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Forests, Farms, and the Global Carbon Sink: It’s Happening

Arthur “A.G.” Kawamura’s family has been growing fruits and vegetables in the US state of California for three generations, but they’ve never seen heat like this. “We’ve had two once-in-a-millennium heatwaves in the past two years,” says Kawamura. “The climate is changing, and farmers have to ch ...

FAO Names Argan Water System in Morocco as Global Agricultural Heritage

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) designated an agricultural system based on argan in Morocco as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) site, in November. The decision came following a proposal by Morocco’s Oasis and Argan Zones National Agency (ANDZOA).

'New' apple and pear varieties found in Wales

A total of 73 previously unrecorded varieties of apples and pears believed to be unique to Wales have been discovered by researchers. About 200 trees were DNA-tested in the two-year project to find, catalogue and preserve new varieties.

Fighting Against Climate Vagaries, Bengal Farmers Practice Conservation

Going against the general preference for HYV rice, some marginal farmers in Bankura have started conserving, documenting and propagating traditional varieties.

Using the sun and agricultural waste to control pests

Farmers spend a lot of time and money controlling weeds and other pests, and often have to turn to chemical fumigants to keep the most destructive pests at bay. Farmers also wrestle with what to do with low-value byproducts of crop production, such as skin, seeds and hulls from fruit, vegetable ...

Woodland buffers help maintain bird communities in forest edges, finds study

Woodlands in agricultural fields surrounding a protected area maintain functionality of a wintering bird community, according to a recent study.

Government urged to prioritize regenerative agriculture to help achieve SDGs

Programmes Officer at the Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture (KITA), Kwame Ansah Baffour has called on the government to consider prioritizing regenerative agriculture to aid in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A Regenerative Food System is Both a Means and an End

The land-sparing argument is mostly flawed when it promises to save land for wildlife or for carbon sequestration. Continued intensification of the food system will lead to increased pressure on nature as well as the continued erosion of food culture.

European wheat is not climate resistant enough, study finds

European wheat lacks climate resistance, says an international team of European scientists. European farmers must take a new course to ensure climate-resilience of vital crops such as wheat.

Sicily's farmers go tropical in the face of climate change

limate change has slowly damaged traditional crops. Now farmers on the Italian island of Sicily are looking for innovative alternatives to survive and even thrive.

Putting land To Good Use: Food Security In Our Backyards

Small, resilient agricultural solutions that will save the environment and feed generations to come. The effective use of land remains one of the foremost solutions to poverty, and the methods used to fully benefit from farming are easily accessible and implementable.

World Soil Day 2018

5 December 2018, Rome, Italy

Madagascar, troubled vanilla island

The Indian Ocean island of Madagascar is the leading global producer of vanilla and blessed with a bountiful biodiversity, yet it remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

Global hunger for soybeans 'destroying Brazil's Cerrado savanna'

The Cerrado savanna is an area in Brazil the same size as Western Europe. It's one of the most biodiverse places in world - 40% of animal and plant species there can be found nowhere else on the planet.

The planet produces more than enough food, just not the kind people need

By the numbers, humans produce a lot of food—enough to provide every person on Earth 2,750 calories per day, exceeding almost all dietary recommendations.

History of chocolate rewritten by cacao traces found on ancient pottery unearthed in Ecuador

Traces of cacao have been found in pottery unearthed from an ancient ceremonial site in Ecuador, suggesting our love of chocolate started at least 5,300 years ago.

The Wisdom of Seeds

Have you noticed that raw carrots and celery that you buy from the grocery store are a bit tougher, requiring greater bite power than say a decade ago? This may be because those veggies have been genetically engineered to produce tougher stalks. Stiffer carrots, for instance, can be yanked from ...

How we can keep our food system from the brink of apocalypse

The global food system has a lot to answer for. It is a major driver of climate change, thanks to everything from deforestation to cows burping. Food production also transforms biodiverse landscapes into fields inhabited by a single crop or animal. It depletes valuable freshwater resources, and ...

Promote Growing Of Indigenous Crops, Farmers Urge Uganda Government

Farmers in Uganda want government to promote growing of indigenous crops which they say are cheap to produce and play big role in Biodiversity conservation.

