Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) is an international organisation dedicated to eliminating hunger and malnutrition, promoting sustainable agriculture, and improving food security around the world. Established in 1945, FAO has 194 member countries and employs over 11,000 staff members globally, operating in over 130 countries.

FAO's mission is to achieve food security for all and ensure that everyone has access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food. It helps governments and development agencies coordinate their activities to improve and develop agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and land and water resources. To achieve its goals, the organisation collects and analyses data on global food and agricultural production, provides technical assistance and advice to member countries on agricultural policies, food safety, and nutrition, and implements programs that promote sustainable agriculture practices.

One of FAO's major initiatives is the Zero Hunger Challenge, which aims to eliminate hunger and malnutrition by 2030. The organisation also provides emergency assistance to countries affected by natural disasters or conflict, promotes the sustainable use of natural resources, and supports research and development to improve agricultural productivity.

The FAO is governed by a biennial conference representing each member country and the European Union, which elects a 49-member executive council. The Director-General, currently Qu Dongyu of China, serves as the chief administrative officer. Various committees govern matters such as finance, programs, agriculture, and fisheries.

The idea of establishing an international organisation focused on food and agriculture dates back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This concept was advanced primarily by David Lubin, a Polish-born American agriculturalist and activist. His efforts culminated in an international conference held in Rome, Italy, in May–June 1905. The conference led to the creation of the International Institute of Agriculture (IIA), founded by King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. The IIA, headquartered in Rome, aimed to collect and analyse data on global agricultural production and trade. It also provided technical assistance and advice to member countries on agricultural policies and practices.

At its peak, the IIA had over 50 member countries, including many European nations, the United States, and Japan. The organisation played a significant role in facilitating international cooperation in agriculture and served as a forum for exchanging ideas and information. However, the challenges brought on by World War II highlighted the need for a more coordinated international effort to address food shortages and promote food security.

In 1943, amidst the global turmoil of World War II, United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt convened a League of Nations Conference on Food and Agriculture. The conference, held from 18 May to 3 June at The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, was attended by representatives from 44 countries. The main driving force behind this initiative was Frank L. McDougall, a British-born Australian economist who had advocated for an international platform to combat hunger and malnutrition since 1935.

The Hot Springs Conference concluded with a commitment to establish a permanent organisation for food and agriculture. This commitment was realised on 16 October 1945, with the establishment of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Quebec City, Canada. The first FAO Conference took place immediately afterwards at the Château Frontenac in Quebec City from 16 October to 1 November 1945.

The FAO was created to build on the work of the IIA and expand its mandate to address broader issues such as food security, sustainable agriculture, and rural development. In its early years, the organisation concentrated on increasing agricultural productivity and improving food security in developing countries. It provided technical assistance and training to farmers, promoted modern farming techniques, and supported research and development in agriculture. During this period, FAO played a key role in the Green Revolution of the 1950s and 1960s, which introduced high-yielding crop varieties, fertilisers, and other innovations that boosted agricultural production in many developing countries.

FAO also worked closely with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to address issues related to food safety and nutrition. In 1963, the two organisations established the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which develops and promotes food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice to protect consumer health and ensure fair trade practices.

In response to the widespread famine in Africa, FAO convened the first World Food Summit in 1974. The summit addressed global hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity, leading to a proclamation affirming the right of every person to be free from hunger and malnutrition. Despite these efforts, the goals set by the summit were not fully achieved. A subsequent summit in 1996 aimed to address these shortcomings and set a strategic plan for eradicating hunger and malnutrition into the 21st century.

In recent years, FAO has continued to expand its efforts in various areas, including climate change, sustainable agriculture, and food security. The organisation has been actively involved in promoting sustainable agricultural practices, supporting smallholder farmers, and addressing the challenges posed by climate change to global food systems.

The FAO has also played a crucial role in responding to global emergencies and food crises. It has provided support to countries affected by conflicts, natural disasters, and economic instability. The organisation continues to advocate for the eradication of hunger and poverty, improved nutrition, and sustainable agricultural development.

In 2024,  the FAO remains a leading international organisation in the field of food and agriculture, with 194 member countries and the European Union. Its work encompasses a wide range of issues, including agricultural development, food security, nutrition, and sustainable resource management. The organisation continues to strive towards its goal of achieving food security for all and ensuring that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active and healthy lives.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialised agency of the UN that works towards achieving its main goals, which are to eradicate hunger, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture and rural development.

