Kisan Bhai India

Putting nature back into agriculture

2011-06-14T02:54:00.001+05:30

Save and Grow farming model launched by FAO
13 June 2011, Rome - FAO today announced the launch of a major new initiative intended to produce more food for a growing world population in an environmentally sustainable way.

FAO's call for sustainable crop production intensification, more than half a century after the Green Revolution of the 1960s, is contained in a new book, Save and Grow published by FAO's Plant Production and Protection Division.

Smallholder farmers
The new approach calls for targeting mainly smallholder farmers in developing countries. Helping low-income farm families in developing countries – some 2.5 billion people – economize on cost of production and build healthy agro-ecosystems will enable them to maximize yields and invest the savings in their health and education.

Green Revolution technology saved an estimated one billion people from famine and produced more than enough food for a world population that doubled from three to six billion between 1960 and 2000.

New millennium
However, the present paradigm of intensive crop production cannot meet the challenges of the new millennium. In order to grow, agriculture must learn to save.

The Save and Grow approach draws partly on conservation agriculture (CA) techniques which do away with or minimize ploughing and tilling, thus preserving soil structure and health. Plant residues provide cover over fields and cereals cultivation is rotated with soil-enriching legumes.

Precision farming
Other techniques developed by FAO and its partners over the past several years as part of the Save and Grow toolkit include precision irrigation, which delivers more crop for the drop, and "precision placement" of fertilizers, which can double the amount of nutrients absorbed by plants.

Integrated pest management, whose techniques discourage the development of pest populations and minimizes the need for pesticides, is yet another key element.

Such methods help adapt crops to climate change and not only help grow more food but also contribute to reducing crops' water needs by 30 percent and energy costs by up to 60 percent. In some cases crop yields can be increased six-fold, as shown by trials with maize held recently in southern Africa. Average yields from farms practicing the techniques in 57 low-income countries increased almost 80 percent, according to one review.

Ecosystems approach
The Save and Grow model incorporates an ecosystem approach that draws on nature's contribution to crop growth – soil organic matter, water flow regulation, pollination and natural predation of pests. It applies external inputs at the right time and in the right amount – no more and no less than plants need.

The approach builds on lessons learned from the Green Revolution of the 1960s which focused on raising crop production without much attention to the environment.

Biodiversity
Decades of intensive cropping may have degraded fertile land and depleted groundwater, provoked pest upsurges, eroded biodiversity and polluted air, soil and water and it can be noted that the yield growth rate of major cereals is declining.

To feed a world population projected at 9.2 billion in 2050, which involves meeting double the demand for food in developing countries, there is no option but to further intensify crop production. To eradicate hunger and meet demand by 2050, food production needs to increase by 70% in the world and 100% in developing countries.

The key to meeting the challenge lies in sustainable crop production intensification, or Save and Grow. But this will involve a shift from a homogeneous model of crop production to farming systems that are knowledge-intensive and adapted to specific locations.

Support to farmers
It will also require significant support to farmers so they can learn the new practices and technologies, while governments will also need to strengthen national plant-breeding programmes so as to deploy new seed varieties that are resilient to climate change and use external inputs more efficiently.

Policymakers must provide incentives for adoption of the new model such as rewarding good management of ecosystems. The key is boosting agricultural investment. Developed countries should increase the share of agriculture in official development assistance to the developing world. Developing countries themselves should allocate a larger part of their national budgets to the agriculture sector. And domestic and foreign private investments need to be increased.

Rural poverty in India

2011-06-11T20:23:00.002+05:30

The number of poor people in India, according to the country’s Eleventh National Development Plan, amounts to more than 300 million. The country has been successful in reducing the proportion of poor people from about 55 per cent in 1973 to about 27 per cent in 2004.

But almost one third of the country’s population of more than 1.1 billion continues to live below the poverty line, and a large proportion of poor people live in rural areas. Poverty remains a chronic condition for almost 30 per cent of India’s rural population. The incidence of rural poverty has declined somewhat over the past three decades as a result of rural to urban migration.
Poverty is deepest among members of scheduled castes and tribes in the country's rural areas. In 2005 these groups accounted for 80 per cent of poor rural people, although their share in the total rural population is much smaller.
On the map of poverty in India, the poorest areas are in parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.

