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World Soil Day

5 December 2024, Rome, Italy

Statement by Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the World Food Day, 16 October 2024: “Right to foods for a better life and a better future”

Statement by Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the World Food Day, 16 October 2024: “Right to foods for a better life and a better future”

Statement by Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, 29 September 2024

Statement by Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, 29 September 2024

International Day of Plant Health

12 May 2024, Rome, Italy

Subregional dialogue on national biodiversity strategies and action plans for Caribbean countries

15 - 17 April 2024, Georgetown, Guyana

Sub-regional Dialogue on National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, and Workshop on Target 3 of the GBF for the Caribbean Countries, 15-19 April 2024 - Georgetown, Guyana

Reference: SCBD/IMS/NP/JEC/MC/91504 (2024-009)
To: National focal points for CBD and its Protocols of the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago

Launch of the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

19 December 2023, Online

World Soil Day

5 December 2023, Bonn, Germany

FAO Council (174th Session)

4 - 8 December 2023, Rome, Italy

Statement by David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the Soil Day, 5 December 2023

Statement by David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the Soil Day, 5 December 2023

Extension of deadline: Call for nominations of experts for a meeting to develop a methodology for Headline indicator 7.2 (pesticide environmental concentration) under the monitoring framework of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, 23-24 January 2024 - Rome, Italy

Reference: SCBD/IMS/NP/JC/MC/91382 (2023-127)
To: CBD focal points, ABS national focal points, Cartagena Protocol focal points, SBSTTA focal points, indigenous peoples and local communities and relevant organizations

Call for nominations of experts for a meeting to develop a methodology for Headline indicator 7.2 (pesticide environmental concentration) under the monitoring framework of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, 23-24 January 2024 - Rome, Italy

Reference: SCBD/IMS/NP/JC/MC/91382 (2023-123)
To: CBD focal points, ABS national focal points, Cartagena Protocol focal points, SBSTTA focal points, indigenous peoples and local communities and relevant organizations

Remarks by the Acting Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, David Cooper, at the fifty-first session of the Committee on World Food Security, Panel discussion on interlinkages between food security and the Rio conventions, Rome, 24 October 2023

Remarks by the Acting Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, David Cooper, at the fifty-first session of the Committee on World Food Security, Panel discussion on interlinkages between food security and the Rio conventions, Rome, 24 October 2023

Statement by David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the World Food Day, 16 October 2023

Statement by David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the World Food Day, 16 October 2023

Statement by David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, 29 September 2023

Statement by David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, 29 September 2023

19th Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA)

24 - 28 July 2023, Rome, Italy

Global Soil Partnership Plenary Assembly (FAO)

12 - 14 July 2023, Rome, Italy

FAO Council (173rd Session)

10 July 2023, Rome, Italy

World Food Safety Day

7 June 2023, Rome, Italy

Global Symposium on Soil and Water (FAO)

31 May - 2 June 2023, Rome, Italy

Statement by David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the World Bee Day, 20 May 2023

Statement by David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the World Bee Day, 20 May 2023

FAO Council (172nd Session)

24 - 28 April 2023, Rome, Italy

11th session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITWG-PGRFA)

18 - 20 April 2023, Rome, Italy

World Water Day: "Accelerating Change"

22 March 2023, New York, United States of America

7th session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Forest Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITWG-FGR) - FAO

7 - 9 March 2023, Rome, Italy

46th session of the IFAD Governing Council

14 - 15 February 2023, Rome, Italy

Sixth Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum at IFAD

9 - 13 February 2023, Paris, France

World Soil Day

5 December 2022, Bonn, Germany

Statement by Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of World Soil Day 2022, 5 December 2022

Statement by Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of United Nations Day, 24 October 2022

World Food Safety Day

16 October 2022, Rome, Italy

Statement by Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of World Food Day 2022, 16 October, 2022

Statement by Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of World Food Day 2022, 16 October, 2022

Statement by Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, at the occasion of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 2022, 29 September 2022

Statement by Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, at the occasion of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 2022, 29 September 2022

A surprising win-win: Intensive vanilla farming and biodiversity conservation

The sweet scent of vanilla has an unusual origin. The aromatic seed pod is the product of a pale yellow orchid that blooms from tree-climbing vines. Native to the tropical Americas, it is now grown around the world, particularly in Madagascar, off the eastern coast of Africa.