To achieve these goals, FAO works with governments, international organisations, civil society, and the private sector to address the challenges of food insecurity, malnutrition, and poverty. Some of the specific purposes of FAO include:

• Eliminating hunger and malnutrition: FAO aims to ensure that everyone has access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food, and works to address the root causes of hunger and malnutrition, including poverty, inequality, and conflict.
• Promoting sustainable agriculture and rural development: FAO works to promote sustainable agricultural practices that protect natural resources, enhance productivity, and support rural livelihoods. This includes efforts to promote agroecology, conservation agriculture, and other sustainable farming practices.
• Improving food systems: FAO works to improve food systems by promoting food safety and quality, supporting smallholder farmers and rural entrepreneurs, and strengthening the resilience of food systems to shocks and crises.
• Providing technical assistance and knowledge-sharing: FAO provides technical assistance and advice to governments and other stakeholders on a wide range of agricultural and food-related issues and works to promote knowledge-sharing and capacity-building at the national, regional, and global levels.
• Addressing climate change and environmental degradation: FAO works to promote sustainable land use practices, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, and enhance the resilience of agricultural systems to the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation.

Following is the summary of some of the programmes and achievements of FAO:

Food: The Codex Alimentarius Commission, established by the FAO and the WHO in 1961, creates food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice to promote consumer health, fair trade, and harmonisation among organisations working on food standards. The FAO has implemented various initiatives to combat hunger, including the World Food Summit in 1996, the TeleFood campaign in 1997, and the Right to Food Guidelines adopted in 2004. FAO's Special Programme for Food Security is its flagship initiative for reaching the goal of halving the number of hungry people in the world by 2015. Additionally, FAO launched an online campaign called EndingHunger in partnership with other UN agencies and non-profit groups to raise awareness and collect signatures for ending hunger.

Agriculture: The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) was established by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 1952 to prevent the spread of pests and plant diseases in cultivated and wild plants. The FAO is also the depositary of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, also known as the Plant Treaty, which entered into force in 2004. The Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition (AAHM) was created in 2002 by the Rome-based food agencies, FAO, UN World Food Programme, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and Bioversity International, to address food security and reduce the number of people suffering from hunger. FAO has also played a leading role in promoting integrated pest management for rice production in Asia and established an Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases in 1994 to control diseases like rinderpest, foot-and-mouth disease, and avian flu.

The Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB) is a global partnership aimed at enhancing the capacity of developing countries to improve crops for food security and sustainable development through better plant breeding and delivery systems. The ultimate goal is to ensure that a critical mass of plant breeders, leaders, managers, technicians, donors, and partners are linked together through an effective global network. Increasing capacity building for plant breeding in developing countries is critical for the achievement of meaningful results in poverty and hunger reduction and for responding to the increasing demands for crop-based sources of energy.

The Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) hosts an Investment Centre that promotes greater investment in agriculture and rural development by helping developing countries identify and formulate sustainable agricultural policies, programs, and projects. It mobilises funding from multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, regional development banks, and international funds, as well as FAO resources. The FAO also focuses on animal genetic resources, assisting countries in implementing the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources, and supporting a variety of ex-situ and in situ conservation strategies, including cryopreservation of animal genetic resources.

Forestry: The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) aims to sustainably manage the world's forests by balancing social and environmental concerns with the economic needs of rural populations. As a global clearinghouse for forest information, FAO provides technical assistance and advice to help countries develop and implement effective national forest programs. FAO publishes periodic assessments of forest resources and reports on current and emerging forestry issues, as well as the FAO Yearbook of Forest Products and the peer-reviewed journal Unasylva. It also sponsors the International Day of Forests and holds the World Forestry Congress every six years. Recently, FAO and the Arbor Day Foundation jointly launched the Tree Cities of the World program to recognise cities and towns that maintain their urban forests.

Fisheries: The vision of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department is to achieve responsible and sustainable use of fisheries and aquaculture resources that contribute to human well-being, food security, and poverty alleviation. Their mission is to strengthen the global governance and technical capacities of members, leading towards improved conservation and utilisation of aquatic resources. The department's work focuses on sustainable management and use of fisheries and aquaculture resources, encompassing both normative and operational activities, implemented from headquarters or in the field.

Statistics: ESSG stands for Global Statistics Service, a key component of the FAO's Statistics Division that updates and distributes the FAOSTAT report, which provides free access to data on 245 countries and 35 regional areas from 1961 to the most recent year available, along with advanced features such as data browsing and analysis, interactive data download, and enhanced data exchange through web services. Additionally, the Land and Water Division maintains Aquastat, a global water statistics database.