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Book (series)FlagshipThe State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020
Transforming food systems for affordable healthy diets
2020Updates for many countries have made it possible to estimate hunger in the world with greater accuracy this year. In particular, newly accessible data enabled the revision of the entire series of undernourishment estimates for China back to 2000, resulting in a substantial downward shift of the series of the number of undernourished in the world. Nevertheless, the revision confirms the trend reported in past editions: the number of people affected by hunger globally has been slowly on the rise since 2014. The report also shows that the burden of malnutrition in all its forms continues to be a challenge. There has been some progress for child stunting, low birthweight and exclusive breastfeeding, but at a pace that is still too slow. Childhood overweight is not improving and adult obesity is on the rise in all regions.The report complements the usual assessment of food security and nutrition with projections of what the world may look like in 2030, if trends of the last decade continue. Projections show that the world is not on track to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030 and, despite some progress, most indicators are also not on track to meet global nutrition targets. The food security and nutritional status of the most vulnerable population groups is likely to deteriorate further due to the health and socio economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.The report puts a spotlight on diet quality as a critical link between food security and nutrition. Meeting SDG 2 targets will only be possible if people have enough food to eat and if what they are eating is nutritious and affordable. The report also introduces new analysis of the cost and affordability of healthy diets around the world, by region and in different development contexts. It presents valuations of the health and climate-change costs associated with current food consumption patterns, as well as the potential cost savings if food consumption patterns were to shift towards healthy diets that include sustainability considerations. The report then concludes with a discussion of the policies and strategies to transform food systems to ensure affordable healthy diets, as part of the required efforts to end both hunger and all forms of malnutrition. -
Book (series)Technical studyTaro cultivation in Asia and the Pacific 1999
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No results found.Taro, Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott occupies a significant place in the agriculture of the Asia-Pacific Region. It is in this region, more than any other in the world, that the crop attains its greatest importance as a staple food. In Oceania particularly, taro plays a critical role in the household, community, and national food security. Since both corms and leaves are usually consumed, taro supplies much-needed protein, vitamins, and minerals, in addition to carbohydrate energy. The socio-cultural importance of taro in the region is very high. The crop has evolved to be an integral part of the culture and features prominently in festivals, social gift-giving, and the discharge of social obligations. More recently, taro has become a source of income for individuals, and an earner of foreign exchange. Its role in rural development has therefore been increasing, especially with respect to the provision of employment and the alleviation of rural poverty. Given the importance of taro, activities need to be geared toward its research, development, and available literature. This book is, therefore, a valuable and timely effort to fill some of the information gaps with respect to taro in the Asia-Pacific Region. Apart from a general coverage of the region, it delves into a country-by-country treatment of taro cultivation in 19 of the most important taro-growing countries in the region. The publication will be a useful reference source for researchers, extension workers, growers, and entrepreneurs who are interested in taro. The presentation has placed emphasis on clarity and simplicity to permit easy understanding even by persons for whom English is a second language. -
Book (stand-alone)High-profileState of knowledge of soil biodiversity - Status, challenges and potentialities
Report 2020
2020Also available in:
No results found.There is increasing attention to the importance of biodiversity for food security and nutrition, especially above-ground biodiversity such as plants and animals. However, less attention is being paid to the biodiversity beneath our feet, soil biodiversity, which drives many processes that produce food or purify soil and water. This report is the result of an inclusive process involving more than 300 scientists from around the world under the auspices of the FAO’s Global Soil Partnership and its Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative, and the European Commission. It presents concisely the state of knowledge on soil biodiversity, the threats to it, and the solutions that soil biodiversity can provide to problems in different fields. It also represents a valuable contribution to raising awareness of the importance of soil biodiversity and highlighting its role in finding solutions to today's global threats.