Large numbers of India's poorest people live in the country's semi-arid tropical region. In this area shortages of water and recurrent droughts impede the transformation of agriculture that the Green Revolution has achieved elsewhere. There is also a high incidence of poverty in flood-prone areas such as those extending from eastern Uttar Pradesh to the Assam plains, and especially in northern Bihar.
Poverty affects tribal people in forest areas, where loss of entitlement to resources has made them even poorer. In coastal fishing communities people's living conditions are deteriorating because of environmental degradation, stock depletion and vulnerability to natural disasters.
A major cause of poverty among India’s rural people, both individuals and communities, is lack of access to productive assets and financial resources. High levels of illiteracy, inadequate health care and extremely limited access to social services are common among poor rural people. Microenterprise development, which could generate income and enable poor people to improve their living conditions, has only recently become a focus of the government.

Women in general are the most disadvantaged people in Indian society, though their status varies significantly according to their social and ethnic backgrounds. Women are particularly vulnerable to the spread of HIV/AIDS from urban to rural areas. In 2005 an estimated 5.7 million men, women and children in India were living with HIV/AIDS. Most of them are in the 15-49 age group and almost 40 per cent of them, or 2.4 million in 2008, are women (National AIDS Control Organisation).
Source: IFAD

International Agricultural Organizations

2011-06-11T20:14:00.002+05:30



	FAO - Food and Agricultural Organization
	CGAIR - Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
	Africa Rice Center
	Bioversity International
	CIAT - Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical
	CIFOR - Center for International Forestry Research
	CIMMYT - Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo
	CIP - Centro Internacional de la Papa
	ICARDA - International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
	ICRISAT - International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
	IFPRI - International Food Policy Research Institute
	IITA - International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
	ILRI - International Livestock Research Institute
	IRRI - International Rice Research Institute
	IWMI - International Water Management Institute
	World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
	World Fish Centre

Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs)