Big falls in crop yields across Europe feared due to heatwaves

Yields of key crops in the EU will be sharply down this year owing to heatwaves and droughts, further exacerbating the impacts of the Ukraine war on food prices.

Long-standing systems for sustainable farming could feed people and the planet — if industry is willing to step back

Global food systems are at a breaking point. Not only are they responsible for roughly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, they are also the top contributors to water pollution and biodiversity collapse.

Uncovering best practices for cover crops to optimize crop production

Planting cover crops is a beneficial agricultural practice. One of their many benefits is to cover soil for times when farmers cannot plant cash crops like corn and soy—over the winter, for example. But it is not as simple as just growing cover crops in between growing seasons.

Report shows impact of higher crop, input prices

A report by the Agricultural and Food Policy Center, AFPC, at Texas A&M University titled "Economic Impact of Higher Crop and Input Prices on AFPC's Representative Crop Farms" provides insights into the economic impacts of higher crop and major input prices on the center's 64 representative crop ...

How your favourite tipple could help remove carbon and boost biodiversity

What are you drinking? An easy enough question. But I’m clinking through my booze cupboard – three types of whisky, two half-drunk bottles of gin, a cheap bottle of brandy used for a cake – and I’m still not entirely sure.

Beyond honey: 4 essential reads about bees

As spring gardening kicks into high gear, bees emerge from hibernation and start moving from flower to flower. These hardworking insects play an essential role pollinating plants, but they’re also interesting for many other reasons.

9th Session Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

9 - 12 May 2022, New Delhi, India

15th World Forestry Congress 2022: "Building a Green, Healthy and Resilient Future with Forests"

2 - 6 May 2022, Coex, Seoul, Republic of Korea

From traditional practice to top climate solution, agroecology gets growing attention

The satellite imagery is staggering: an Antarctic ice shelf roughly the size of New York City collapsing into the ocean. Its demise, captured and reported by NASA scientists in mid-March, was only the latest startling news from a region where temperatures have soared up to 40° Celsius (72° Fahre ...

‘Too many people, not enough food’ isn’t the cause of hunger and food insecurity

Nearly one in three people in the world did not have access to enough food in 2020. That’s an increase of almost 320 million people in one year and it’s expected to get worse with rising food prices and the war trapping wheat, barley and corn in Ukraine and Russia.

Agriculture is linked with malaria in complex ways: Evidence from 16 African countries

The African population is expected to triple by 2100. This means that more food, water and agricultural commodities are required. To meet these needs, African governments and development agencies have set up large agricultural projects.

World Water Day: "Groundwater - Making the Invisible Visible"

22 March 2022, New York, United States of America

Three crops rule the world: What it means for the planet’s wildlife

Around three-fourths of the food humans consume globally comes from just 12 plant and five animal sources, with just three crops — wheat, rice and corn — accounting for 51 per cent of the calories included in the diet, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

UN: Droughts, less water in Europe as warming wrecks crops

"Herders and farmers have their feet on the ground, but their eyes on the sky." The old saying is still popular in Spain's rural communities who, faced with recurrent droughts, have historically paraded sculptures of saints to pray for rain.

Sea vegetables are the future of farming

Seaweed salad has never appealed to me. I was incredibly skeptical when I first read that kelp is the new kale. How could a slimy saltwater plant replace the curly crowd-pleaser that foodies take home from farmers markets in bagfuls?

Global cropland could be almost halved by increasing agricultural productivity

With rising global demand for agricultural commodities for use as food, feed, and bioenergy, pressure on land is increasing. At the same time, land is an important resource for tackling the principal challenges of the 21st century—the loss of biodiversity and global climate change.

Spain's ingenious water maze

Invented by the region's Moorish rulers 1,200 years ago, Valencia's irrigation system is now a model for sustainable farming.

Cultivated and wild bananas in northern Viet Nam threatened by а devastating fungal disease

Fusarium is one of the most important fungal plant pathogens, affecting the cultivation of a wide range of crops. All over the world, thousands of farmers suffer agricultural losses caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (referred to as Foc for short), which directly affects their income, s ...

Pulsing with goodness

Get this: by choosing to eat more lentils, peas or dried beans, you might be boosting not only your own health but also that of the planet, right from your own kitchen.

The world's most unwanted plants help trees make more fruit

Keeping the spark alive is hard in any relationship. It's especially hard for fruit trees trying to attract pollinators.

