia's invasion of...
  • UAE Minister highlights youth’s role in sustainable food systems

    DUBAI, UAE - UAE Minister of Climate Change and the Environment Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri participated in the World Food Forum where she spoke about the country's efforts to enhance youth engagement in strengthening food security through innovation and entrepreneurship. The Forum from October 17 to 21 at the headquarters...
  • Climate-fueled hunger more than doubles in worst-hit countries: report

    The analysis, "Hunger in a heating world," found that acute hunger had risen 123 percent over six years in the ten most-affected nations, defined by the most number of UN weather appeals. "The effects of severe weather events are already being felt," Lia Lindsey, Oxfam America's senior humanitarian policy advisory...
  • World food prices drop for fifth consecutive month: FAO

    The latest Food Price Index shows that the prices of five commodities - cereals, vegetable oil, dairy, meat and sugar - were lower in August than in July.
  • New buyer sought for first grain to leave Ukraine under deal

    The Sierra Leone-flagged vessel Razoni left the Ukrainian port of Odessa on August 1 carrying 26,000 tons of maize.
  • Major fall in global food prices in July, says FAO

    Food prices dropped significantly in July, marking the fourth consecutive monthly decline since record highs earlier this year in the wake of the situation in Ukraine, the Food and Agricultural Organization said. FAO published its latest Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in global prices of cereals, vegetable oils,...
  • World food prices fell in June but remain very high: FAO

    World food prices, including for wheat, fell in June for a third month running despite remaining near an all-time high, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Friday. Export flow disruptions resulting from Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24 and international sanctions on Moscow have sparked fears...
  • FAO predicts increase in global food bill in 2022

    FAO predicts the global food import bill would rise by $51 billion compared to 2021, of which $49 billion would be due to the increase in price.
  • World food prices hit record high over Ukraine war: FAO

    Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent ‘shocks’ through markets for staple grains and vegetable oils, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization has said.
  • Food Price Index hit record high in February: UN agency

    The Food Price Index, which tracks the international prices of a items such as vegetable oils and dairy products went up nearly four percent up from January.
  • Lebanon women get FAO grants to fund their businesses

    Four women groups from the South, the North, Mount Lebanon, and the Bekaa received grants.
  • Food prices rose 28.1% in 2021, may remain high in 2022: FAO

    The FAO’s Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in international prices, averaged 125.7 points.
  • Saudi Arabia contributes to support date palm sector globally

    In 2020, Saudi Arabia hosted the International Date Council meeting, under the chairmanship of the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture.
  • UAE to fund project against red palm weevil

    The red palm weevil is said to be a highly destructive pest that blights palm trees.
  • Jordan, FAO forge technical partnership on irrigation

    Under the agreement, a mobile irrigation application will be developed to serve Jordanian farmers, specifically in the Jordan Valley.
  • Qatar fund, FAO join hands for climate action in Somalia

    The fund will collaborate with the UN agency to build climate-resilience and take shock-informed anticipatory action.
  • Jordan taps FAO to support rural families with agriculture festivals

    The FAO and Jordan’s National Center for Agricultural Research have signed a cooperation agreement in this regard.
  • Drought-hit Iraq’s crop farmland to be halved

    UN agencies have said the impact of water shortages in Iraq is becoming evident through the lower crop yields for 2021.
  • UN agencies concerned over looming famine in northern Ethiopia

    The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF call for urgent action to address the acute food insecurity in northern Ethiopia