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Addressing Food Safety Challenges of the Asia-Pacific Region















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    Report on the Outcome of the FAO Regional Meeting on Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition in Asia-Pacific 2018
    The FAO Regional Meeting on Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition in Asia-Pacific was held from 11 to 13 September 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as a follow-up to the 2016 FAO International Symposium on “The Role of Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition”. The purpose of the regional meeting was to engage a broad range of stakeholders in the dialogue on the role and application of agricultural biotechnologies to improve food security and nutrition and make food systems more sustainable in the Asia-Pacific region. The meeting highlighted that a wide range of low- to high-tech agricultural biotechnologies are currently being used in the crop, forestry, livestock and fishery sectors to ensure food and nutrition security and to enhance adaptation and resilience of the agriculture sector to climate change in the Asia-Pacific region. It also underlined that one of the key constraints in the development and application of agricultural biotechnologies in the region is lack of investments. The meeting further noted the large gap among countries in the region regarding the application, capacities and the enabling environment for agricultural biotechnologies, and called for countries and other relevant stakeholders to foster and strengthen partnerships, in particular through South-South Cooperation, public-private-partnerships, networking and other mechanisms, to increase investments and strengthen science and innovation cooperation so that the needs of smallholders in the region can be met. The outcomes of the deliberations have been captured and summarized in this information note.
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    Climate Action for Agriculture: Strengthening the Engagement of Agriculture Sectors to Implement the Climate Change Elements of the 2030 Agenda in Asia and the Pacific 2018
    Climate change poses a systemic risk to the achievement of food security in Asia and the Pacific. In acknowledgement of this risk, member countries in the region have highlighted the agriculture and land sectors as key priorities for action under the Paris Agreement (SDG 13) and the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction. Strategic engagement by Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Fishery Ministries in these international frameworks will enhance the capacity to finance and scale up measures to strengthen the climate resilience of food and agriculture systems. This paper provides a review of current knowledge on climate change risks to food security in the region and the opportunities and challenges for the agriculture and land sectors to play a more ambitious role in implementing the Paris Agreement and Sendai Framework. It discusses the potential benefits of strong, sector-based action in support of achievement of the SDG targets related to food security, as well as the potential contributions from strategic partnerships involving the private sector, civil society, South-South and triangular cooperation and development partners. The paper cites novel adaptation strategies, such as geographic indications - GI and Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems - GIAHS, that can help farmers increase resilience and provide a buffer against extreme climate events. Member countries are invited to provide guidance on how FAO can best support their efforts to address the needs and priorities of the agriculture sectors under the climate change-related elements of the 2030 Agenda and how FAO, through its Global Strategy and Regional Initiative on Climate Change, can best support member countries to plan and implement sector-specific action to address climate change risks to food security.
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    Round Table on Imagining Future Healthy and Inclusive Food Systems in Asia and the Pacific 2018
    Asia and the Pacific is experiencing major demographic shifts and rapid urbanization. E-agriculture technologies (remote sensing, drones, sensors) are emerging, with potentially profound implications for the entire food system and management of the natural resource base. Structural transformation of the economy has also changed the nature of the food security problem. Earlier, many governments thought that producing more staple food was sufficient to improve food security. However, today’s economy, increasingly based on human capital and less on physical strength, requires that policies and programmes promote healthy diets for healthy people. This need for improved nutrition will require shifts in agricultural production and trade patterns. Solving the malnutrition problem in urban areas will also require different solutions than in rural areas, due to the difference in urban and rural food environments. In line with the structural transformation of the economy, farm households also increasingly rely on non-farm income to support their livelihoods and risk management strategies, which has implications for the uptake of new technologies. The demographic shifts, urbanization and structural changes in the economy, coupled with climate change, have made the food security and nutrition problem more complex than in the past. Solutions require input from different stakeholders, both public and private, as well as a range of government ministries, including health, finance, education, environment, trade and social welfare in addition to agriculture. This round table session will encourage delegates to exchange views on these challenges and share suggestions for creating healthy food systems that promote good nutrition and accelerate poverty reduction through inclusive and sustainable agricultural development.

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