2011-05-29T14:14:00.000+05:30

http://www.icar.org.in/en/krishi-vigyan-kendra.htm

ICAR Institutions, Deemed Universities, National Research Centres

2011-05-29T14:06:00.003+05:30

http://www.icar.org.in/en/node/325

Agricultural Universities in India

2011-05-29T13:52:00.002+05:30

S.No.	Name, email & website	Address	Telephone/Fax No.
1	Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University Website: http://www.angrau.net Email: angrau_vc@yahoo.com, raghuvardhanreddy_s@rediffmail.com	Adminstrative Office, Rajendra Nagar, Hyderabad-500030, Andhra Pradesh	040-24015035, 24013095 Fax: 040-24015031
2	Anand Agricultural University Website: http://www.aau.in Email: vc@aau.in, vc_aau@yahoo.com	Anand 388110, Gujarat	02692-261273 Fax: 02692-261520
3	Assam Agricultural University Website: http://www.aau.ac.in Email: vc@aau.ac.in, ssb@aau.ac.in	Jorhat 785013, Assam	0376-2340013 Fax: 0376-2340001
4	Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya Website: http://www.bckv.edu.in Email: vcbckv@vsnl.net	Mohanpur, Nadia-741252, West Bengal	033-25879772, 03473-222666 Fax:03473-222275
5	Birsa Agricultural University Website: http://www.baujharkhand.org Email: vc_bau@rediffmail.com	Kanke, Ranchi-834006, Jharkhand	0651-2450500 Fax:0651-2450850
6	Central Agricultural University Website:http://www.cau.org.in Email: snpuri04@yahoo.co.in, snpuri@rediffmail.com	P.O. Box 23, Imphal-795004, Manipur	0385-2415933 Fax:0385-2410414
7	Chandra Shekar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology Website:http://www.csauk.ac.in Email: vc@csauk.ac.in, surivkgreatmaster@yahoo.com	Kanpur-208002, Uttar Pradesh	0512-2534155, 2533843 Fax:0512-2533808
8	Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University Website:http://www.hau.ernet.in Email: vc@hau.ernet.in	Hisar-125004, Haryana	01662-231640 Fax:01662-234952
9	CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya Website: http://www.hillagric.ernet.in Email: vc@hillagric.ernet.in	Palampur-176062, Himachal Pradesh	01894-230521 Fax:01894-230465
10	Dr Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth Website: www.dbskkv.org Email: vcbskkv@yahoo.co.in	Dapoli Distt, Ratnagiri 415 712, Maharashtra	02358-282064 Fax:02358-282074
11	Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth Website: http://www.pdkv.ac.in Email: vc@pdkv.ac.in	Krishinagar,Akola-444104, Maharashtra	0724-2258365 Fax:0724-2258219
12	Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar Univ of Horticulture & Forestry Website: http://www.yspuniversity.ac.in Email: vc@yspuniversity.ac.in, vcuhf@yahoo.com	Solan, Nauni-173230, Himachal Pradesh	01792-252363 Fax:01792-252242
13	Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology Website: http://www.gbpuat.ac.in Email: pl_gautam@yahoo.com, vc@gbpuat.ernet.in	Pantnagar-263145,Distt Udham Singh , Nagar , Uttaranchal	05944-233333, 233663 Fax: 05944-233350,233833
14	Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Science University Website: http://www.gadvasu.in Email:	Ludhiana - 141004, Punjab	0161-255360 Fax:
15	Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya Website: www.igau.edu.in Email: hazracr@yahoo.co.in	Krishak Nagar, Raipur-492012, Chhattisgarh	0771-2443419 Fax:0771-2442302
16	Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Viswavidyalaya Website: http://www.jnkvv.nic.in Email: dpsingh_jnkvv@yahoo.co.in	Jabalpur-482004, Madhya Pradesh	0761-2681706 Fax:0761-2681389
17	Junagadh Agricultural University Website: http://www.jau.in Email: vc@jau.in	Junagadg-362001, Gujarat	0285-2671784 Fax:0285-2672004
18	Kerala Agricultural University Website: http://www.kau.edu Email: vckau@sancharnet.in	Vellanikara, Trichur 680656, Kerala	0487-2371928, 2370034 Fax:0487-2370019
19	Maharana Pratap Univ. of Agriculture & Technology Website: http://www.mpuat.ac.in Email: vc@mpuat.ac.in, vcmpuat@yahoo.co.in	Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001	0294-2471101 Fax:0294-2470682
20	Maharashtra Animal Science & Fishery University Website: http://www.mafsu.in Email: atsherikar@hotmail.com, mafsul@hotmail.com	Seminary Hills, Nagpur-440006, Maharashtra	0712-2511282 Fax:0712-2511282
21	Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth Website: http://mpkv.mah.nic.in Email: vc.mpkv@nic.in	Rahuri-413722, Maharashtra	02426-243208 Fax:02426-243302
22	Marathwada Agricultural University Website: http://www.mkv2.mah.nic.in Email: vcmau@rediffmail.com, vc@mkv2.g8.net	Parbhani-431402, Maharashtra	02452-223002 Fax:02452-223582
23	Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology Website:http://www.nduat.ernet.in Email: nduat@up.nic.in, smilyas@sify.com	Kumarganj, Faizabad -224229, Uttar Pradesh	05270-262097, 262161 Fax:05270-262097