Our meat obsession is destroying the planet: Solution is to change how we see animals

Globally, we eat around 318 million tons of meat every year. By 2050, that figure is projected to reach 517 million tons. This rising number reflects how farming animals like pigs, chickens and cows for consumption by humans has been largely normalized as essential to our existence.

Cut meat and dairy output by a third to save climate, British farmers told

British farmers must reduce their production of meat and dairy by a third in the next 10 years if scientific advice on limiting greenhouse gas emissions is to be met, the conservation charity WWF has said.

French crop yield, area and production data for ten staple crops from 1900 to 2018 at county resolution

Agricultural performance is influenced by environmental conditions, management decisions and economic circumstances. It is important to quantify their respective contribution to allow for detecting major hazards to production, projecting future yields under climate change and deriving adaptation ...

Agricultural land reduced by 6.2% in 10 years, survey shows

A census of agriculture conducted by the National Statistics Office paints a sad, but not unexpected picture of the sector, with less land under cultivation and fewer livestock in many cases.

Bsissa: North Africa's ancient convenience food

When blended with olive oil and honey, this unassuming brown powder – which has been eaten by Tunisians and Libyans for millennia – transforms into a breakfast of champions.

Coffee buzz: Ugandan farmers use bees to boost coffee production

The bumblebees are buzzing among the beans and flowers of the coffee plantation, boosting crop yields while dancing from plant to plant with a natural serendipity that would make you think they have been there forever.

Tonga volcanic eruption: what possible impact on agriculture and fisheries?

With the full picture of damage and needs after Tonga's massive volcanic eruption and tsunami only gradually emerging, what is already clear is that the stakes could not be higher for the farmers and fishers of the South Pacific island nation, living in one of the world's most disaster-prone reg ...

To meat or not to meat: Why Veganuary might not be the environmental saviour you think it is

From increased industrial farming to surging air miles and a reliance on over-processed foods, the vegan diet may not be the environmental hero it’s cracked up to be. Molly Codyre looks into the benefits of animal agriculture and the importance of local, regenerative farming

‘Not enough water’: Cambodia’s farmers face changing climate

During Cambodia’s monsoon season, rice farmer Sam Vongsay’s backyard fills with water and the plastic trash of his houseboat-dwelling neighbours as the Tonle Sap lake grows with floodwaters from the Mekong River.

Milk without the cow: Cellular agriculture could be the future of farming, but dairy farmers need help

A new wave of cow-less dairy is hitting the market. In the United States, Perfect Day is using genetically modified fungi to produce milk protein for ice cream at a commercial scale. And pre-commercial companies, like TurtleTree and Better Milk, are engineering mammary cells to produce human and ...

Large Herbivores May Improve an Ecosystem’s Carbon Persistence

Wildlife and open-canopy ecosystems like grasslands are rarely a part of discussions surrounding climate change mitigation. Now, a new review points to interactions between wild herbivores and vegetation to show how restoration efforts could be optimized by aligning climate goals with biodiversi ...

On agrobiodiversity, the Andes can teach the world much about crop conservation (commentary)

Two of the world’s most ubiquitous and important crops have a 7,000-year-old backstory, which can be traced to the Andes in South America, where maize and potatoes have long been cultivated for food.

Veg diet plus re-wilding gives 'double climate dividend'

One hundred billion tons of carbon dioxide could be removed from the air by the end of the century through veggie diets plus re-wilding farmland.

Farmers in Brazil’s Cerrado cotton on to the benefits of agroecology

“I was born in the country, at home — not in a hospital,” Gaspar Gonçalves do Amaral says proudly. For Amaral, home is the municipality of Arinos in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state, part of the Cerrado grassland that’s watered by the Urucuia and Paracatu rivers. Back then, Amaral says, growing cotto ...

Dutch cow farmers face tough climate choices

In the flat expanse of the Dutch countryside, Corne de Rooij nostalgically strokes the muzzles of his calves, wondering how long he will be able to keep them.

The Critical Need for Smart Agriculture for Truly Smarter Cities

Smart cities are developing all over the world, marketing themselves as helping us innovate and become more technologically advanced as a mostly-urban species.

Coffee farmers boost biodiversity in Mexico

An initiative in Mexico is helping farmers improve the quality of their produce, so they can earn more without compromising traditional, eco-friendly farming practices.

