The Cerrado savannah, situated primarily in Brazil, is the world's most diverse savannah in terms of its biodiversity. The United Nations Development Programme () collaborates with local partners to promote livelihoods, safeguard ecosystems, preserve traditions, and bring socio-biodiversity to market shelves. The Institute for Society, Population and Nature (ISPN), in partnership with UNDP, was chosen in 1994 to manage the Small Grants Programme in Brazil, which is known as the Fund for Promotion of Productive Eco-social Landscapes. SGP Brazil has supported over 890 projects in the Cerrado, Caatinga and Amazon regions so far.
In Kabo village, men play a game with beans. The beans represent wild animals, the bag is the forest, and the players are hunters. Once the bag is empty, they all lose. This game is designed to show the consequences of unsustainable hunting on future generations' food and incomes. The Bantu and Baaka Indigenous Peoples groups in the Congo rely on wild meat as their main source of protein and income. However, overhunting, deforestation, pollution, diseases, and climate change have reduced the population of wild animals in the Congo Basin. The Programme, coordinated by the (FAO) and three other organizations, works to restore the balance between food security and wildlife conservation.
For generations, Ariel Benitez's ancestors, the Ava Guaran铆 people, one of the Indigenous Peoples living in eastern Paraguay, have been harvesting the green leaves of the yerba mate tree to make the bitter, caffeinated brew beloved in South America and beyond. With wild yerba mate trees increasingly scarce due to climate change, this community, with 鈥檚 assistance, is planting new trees to support the environment and their livelihoods. They've planted more than 1,500 of them in combination with several other species of native trees, which are important for both the local ecosystem and as traditional sources of food and medicines.
Focusing on innovation for a food secure future, the International Fund for Agricultural Development () held its in Rome. IFAD's President emphasized the significance of innovation in reshaping the future of agriculture and showcased examples of AI-powered climate information systems and blockchain technology for digital wallets. The solutions aim to help small-scale farmers increase their production and livelihoods, while building resilience to shocks such as climate change, conflict and economic instability. These changes can have far-reaching impacts since small-scale farmers produce one-third of the world鈥檚 food, and up to 70 percent of food in some developing countries.
Pulses, have the potential to revolutionize agrifood systems by enhancing food security, nutrition, and soil health as emphasized by FAO on World Pulses Day, February 10th.
The celebration of the World Pulses Day aims to heighten awareness regarding the pivotal role pulses play in maintaining the health of both soils and people. By fixing atmospheric nitrogen into the soil, pulses enhance soil fertility and promote biodiversity. Simultaneously, the production of essential food for the global population is intricately tied to healthy soils, which ensure food security and provide essential minerals, crucial in preventing malnutrition. Therefore, pulses are not just providers of sustenance for humankind, but also contributors to the overall well-being of our ecosystems.
In western Kenya, Stephen Omondi Odhiambo has taught his wife and close ones sign language, after losing his hearing due to an illness at the age of seven. People with disabilities in the region often face marginalization, making it challenging to find work and leading to economic hardship. To break this cycle, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations () has partnered with Siaya Disabled Peoples Organization (SIDIPO) to promote jobs in the agrifood sector for youth with disabilities. The (ICA) programme is helping to create quality work opportunities for rural youth in five countries, including Kenya, by making agrifood value chains more inclusive. Overall, the programme in Kenya benefitted 64 institutions, 148 youth organizations and 3,800 youths.
In northern South Sudan, farmer Nyandeng Noon Agany and her six children have been benefiting from a rice-growing scheme supported by the (WFP), which has allowed them to eat three meals a day and sell the leftover rice for income. Sorghum has traditionally been the staple food in the region, but climate change, particularly flooding, has made cultivating it difficult, pushing families towards hunger and despair. South Sudan is among the five most climate-vulnerable countries, with decreasing rainfall and flooding decimating livelihoods. The country's climate crisis has deepened its ongoing hunger crisis, with 56% of its population experiencing extreme hunger. Through its rice-growing scheme, WFP is supporting communities in improving food security, restoring livelihoods, strengthening resilience to shocks, and building self-reliance.
Farmers in the Uzbekistan鈥檚 Fergana Valley are taking part in the Smart Farming for the Future Generations project of the . Greenhouses are now alive with digital sensors connected to the internet, through which farmers can control the temperature, humidity, light and soil moisture. "Living labs鈥 allow farmers to exchange information and tips with each other and with experts and innovators. FAO is scaling up the Digital Villages Initiative, in Central Asia and beyond, working closely with rural communities to identify the agricultural technologies best suited to the community.
Monitoring is key to defining actions for healthier and more sustainable food systems. The Food Systems Countdown Initiative, in which collaborates, has published a new brief鈥攖he first in a planned annual series鈥攖hat presents the current state of national food systems. The report identifies areas of improvement, proposes solutions, and inspires stakeholders that progress can, and must be made. The aims to build a science-based system to track the performance of global food systems toward 2030 and the conclusion of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The 2023 has received hundreds of great pictures from over 50 countries around the world. The images demonstrate the many benefits of millets, from their diversity to the variety of nutritious dishes they can produce, their ability to thrive on arid lands, and their market potential. The contest jury had a tough time deciding on the first prize, which went to Jonathon Rees from South Africa. The picture shows a woman harvesting Pearl Millet after a morning gathering Marula fruit to make traditional beer and oil. The second prize will be chosen from four candidates, which you can vote for on.
through funding from the Africa Development Bank, have excavated a pond to store water, provided a solar-powered water pump for irrigation and seeds, empowering female farmers like Lilly in South Sudan, to be able to plant and sell their vegetables.
This illustrates , which presents over 50 actions that policymakers and governments can take - from biodiversity monitoring to conservation.
In the mountainous Tokushima region of Japan, farmers have grown local varieties of millet, vegetables and other crops for more than 400 years. But in recent times, the cultivation of millets almost died out. Only the love of a farmer in Nishi-Awa helped save a local variety of finger millet from vanishing completely. The Nishi-Awa site is remarkable because, on extremely steep slopes normally deemed unsuitable for agriculture, farmers derived an innovative way of cultivating indigenous varieties of crops without converting the land into terraced fields. The United Nations officially designated 2023 as the to raise awareness of their nutritional and health benefits.
Our current agrifood systems impose huge hidden costs on our health, the environment and society, equivalent to at least $10 trillion a year, according to an by the covering 154 countries. This represents almost 10% of the global GDP. More than 70% of those hidden costs are driven by unhealthy diets that might lead to obesity and non-communicable diseases. Low-income countries are proportionately the hardest hit by this situation. The report urges governments to use true cost accounting to transform agrifood systems to address the climate crisis, poverty, inequality and food security.