FAO
World fertilizer usage to climb 25 percent in a decade
Global fertilizer usage is on track to top 200 million tonnes in 2018, up 25 percent in a decade, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. In a report, FAO says fertilizer consumption is forecast to rise by 1.8 percent a year through 2018.
Dry winter compounds chronic food shortages in North Korea
"Markedly lower" rainfall is raising concern about the winter wheat and barley crops in North Korea, says the Washington Post. The winter grains supply only 5 percent of North Korea's food but are a vital bridge, the so-called barley hump, during the spring...
Sunny crop outlook, big stockpiles temper food prices
The world Food Price Index, on a downward path since last April, fell by 1.9 percent in January, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. "Lower prices reflect strong production expectations," said FAO.
Up to 1 million face hunger in Ebola zone, say UN agencies
Up to 1 million people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone could be "food insecure" by March because of disruptions to farming and marketing due to the Ebola virus, say two UN agencies, the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Genetic diversity is a tool for climate change, says FAO
Genetic resources in crops and livestock can play a crucial role in feeding the world and "much more needs to be done to study, preserve and utilize the biological diversity that underpins world food production," said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization...
Rice crop falls up to 20 percent in Ebola zone
The outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus resulted in a decline "on the order of 20 percent" of rice production in parts of Liberia, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
World meat prices up 8 percent in 2014, says FAO
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization says its meat price index rose by 8 percent during 2014 while the other elements in its Food Price Index - cereal grains, vegetable oils, dairy products and sugar - fell.
World grain stockpile heads for 15-year high, food prices flat
Swollen by record wheat and corn harvests, the global inventory of cereal grains will be the largest in 15 years, up 8 percent this year, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
FAO – Corn, rice, wheat must become more sustainable
New and more sustainable varieties of the three major food crops of the world, corn, rice and wheat, are needed to supply world food needs while conserving natural resources and withstanding climate change, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Global declaration of right to food at nutrition conference
At the International Conference on Nutrition meeting in Rome, senior officials from 170 nations "made a number of concrete commitments and adopted a series of recommendations on policies and investments aimed at ensuring that all people have access to healthier and more sustainable diets," says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Bird flu in Europe is significant threat to poultry industry
The new H5N8 avian influenza confirmed in Germany, the Netherlands and Britain "poses a significant threat to the poultry sector, especially in low-resourced counties situated along the Black Sea and East Atlantic migratory routes for wild birds", said two...
Rapid growth seen for fish farming, boon to Asia and Africa
Production from fish farms will grow by as much as 4.14 percent annually through 2022 - faster than a forecast made earlier this year - and offering a chance of better nutrition for millions of people, especially in Africa and Asia, said a report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Food price index dips, so does global grain outlook
Lower dairy and meat prices led to a decline in the world Food Price Index for the seventh month in a row, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Floods follow drought, threaten food crisis in Somalia
Parts of southern Somalia are being hit with floods, "aggravating the already alarming food security situation" cause for a lackluster rainy season, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Destructive fruit fly is a four-in-one pest
"Four of the world's most destructive agricultural pests are actually one and the same fruit fly," says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
UN creates on-line database on how to reduce food loss
Three UN agencies joined to launch a database on the Internet of proven methods to reduce food loss and waste, which now claim one-third of food production each year.
World food prices down for sixth month in a row
The global Food Price Index is down for the sixth month in a row, says the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. Sugar and dairy prices dropped by the largest amounts, followed by grains and oils.
Virulent new “bird flu” strain threatens poultry farms in Asia
A new strain of avian influenza called H5N6 is spread across southeast Asia and threatens animal health as well as the livelihood of farmers, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, in calling for close monitored of the disease. H5N6 was found in China in April and has been detected in Vietnam and Laos since then. FAO said the "bird flu" was highly pathogenic among chickens and geese, making it a peril for farmers.