24	Navsari Agricultural University Website: http://www.nau.in Email: vc_2004@yahoo.co.in	Navsari-396450 Gujarat	02673-283869 Fax:02673-284254
25	Orissa Univ. of Agriculture & Technology Website: http://www.ouat.ac.in Email: vcouat@indiatimes.com, bsenapati1942@yahoo.com	Bhubaneshwar-751003, Orissa	0674-2392677 Fax:0674-2391780
26	Punjab Agricultural University Website: http://www.pau.edu Email: vcpau@pau.edu	Ludhiana-141004, Punjab	0161-2401794 Fax:0161-2402483
27	Rajasthan Agricultural University Website: http://www.raubikaner.org Email: vcrau@raubikaner.org	Bikaner-334006,Rajasthan	0151-2250443, 2250488 Fax:0151-2250336
28	Rajendra Agricultural University Website: http://www.pusavarsity.org.in Email: : vcrau@sify.com	Pusa, Samastipur 848125, Bihar	06274-240226 Fax:06274-240255
29	Sardarkrushinagar-Dantiwada Agricultural University Website: http://www.sdau.edu.in Email: vc@sdau.edu.in	Sardar Krushinagar, Distt Banaskantha, Gujarat-385506	02748-278222, 278444 Fax:02748-,278261
30	Sardar Ballabh Bhai Patel Univ. of Agriculture & Technology Website: http://www.svbpuniversitymerut.org Email: yadav_mp@hotmail.com	Modipuram, Meerut - 250110 Uttar Pradesh	0121-2411522, 2411503 Fax:0121-2411505
31	Sher-E-Kashmir Univ of Agricultural Sciences & Technology Website: http://www.skuast.org Email:	Railway Road, Jammu 180012, J&K	0191-2473883, 2471745, 2473417 Fax:0191-2473883
32	Sher-E-Kashmir Univ of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Kashmir Website: http://www.skuastkashmir.ac.in Email: anwar_alam@jk.nic.in, vcskuastk@jk.nic.in	Shalimar Campus, Shrinagar-191121, Jammu & Kashmir	0194-2462160, 2462159 Fax:0194-2462160, 2461543
33	Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University Website:http://www.vetversitytirupati.gov.in Email:	Admn office, Regional Library Building, Tirupati-517502	0877-2248986 Fax:0877-2248986
34	Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Website: http://www.tnau.ac.in Email: vc@tnau.ac.in	Coimbatore-641003, Tamil Nadu	0422-2431788, 2431672 Fax:0422-2431672
35	Tamil Nadu Veterinary & Animal Science University Website: http://www.tanuvas.tn.nic.in Email: vctanuvas@vsnl.com	Chennai-600051, Tamilnadu	044-25551574 Fax:0444-225551576
36	University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore Website: http://uasbng.kar.nic.in Email: mnsheelavantar@yahoo.co.in, uas-vc@uasblr.kar.nic.in	GKVK,Bangalore-560065, Karnataka	080-23332442 Fax:080-23330277
37	University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad Website: http://www.uasd.edu Email: jhkulkarni@yahoo.co.in	Dharwad-580005, Karnataka	0836-2447783, 9448495300 Fax:0836-2448349
38	UP Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhaya Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Vishwa Vidhyalaya evam Go Anusandhan Sansthan Website: http://www.upvetuniv.edu.in Email: mlmadan@hotmail.com	Mathura-281001 , Uttar Pradesh	0565-2503499 Fax:0565-2404819
39	Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya Website:http://www.ubkv.ac.in Email:	P.O. Pundibari, Dist. Coach Bihar-736165,West Bengal	03582-270141 Fax:03582-270249
40	West Bengal University of Animal & Fishery Sciences Website:http://www.wbuafscl.ac.in Email: wbuafs@wb.nic.in	68 KB Sarani, Kolkata-700037, West Bengal	033-25563450 Fax:033-25571986
41	Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University Website: http://www.kvafsu.kar.nic.in http://www.kvafsu.edu.in Email: vckvafsu@yahoo.co.in dekvafsub@yahoo.com	Nandinagar, PB No 6, BIDAR 585401, Karnataka	08482-245264, 245313 Fax:08482- 245241, 245313
42	University of Agricultural Sciences Website: http://www.uasraichur.edu.in Email: souasr09@redifffmail.com vcuasraichur10@rediffmail.com	Lingasugur Road, Raichur – 584101 Karnataka	08532-221444 Fax: 08532- 220444
43	University of Horticultural Sciences Website: http://uhsbagalkot.edu.in/ Email:	Sector No 60 Navanagar Bagalkot 587102 Karnataka	08354 201354 Fax: 08354 235154
44	Andhra Pradesh Horticultural University Website: http://www.aphu.edu.in Email: vcaphu@gmail.com	DCC Bank Buildings, PB No 7 Tadepalligudem 534101 West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh	08818-222191 Fax: 08818-222190
45	Rajmata Vijayraje Sciendia Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya Website: http://www.rvskvv.nic.in Email: vcrvskvv@gmail.com	Race Cource Road, Gwalior 474002 Madhya Pradesh	0751-2467673 Fax: 0751-2467673
46	Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Website: http://rajuvas.org Email: vcrajuvas@gmail.com	Bikaner, Rajasthan	0151-2543419
47	Bihar Agricultural College Website: http://www.bausabour.org.in Email: vcbausabour@gmail.com	Sabour, Bhagalpur 813210, Bihar	0641-2452606

