The total number of persons that suffer from hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean has increased, reversing decades of progress, even as overweight and obesity emerged as a major problem in all countries in the region of the Americas, according to the Panorama of Food Security and Nutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean 2017, published

Millions of young people in developing countries who are poised to enter the labour force in the coming decades need not flee rural areas to escape poverty, argues a new FAO report published. Rural areas actually have vast potential for economic growth pegged to food production and related sectors, The State of Food and Agriculture 2017 says.

After steadily declining for over a decade, global hunger is on the rise again, affecting 815 million people in 2016, or 11 per cent of the global population, says a new edition of the annual United Nations report on world food security and nutrition.

This executive summary of the FAO report, briefly reviews the “unsustainable trajectory followed by agri-food systems” and draws attention to “hotspots where crop production, livestock and aquaculture may be the key contributors to the degradation of water quality.”

Extreme climate events are increasing in frequency and intensity, threatening the agriculture sectors and the livelihoods they support. By impacting on agro-ecosystems, climate change and variability have socio-economic implications on the livelihoods and food security and nutrition of the most vulnerable.

Africa is probably the most vulnerable continent to climate change and variability, because of the combination of its low adaptive capacity with particular eco-climatic and socio-economic conditions. Nevertheless it remains one of the regions less covered by climate change studies.

Despite widespread emergency response in Ethiopia’s agriculture sector last year to the El Niño-induced drought, humanitarian needs remain high in 2017. New threats to food security are emerging – including severe drought in southern and southeastern pastoral areas and a growing refugee crisis in Gambella Region.

FAO has developed new guidelines aimed at helping countries develop strong National Forest Monitoring Systems, which are key to measure progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To fulfil their pledges under the Paris Climate Agreement and Agenda 2030 countries are expected to collect more detailed forestry data.

Poor rains across East Africa have worsened hunger and left crops scorched, pastures dry and thousands of livestock dead - according to an alert released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Participation in the development of international food standards for trade is essential if countries are to reap the benefits of booming global trade and prepare for imminent technological changes, according to a joint publication issued by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 12 July.