The aim of raising global awareness on the multitude of benefits of pulses was integral to the International Year of Pulses. This coffee table book is part guide and part cookbook— informative without being technical. The book begins by giving an overview of pulses, and explains why they are an important food for the future. It also has more than 30 recipes prepared by some of the most prestigious chefs in the world and is peppered with infographics. Part I gives an overview of pulses and ...

Biodiversity for food and agriculture comprises all the components of biodiversity that contribute to crop and livestock production, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture – both wild and domesticated, and at genetic, species and ecosystem levels. It is vital to food security and nutrition, livelihoods and the supply of a range of ecosystem services.The Framework for Action on Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture was endorsed by the FAO Council in 2021. It contains more than 50 indiv...

The Action Framework (2021-2025) for the Global Action on Green Development of Special Agro-Products: "One country – One Priority Product" (OCOP) presents the rationale, main pillars, key principles, thematic areas, results framework, budget, and activity planning, coordination and implementation, and guidelines for country project application for implementation of the Global Action.Special agricultural products (SAPs) are agricultural products with unique qualities and special cha...

Plastic contamination in the environment is one of the most currently discussed topics. In addition to environmental matrices, microplastics have been detected in fisheries and aquaculture species, but also in other important food commodities. Food consumption is considered as one of the main and most important pathways of human exposure to microplastics. Concerns might arise not only from the exposure to the plastic polymer itself which, although generally considered as biologically inert...

South-South Cooperation (SSC) is increasingly recognized as an effective instrument for catalyzing economic development by fostering the exchange of innovation and good practices, and expanding market opportunities across countries with a similar level of development and shared development objectives, such as those reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Key to this economic cooperation are trade and investment relationships among South countries. The importance of South cou...

Automation has been shaping world agriculture since the early twentieth century. Motorized mechanization has brought significant benefits in terms of improved productivity, reduced drudgery and more efficient allocation of labour, but also some negative environmental impacts. More recently, a new generation of digital agricultural automation technologies has appeared, with the potential to further enhance productivity, as well as resilience, while also addressing the environmental sustaina...

This publication describes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's multisectoral voluntary approach to antibiotic stewardship in food-producing animals, developed as a collaboration between industry and government. It is a tribute to all those involved for their tremendous efforts, commitment, and continuous work to improve responsible use of antibiotics and achieve significant reductions in their use across livestock sectors. Keys to success include the development of s...

Worldwide, maize is the third most important cereal after rice and wheat. It occupies 197 million hectares of planted area. Asia contributes to nearly 30 percent of global maize supplies, and area and production of the crop is rapidly increasing in the continent. Minimum support prices, swelling market demand from the animal feed and processing industries, as well as human consumption, have all led to increased maize production in zones where precipitation limits rice cultivation.H...

One of the world's greatest challenges is to feed a growing human population in an effective, sustainable, and environmentally conscious manner. In the Asia-Pacific, agri-food production is greatly impeded by a speciose complex of transboundary pests and pathogens (TPP). Integrated pest management (IPM), a sequential decision-making process founded upon agroecological principles and aimed at reducing pest-induced losses with minimal (if any) reliance upon chemical toxins, is tailor-made to...

The benefit of an adequate framework for the management of animal health emergency operations has been repeatedly shown over the years, highlighting a need to build and upgrade capabilities to effectively and efficiently manage animal health emergency operations at all levels. This need can begin to be met through the guidance provided in this manual. Equipped with practical examples, samples and guidelines, this manual supports countries and relevant local, national, regional and internat...

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly fatal infectious disease of domestic and wild pigs of all breeds and ages with no effective vaccine or treatment. The incursion of ASF into Asia and the Pacific region has been a major concern as the region is the major pig production area, which produces over 58 percent of pigs globally (FAOSTAT). The concerns, therefore, are growing for its impacts on food security and economics as the virus is expanding towards more areas and countries in the region...

The International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021 (IYFV), as declared by the UN General Assembly in Resolution A/RES/74/244, aims at raising awareness of, directing policy attention to, and sharing good practices on the nutritional and health benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption, the contribution of fruit and vegetable consumption to the promotion of diversified, balanced and healthy diets and lifestyles, and reducing loss and waste of fruits and vegetables.This backgroun...