FAO Food Price Index

2011-05-29T13:36:00.000+05:30

http://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/wfs-home/foodpricesindex/en/

International prices of agricultural commodities drop

2010-06-03T23:04:00.002+05:30

But high prices of non-cereal products still keep food import bills high, especially in developing countries

3 June 2010, Rome - International prices of key food staples have dropped during the first five months of 2010 according to the latest edition of FAO's biannual Food Outlook report, released today.

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 164 points in May 2010, down from 174 points in January and substantially less than its peak of 214 in the spring of 2008, the report notes.

A fall in international prices of cereals and sugar were among the main drivers behind this decline. Sugar prices have tumbled by half from their peak at the beginning of the year under prospects of significant production increases.

But, the agency noted, this still means the cost of the typical food commodity basket around the world today is some 69 percent higher than in 2002-04.

Most indicators point to increasing world supplies, a leading factor behind the sharp declines in international prices of major food staples this year, according to the report. "The 2008-2009 food prices boom spurred plantings and production of many crops, which has resulted in a recovery in inventories and boosting stocks-to-use ratios, a tendency likely to prevail also in 2010/11", it said.

First forecasts for the global cereal market in the new season 2010/11

Today's Food Outlook provides FAO's first forecasts for cereal trade, stocks and utilization in the coming 2010/11 season.

Early indications, according to the report, point towards another comfortable season, with world production in 2010 likely to match the record achieved in 2008, and global cereal inventories increasing for the third consecutive season.

Importantly, the growth in production may not be confined to exporters only, as many importing countries are also expected to harvest bumper crops.

Price drops mask increase in food import bills

Despite price decreases, the global cost of imported foodstuffs is set to reach $921 billion in 2010, some US$100 billion -- or 11 percent more than in 2009 -- but still short of the record mark of $1 trillion set in 2008, when the food price crisis was at its peak.

Much of the anticipated increase will be fuelled by higher expenditures on non-cereal products, which could rise by as much as 17 percent, to $650 billion, or around two-thirds of global food import expenditures, FAO reported.

Dairy products, vegetable oils and sugar are among the foodstuffs expected to drive bills higher, through a combination of higher import volumes and prices. Expenditures on these imported commodities are forecast to surpass or near the record levels witnessed in 2008.

Rising freight costs are another factor spurring food import bills, Food Outlook notes. Indicators of freight rate movements are running around 75 percent higher so far this year compared to 2009.

As a result, the cost of purchasing food on the international market place for the most economically vulnerable groups -- Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Low Income Food Deficit Countries (LIFDCs) -- is set to rise on the order of 10 and 14 percent, respectively, from last year.

Sugar and cereal prices down, oilseeds and dairy hold steady, meat and fish up

Sugar prices have plummeted by half from their peak at the beginning of the year -- they reached a 30-year high average of $583/tonne in January -- under prospects of significant production increases.

The drop for cereals has been more modest, around 10 percent, but the expectation of another good season ahead could put further downward pressure on prices.

Oilseed prices have so far resisted a major downturn, as demand remains strong and supply somewhat tighter than in the case of cereals. However, early indications suggest that oilseed prices may decline in the coming months as supply responds to high prices ease the current tightness.

In contrast, prices in the meat sector have risen sharply, mostly due to declines in production while consumption is increasing. The fish sector is benefiting from some revival in demand, but, especially, of limitations on supplies. The market for Atlantic salmon remains particularly tight because of unfavourable supply developments in Chile resulting from disease outbreaks in that country's aquaculture sector.

Poor prospects for milk production in important dairy exporting countries, against a backdrop of brisk import demand, are underpinning firm international dairy prices, the report added.

Personal and household hygiene

2010-04-27T21:23:00.005+05:30

FACT

Good hygiene prevents diseases

Many illnesses, especially diarrhoea, come from germs found in human and animal faeces. These germs are very small and are not visible to our eyes.

Germs cause illness when they get into the mouth through food, water, dirty hands, dirty utensils or dirty surfaces used for preparing and serving food.

Just rinsing fingers with water is not enough. To kill germs, both hands need to be rubbed with water and soap or ash.

A dirty environment attracts flies, cockroaches, rats and mice which spread germs. A household needs to be kept clean to stop the spread of germs and protect all the family from illness.

Good hygiene practices that prevent the spread of germs include:
o disposing safely of all faeces, ideally using a toilet or latrine
o washing hands with soap (or ash) and clean water
o using clean water from a safe source
o disposing safely of household refuse, e.g. burning, burying, recycling,
composting etc.
o keeping animal faeces away from the house, paths, wells, streams and
children’s play areas.

