With less than 10 years left to meet the targets set in the Paris Climate Agreement and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), two of the legacies from my time as UN Secretary-General, I am calling for a new consensus with smallholder farmers that would drive a radical increase in financial aid, coherent policies, inclusive planning, technologies, and capacity-building
Mere weeks from now, commitments made at a United Nations Food Systems Summit in New York will help determine whether we can feed the world while also mitigating climate change. World leaders will convene to tackle the most pressing challenge of our time: How to nourish a rapidly growing global population in a way that is safe and sustainable. The Pre-Summit in Rome
BY QIYUN HUANG China faces ongoing challenges integrating the economies of its rural and urban areas as it seeks to build on the dynamism of cities to benefit the country’s large population of rural residents—who continue to face widespread poverty and other problems. A Sept. 24 workshop explored these issues in light of China’s “common prosperity” policies, COVID-19 impacts, and more. The
An open-access paper in Nature reports on the significant advantages of using the low-cost Farming with Alternative Pollinators (FAP) method to attract pollinators when compared to the reward-based Wildflower Strips (WFS) method used in many high-income countries. Low- and middle-income countries cannot afford to pay for reward-based schemes that allow farmers to allocate pollinator-friendly wildflower strips alongside crops (land-sparing). The
ICARDA’s Food Legume Research Platform (FLRP) in Madhya Pradesh, India and a number of leading research and governmental organizations were selected by the State Agriculture Department, Govt of Madhya Pradesh to exhibit their research activities in a special event celebrating India’s 75th Independence day by displaying the achievements of the agricultural research for development sector in the country. The
This World Food Day, the International Potato Center (CIP) announced a new disease-resistant potato developed with the Crop Trust’s support. Called CIP-Matilde, this special spud was developed in collaboration with farmers and potato breeders in Peru. Here’s a look at how potatoes like CIP-Matilde are developed and selected with help from farmers. The potato is the world’s most important food
Linking locally-sourced aquatic foods with food and nutrition policies in the coastal state of Odisha, India is revolutionizing the fight against malnutrition while boosting the livelihoods of women. Read more
BY CLAUDIA RINGLER AND ELIZABETH BRYAN The International Day of Rural Women (Oct. 15) was established more than a decade ago to recognize the central role of women in improving rural development and food security. It was placed directly before World Food Day (Oct. 16) to highlight women’s key roles in agricultural production, in food processing and marketing, as well as in the preparation