Commission’s carbon farming ambition just buries the problem, stakeholders warn

The European Commission’s communication on sustainable carbon cycles promising a new source of revenue for farmers received a lukewarm response from the farming sector on Wednesday (15 December) while NGOs blasted it for letting real polluters off the hook.

Boosting agrifood life sciences is key to India’s agricultural future

Whether developed by accelerators or research institutes, life sciences research and development infrastructure must be made available to entrepreneurs.

Solving multiple challenges while considering biodiversity and human rights

Strict social and environmental safeguards must be followed to prevent harm to biodiversity or human rights while advancing the scope of nature-based solutions in climate mitigation, a new report says.

An Indigenous community in India’s Meghalaya state offers lessons in climate resilience

The Indigenous food system of the Khasi community in Nongtraw village in Meghalaya offers lessons in climate resilience and sustainable food systems, says a United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation report.

How The Agriculture Industry Can Work To Reverse Climate Change

The indoor farming industry has seen a huge influx of investment over the past year, and accordingly has become a popular solution for growers.

Report: Plastic pollution is also pervasive in our agricultural soils

The scourge of unsightly images of plastic refuse littering our beaches and oceans always receives much attention. But a new report by the FAO suggests that the land we use to grow our food is contaminated with far larger quantities of plastic pollution, posing an even greater threat to food sec ...

Long-term forecasts help farmers in India

Climate change is severely impacting India's farmers by making monsoons more irregular. One farmer in Madhya Pradesh found help in a forecast model devised in Germany that predicts the rains with surprising accuracy.

Between land and sea: Agrobiodiversity holds key to health for Melanesian tribes

The community’s traditionally self-sufficient and biodiverse diet features 132 species, notably the fe’i banana, a Melanesian specialty that contains 100 times the vitamin A of a typical banana.

Ndumo Game Reserve: The complicated balancing act of subsistence farming and nature conservation in KwaZulu-Natal

As cultivated fields expand and grazing cattle explore ever further in the Ndumo Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, researchers worry about unresolved efforts to address human poverty while also trying to protect the ever-shrinking spaces left for wildlife and nature conservation.

How Plastic Pollution Is Deteriorating Soil Quality For Agriculture

Agricultural soils may receive greater quantities of microplastics than oceans, indicates a recent research by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Celebrating all that soils do for us - Dr Kenneth Loades

COP26 highlighted more than ever that we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and become more sustainable before it’s too late. Soil is a key component in this battle and something that we expect to provide food, feed and fibre, store and supply water, store carbon and archive geological and ...

Data point: World Soil Day

Soil erosion costs the global economy US$8bn a year, and reduces agri-food production by 33.7m tonnes, leading to increases of up to 3.5% in world food prices

The 'agricultural mafia' taking over Brazil's Amazon rainforest

Encouraged by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and local authorities who want to see the development of agribusiness, an "agricultural mafia" is taking over the Amazon rainforest.

Soil — dull and dirty? Think again…

To mark World Soil Day, we’re taking a look at the humble resource beneath our feet that nourishes entire ecosystems and keeps the world fed.

‘Shocking lack of ambition’ on post-Brexit farming policy risks UK missing net zero targets, wildlife charities warn

Scheme to replace EU subsidies was billed as ‘biggest change in half a century’, last year, but will now only pay farmers to improve soils

Using less-profitable farmland to grow bioenergy crops also supports biodiversity

An analysis by Oak Ridge National Laboratory showed that using less-profitable farmland to grow bioenergy crops such as switchgrass could fuel not only clean energy, but also gains in biodiversity.

New network for farmers to share climate change mitigation measures

A new peer-to-peer network has been launched for farmers and crofters to share climate change mitigation measures.

Sustainable Agriculture And A Low Carbon Future: Are We Missing Out On Mycelium?

While the world is waking up to the importance of ecosystems, and soil health, it seems that one of the most fundamental building blocks of soil, the fungal network, has been pretty much ignored to date.

EU earmarks €320 million for soil health research to contribute to carbon removal

The European Union is stepping up efforts on soil health research with the announcement of a new Horizon Europe mission, which will also provide key funding for the promotion of carbon farming.

Climate-smart forestry practices: the key to restoring biodiversity?

According to a study published on Tuesday (30 November), the cost of pesticides may far outweigh the economic benefits.