ACT

Follow good hygiene practices to prevent illness

 Only use water from a safe source. Safe water sources are water pipes, tubewells,
protected dug-wells and springs. Use clean, covered containers to collect
and store water. Wash your hands before collecting water.

 Build handwashing habits in the family. Make sure that all the family, including
children, wash their hands with clean water and soap (or ashes):

o after using the toilet

o after cleaning a child’s bottom (or any other contact with human excreta)

o before handling and eating food

o before feeding children (make sure they wash their hands too)

o after contact with sick people (e.g. feeding, washing)

o after touching or handling animals.

FACT SHEET 1

 Dry hands by shaking and rubbing them together or using a clean towel that is kept only for this purpose.

 All the family should keep their bodies clean through regular bathing and laundering. In particular, children’s faces should be washed regularly and thoroughly with clean water to prevent eye infections.

Keep your house and yard clean to stop the spread of germs that carry illness

Dispose of all faeces safely:

o Use a toilet or latrine and keep it clean and free of flies.
o Teach small children to use a potty. Put children’s faeces in the latrine.
o If it is not possible to use a toilet or latrine, the faeces should be buried
immediately. Everyone should always defecate well away from houses, paths,water sources and places where children play.
Keep the surrounding area of the house free from animal faeces and other rubbish.
Put rubbish in a covered bin, bury it or burn it, so it does not attract flies and other pests.

OTHER IMPORTANT TIPS

BE CAREFUL! Make sure there is no water where mosquitoes can breed (e.g.ponds, containers). Outside the house, cover water barrels and turn empty containers upside down so they do not collect water.

PASS IT ON! Train your children to practise good hygiene. For instance, show them how and when to wash hands and how to keep the environment clean. Build daily habits.

CHECK that your children’s school has proper handwashing facilities and latrines.

Family Nutrition Guide

2010-04-27T21:10:00.006+05:30

This guide is for everyone who wants to improve the feeding and nutrition of families in developing countries. It is for you if you are a health worker, nutritionist, agricultural extension worker or any other kind of development worker. It is for you if you are a member of a community group or a mother or other caregiver who wants to know more about family feeding. It might also be useful to anyone training health staff and community workers.
If you do not have a basic knowledge of nutrition and feel uncomfortable dealing with some technical parts of the guide, we suggest that you team up with local professionals so they can give you help when you need it.

The purpose of the guide is to:

•provide the information needed to prepare good, nutritious and safe meals and feed each member of the family well;

•motivate people to adopt healthy eating habits.

The guide is divided into 11 topics that cover basic nutrition, family food security, meal planning, food hygiene and the special feeding needs of children, women and men, and of old, sick and malnourished people. Each Topic is set out in the same way and has two parts: Nutrition notes and Sharing this information.

The Nutrition notes summarizes up-to-date knowledge on each topic. These can be used to prepare:

•face-to-face education sessions with families and other community-level groups (including teachers, care workers, traditional health workers, etc.);

•nutrition education print materials (such as booklets, brochures, flyers, posters) or material for other media (such as radio talks);

•training materials for different levels of staff in different sectors who deal with family nutrition.

14 Fact Sheets

•Personal and household hygiene

•Keeping food safe and clean

•Functions of foods

•A healthy diet

•Iron makes our bodies strong

•Vitamin A keeps our bodies healthy

•Iodine makes our bodies function properly

•Food for pregnant and breastfeeding women

•Feeding babies aged 0-6 months

•Feeding young children aged over 6 months

•Feeding school-age children and youth

•Food and care for older people

•Feeding sick people

•Preventing and managing malnutrition

New market access rules, economic crisis affecting seafood industry

2010-04-27T20:30:00.004+05:30

Developing countries struggle with new challenges getting fish to market

26 April 2010, Rome/Buenos Aires - Used to be, seafood was largely something only folks on the coasts got to enjoy, while fresh fish was for those lucky enough to live near streams or lakes. Nowadays, though, fish is everywhere. And not just Lake Perch or Salmon. Odd, exotic fish from far-away places. Tilapia. Swai. Mahi Mahi. Kingclip.

Fish have gone global. They are, in fact, one of the world's most hotly traded food commodities: some 37 percent of all fish production — 53 million tonnes — is traded internationally. Exports of fish in 2008 were valued at a cool $102 billion.