World Food Day 2018

16 October 2018, Rome, Italy

World Habitat Day 2018

2 October 2018, Nairobi, Kenya

Peer review of the report on the relevance of pollinators and pollination to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in all ecosystems beyond their role in agriculture and food production

Reference: SCBD/SPS/DC/SBG/MK/87587 (2018-068)
To: CBD National Focal Points and SBSTTA Focal Points, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities and relevant organizations

World Soil Day 2017

5 December 2017, Rome, Italy

The international community has long recognized the interdependence of all countries with regard to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and their relevance to FAO as well as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing. Our interrelated goals regarding conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources builds bridges for synergistic work between the Treaty and the Convention.

Statement by the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Ms. Cristiana Paşca-Palmer, at the Seventh session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Kigali, Rwanda, 1 November 2017

People are on the move. Political instability, extreme weather events and other factors have forced more people to flee their homes than at any time since the Second World War.

Message of the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Dr. Cristiana Paşca Palmer, on the occasion of World Food Day 16 October 2017

World Food Day 2017

16 October 2017, Rome, Italy

EXTENSION OF DEADLINE: Submission of information regarding the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators

Reference: SCBD/SPS/DC/SBG/MK/86418 (2017-055)
To: CBD National Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points and relevant organizations

Second meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) on Article 17 (GLIS) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA)

13 - 14 June 2017, Rome, Italy

Global Soil Week 2017: 'Catalysing SDG Implementation through a Soil and Land Review'

22 - 24 May 2017, Berlin, Germany

FAO Council meeting (156th Session)

24 - 28 April 2017, Rome, Italy

Submission of information regarding the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators

Reference: SCBD/SPS/DC/SBG/MK/86418 (2017-030)
To: CBD National Focal Points and SBSTTA Focal Points, other Governments and relevant organizations

Sixth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group to Enhance the Functioning of the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing (ITPGRFA)

13 - 17 March 2017, Rome, Italy

Second meeting of the Compliance Committee of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA)

21 - 22 February 2017, Rome, Italy

Third Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples' Forum at IFAD

10 - 13 February 2017, Rome, Italy

It is a great pleasure to participate in this session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and to discuss opportunities to further integrate biodiversity within the agriculture and food production sectors.

Statement by Mr. Braulio F. de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, on the occasion of the Sixteenth Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 30 January – 3 February 2017

Agreements reached on actions to integrate biodiversity in forestry, fisheries, agriculture, and tourism sectors and to achieve the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), today released a technical document that provides guidance on mainstreaming ecosystem services and biodiversity into agricultural production and management in the Pacific Islands.

FAO, SPREP and CBD introduce guide on mainstreaming biodiversity and ecosystem services into agricultural production and management in the Pacific Islands

9 December 2016 – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), today released a technical document that provides guidance on mainstreaming ecosystem servi ...

Peer review of the draft Regional Report for Africa on Pollinators and Pollination and Food Production

Reference: SCBD/OES/RH/KM/86055 (2016-128)
To: CBD and SBSTTA Focal Points, and relevant organizations

The world is facing profound challenges to meet the future needs for food of a growing population.

Message from the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity on the occasion of World Food Day

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have launched a technical guidance document which aims to promote mainstreaming of biodiversity and ecosystem services into agriculture through national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs), and thereby contribute towards achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

New report addresses need for mainstreaming biodiversity and ecosystem services into agricultural production and management in East Africa

Montreal, 5 July 2016 –The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have launched a technical guidance document which aims to promote mainstreaming of biodiversity and ecosystem services into agriculture thr ...

Integrating agricultural issues in national biodiversity strategies

Montreal/Nairobi, 3 June 2016 – Biodiversity and ecosystem services are at the heart of many solutions to sustainable increase in agricultural productivity. They not only deliver better outcomes for food and nutrition security but also reduce negative environmental externalities of production.

UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/20/INF/42

Status of Preparation of the Report on the State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture

UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/20/15

Mainstreaming of Biodiversity across Sectors Including Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries

UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/20/9

Implications of the IPBEs Assessment on Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production for the Work of the Convention