UN Food and Agriculture Organization - FAO Newsroom

Disruptions in food trade and marketing in the three West African countries most affected by Ebola have made food increasingly expensive and hard to come by, while labor shortages are putting the upcoming harvest season at serious risk.

The latest findings from a joint assessment by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit for Somalia (FSNAU), a project managed by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and other partners indicate that an estimated 1,025,000 people will be in Crisis and Emergency (IPC Phases 3 and 4).

The Third International Conference on Small Developing States (SIDS) from 1-4 September in Apia, Samoa also seeks to build partnerships aimed at addressing issues such as food security, the safeguarding and harnessing of aquatic resources, climate change and environmental degradation.

The two-day (29-30 August) event is being held in Bali, Indonesia under the theme “Unity in Diversity: Celebrating Diversity for Common and Shared Values”.

In a major effort to revitalize agriculture in Swaziland, the government, the European Union and FAO have helped over 20,000 smallholder farmers produce more, higher-quality food and connect with new markets. Agriculture is on its way to become a key driver of Swaziland’s development.

Greater progress in the effort to slash world hunger and malnutrition will pay a "peace dividend" by reducing pressures that feed into social unrest and civil conflict. FAO announces parternship in inter-religious all-star football "Match for Peace" taking place in Rome on September 1st.

Animal disease monitoring systems require sustained support and have a critical role to play in preventing human disease threats, according to FAO.

19 August marks the anniversary of the bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, in which 22 people lost their lives. In 2008, the UN General Assembly designated this day as World Humanitarian Day in an effort to raise public awareness of the crucial role that humanitarian assistance plays in improving people's lives worldwide, and to recognize the contributions of those who risk their lives delivering it.

The fighting in Gaza has forced farmers and herders to abandon their lands and has paralysed fishing activities, bringing local food production to a halt and severely affecting livelihoods, FAO warned today. Recovery in the agriculture sector, once hostilities cease, will require significant external assistance over the long term.