The lion's share of fish being traded is imported by developed countries — 60% of it, in weight terms, and 80% of it in value terms. Europe, Japan and the United States alone account for 70% of all fish imports, in terms of value. The total value of all fish imports in 2008 was $108 billion.

For the most part, that fish is from the developing world — the source of 50 percent of all fish imports by rich nations, in value terms ($43 billion).

This means revenue. Net export earnings for developing countries from fish trade currently run $27 billion a year.

It also means jobs. Some 45 million people are directly employed, either full or part time, in fisheries and aquaculture. An additional 6.5 million are engaged in the sector on an occasional basis. Factoring in jobs in processing — mainly female labor — marketing and service industries and including the family members of all people employed, an estimated half a billion people rely on fish for some or all of their incomes.

Getting fish to market isn't always easy, however. And according to reports prepared for a meeting this week of FAO's Subcommittee on Fish Trade (April 26-29, Buenos Aires), for developing countries, doing so is getting harder.

Challenges, old and new

As of 1 January 2010, the world's largest import market for fish, the European Union, requires that all imports of wild fish be accompanied by a certificate validated by the fisheries authorities of the country that flagged the vessel that originally caught them. The aim is to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing, a major problem -- but compliance is placing new, often difficult burdens, on exporters, says FAO. Other major markets concerned with IUU are contemplating similar measures.

Meanwhile, a growing number of food retailers are committing to carrying only fish that has been certified as from a sustainable fishery — Trader Joe's in the U.S. is one example. A range of both government and private, non-government certification schemes are being used to do this, raising the compliance bar further.

For small-scale producers, acquiring technical know how, becoming familiar with best practices, investing in upgrading facilities and equipment — and learning the paperwork and procedures -- necessary to meet such requirements is a challenge, especially if they are trying to comply with more than one standard.

Key global forum

This is why FAO's Subcommittee on Fish Trade has a key role to play.

"This body is a unique global forum where policy makers from importing and exporting countries, from aquaculture producers, Coastal, Flag and Market States come together to find ways to create an enabling environment for the sector to develop while successfully addressing the challenges that development presents," said FAO Assistant Director-General for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ichiro Nomura, in an address at the start of the meeting.

"Sustainable trade of wild capture fish and seafood depends on a natural renewable resource base that is managed in a sustainable and responsible way. Market access requirements can be shaped to create incentives to achieve sustainable fisheries. The challenge is for policy-makers to ensure these measures are sound, science - based, transparent and do not create unnecessary barriers," Nomura added.

This year's meeting in Argentina represents the first time since its creation in 1984 that the Subcommittee meeting has been held outside of Europe and hosted by a G77 nation. This year's session is being chaired by Ramiro Sánchez of Argentina's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.

Sound management must underpin it all

According to FAO, good management of fisheries by developing nations is essential if they are going to continue to benefit over the longer term.

Increased demand for fish to supply international markets can sometimes result in excessive fishing pressure, potentially leading to over-exploitation and wasteful use of some fish stocks.

Last year FAO prepared a set of Guidelines for Responsible Fish Trade, which contain best practices and technical advice on how to maximize the poverty reduction, food security and nutrition benefits of fish trade while minimizing potential negative aspects.

Impacts of economic crisis

International trade in fish grew through most of 2008, but the global economic downturn led a drop in imports in almost all markets in 2009. Fish exports grew 8.7 percent in 2008 to $102 billion; data for 2009 are stilling coming in, but estimates point to falling values and volumes both.

The EU is the largest market for imported fish. The value of imports to the EU-27 from non-European suppliers reaching $24.6 billion in 2008. Figures for 2009 show a 6 percent fall in Euro terms.

In 2009, with $13.2 billion, Japan was the largest single-country import market, followed by the USA with $13.1 billion.

click here to download a fact sheet on the global fish trade

Earth Hour 2010

2010-03-27T19:05:00.002+05:30

Adapt food systems to climate change

2010-03-14T23:45:00.002+05:30

As the number of hungry in the world surpasses one billion, ensuring adequate safe and nutritious food for all will require food systems to adapt to climate change. Adaptation of the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors to climate change will be costly but necessary for food security, poverty reduction and ecosystem services.

Acting now rather than later could reduce the vulnerability of hundreds of millions of farmers, and forest-dependant people who are already food insecure especially smalholder and subsistence farmers,pastoralists and fisherfolk, women and indigenous peoples.

No other sector is more sensitive to climate change than agriculture and no other sector contributes so directly to the provision of food and livelihoods of the majority of the poor in developing countries. That’s why specific targeting of agriculture within adaptation efforts, and their financing, is needed so that the sector can achieve its multiple roles.

Concrete steps to face future risks of climate change impacts include developing climate change impact assessments, encouraging better water management, soil conservation, resilient crops and trees and improving weather and climate forecasting as well as further developing disaster risk management.

Capture synergies between food

security and mitigation Potential synergies among food security, adaptation and mitigation from land-based practices in developing countries could generate high benefits to address the high demands placed on these sectors.
However, some mitigation actions may not help adaptation efforts and can sometimes conflict with food
security goals. Strategies and financing mechanisms will be needed that enable these multiple benefits to be produced and used by rural producers.The most promising mitigation options include: sustainable forest, cropland and rangeland management, agroforestry

Reduce emissions, remove greenhouse gases and ensure food security

2010-03-14T23:40:00.000+05:30

According to the 2007 Synthesis Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the agriculture and forestry sectors are responsible for a third of green house gas emissions (GHG) and yet these same sectors also hold an enormous potential to reduce emissions and also absorb carbon in vegetation and soils. Agriculture can be part of the mitigation solution and the sector deserves to be anchored in the implementation of international agreements. Reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture while meeting the growing demand for food, fuel and fiber can be done.

Some mitigation options, particularly those related to soil carbon sequestration can contribute to both food security and adaptation goals. Reduction and removal of carbon can also be achieved by improving cropland and grassland management, and restoring degraded soils. Around 13 million hectares of forests are lost annually due to deforestation causing 17 percent of global GHG emissions (FRA 2005, IPCC 2007). Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) including sustainable forest management, forest conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks also can be an immediate answer.

Fisheries advisory panel offers recommendations on CITES proposals

2009-12-21T23:26:00.001+05:30

Atlantic Bluefin tuna, several shark species, corals reviewed

An advisory panel of independent experts convened by FAO has issued recommendations regarding six proposals to limit international trade in a number of commercially exploited aquatic animals under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The CITES Convention was established to protect wild species whose status is being directly affected by international trade. It is not designed to protect species that are endangered for other reasons. Once a species is listed by CITES, its international trade is subject to varying degrees of control depending on its status, ranging from controlled trading (if listed on CITES Appendix II) to outright bans (Appendix I).

The proposals, submitted by various CITES parties, request the Convention to control international trade in certain shark and coral species and to ban international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna. They will be considered for listing at the 15th Conference of CITES parties (Doha, Qatar, 13-25 March 2010).

The advisory panel consisted of 22 international fishery experts from 15 different countries. It was convened to evaluate the proposals according to criteria established by CITES and to give independent and impartial recommendations based on the experts' knowledge and on the scientific evidence presented in each proposal. This follows a formal process through which FAO channels advice from external fishery scientists to CITES. The CITES Conference of Parties will take the final decision regarding listing of proposed species.

Panel outcomes

Following a thorough six-day review and using the CITES criteria, the panel determined that sufficient evidence exists to warrant placing the following species on CITES Appendix II: Oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus), Porbeagle (Lamna nasus), and Scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini). In addition, the proposed listing of "look-alike" shark species to help enforcement for Scalloped hammerhead shark was found to be justified in two of the four cases, Great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) and Smooth hammerhead shark (Sphyrna zygaena).

The panel did not reach consensus regarding the proposed listing under CITES Appendix I of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), however a majority of the panel agreed that the available evidence supports the proposal. There was consensus that the evidence available supports the inclusion of Atlantic bluefin tuna on Appendix II.

For the remaining species under consideration, Spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) and all species of the coral family Coralliidae, the panel assessed that they did not meet the criteria required by CITES for listing on Appendix II. However, the panel did note that inadequate management in many areas of distribution of these species represents a cause for "serious concern". It urged that these shortcomings be remedied by relevant fishing nations and regional organizations in order to prevent rates of exploitation for these animals from exceeding acceptable levels.

The full report of the advisory panel will be available within the next month and accessible on the website of FAO's Fisheries and Aquaculture Department.

Jairam Ramesh on India's Role Confronting Climate Change

2009-12-16T00:22:00.000+05:30

Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Government of India speaks at Project Syndicate's 2009 Global Editors' Forum.