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88-467: A farmer field school brings together concepts and methods from agroecology , experiential education and community development . As a result, hundreds of thousands of rice farmers in countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam have been able to reduce the use of pesticides and improve the sustainability of crop yields. FFSs have also produced other developmental benefits that are broadly described as ' empowerment ': FFS alumni in

176-458: A body of thought or a method of practice, as many indigenous cultures around the world historically used and currently use practices we would now consider utilizing knowledge of agroecology. Examples include Maori , Nahuatl , and many other indigenous peoples. The Mexica people that inhabited Tenochtitlan pre-colonization of the Americas used a process called chinampas that in many ways mirrors

264-448: A global commitment to eradicate these issues within a decade. A subsequent summit in 1996 addressed the shortcomings in achieving this goal while establishing a strategic plan for eliminating hunger and malnutrition into the 21st century. Every year, FAO publishes a number of major 'State of the World' reports related to food, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and natural resources. In 1951,

352-642: A global partnership for development. The Alliance was founded by the Rome-based food agencies – the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UN World Food Programme (WFP), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), – and Bioversity International . AAHM connects top-down and bottom-up anti-hunger development initiatives, linking governments, UN organizations, and NGOs together in order to increase effectiveness through unity. During

440-399: A global partnership, AAHM creates global connections between local, regional, national and international institutions that share the goals of fighting hunger and malnutrition. The organization works to address food security by enhancing resources and knowledge sharing and strengthening hunger activities within countries and across state lines at the regional and international levels. Following

528-665: A global scale. It worked primarily to collect, compile, and publish data on agriculture, ranging from output statistics to a catalog of crop diseases. Among its achievements was the publication of the first agricultural census in 1930. World War II effectively ended the IIA. During the war, in 1943, United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt called a League of Nations Conference on Food and Agriculture, which brought representatives from forty-four governments to The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs , Virginia, from 18 May to 3 June to attend

616-421: A group after the training came to an end. Agroecology Agroecology ( IPA : /ˌæ.ɡroʊ.i.ˈkɑː.lə.dʒi/ ) is an academic discipline that studies ecological processes applied to agricultural production systems. Bringing ecological principles to bear can suggest new management approaches in agroecosystems . The term can refer to a science, a movement, or an agricultural practice. Agroecologists study

704-606: A leper community in India. The FAO Goodwill Ambassadors Programme was initiated in 1999. It was created to increase public awareness and disseminate information about issues related to food security and hunger in the world. In 2004 the Right to Food Guidelines were adopted which offer guidance to states on how to implement their obligations on the right to food . In December 2007, FAO launched its Initiative on soaring food prices to help small producers raise their output and earn more. Under

792-560: A number of countries are involved in a wide range of self-directed activities including research, training, marketing, and advocacy. Almost one third of the world's population are members of farming households in Asia. Most of these farming families are small holders. Forty years ago, the Green Revolution was launched with the aim of improving the productivity of small farmers. By improving access to water, improved varieties, and other inputs,

880-429: A radical departure from earlier agricultural extension programmes, in which farmers were expected to adopt generalized recommendations that had been formulated by specialists from outside the community. The basic features of a typical rice IPM Farmer Field School are as follows: Although Farmer Field Schools were designed to promote IPM, empowerment has an essential feature from the beginning. The curriculum of

968-543: A range of local activities, relationships and policies related to improved agro-ecosystem management. Despite the arguments amongst economists and policy makers, there has been widespread enthusiasm for IPM and FFS among farmers and development practitioners in a number of Asian countries. Participation in FFS has always been voluntary, and none of the IPM projects and programmes supported by FAO provided financial incentives to participants. On

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1056-576: A result, savings of about US$ 50 million, €43 million a year were realized. The FAO's Regular Programme budget is funded by its members, through contributions set at the FAO Conference. This budget covers core technical work, cooperation and partnerships including the Technical Cooperation Programme, knowledge exchange, policy and advocacy, direction and administration, governance and security. The total FAO Budget planned for 2018–2019

1144-436: A science, movement or practice. Using the name as a movement became more common in the 1990s, especially in the Americas. Miguel Altieri , whom Buttel groups with the "political" agroecologists, has published prolifically in this sense. He has applied agroecology to sustainable agriculture , alternative agriculture and traditional knowledge . The history of agroecology depends on whether you are referring to it as

1232-492: A social movement to push for the end of hunger. Moreover, the EndingHunger project is a viral communication campaign, renewing and expanding its efforts to build the movement through Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. Those who sign the petition can spread the link of the EndingHunger website to their friends, via social media or mail, in order to gain awareness and signatures for the petition. The next interim objective

1320-483: A variety of agroecosystems. The field of agroecology is not associated with any one particular method of farming , whether it be organic , regenerative , integrated , or industrial , intensive or extensive , although some use the name specifically for alternative agriculture. Agroecology is defined by the OECD as "the study of the relation of agricultural crops and environment." Dalgaard et al . refer to agroecology as

1408-486: Is FAO's flagship initiative for reaching the goal of halving the number of hungry in the world by 2015 (currently estimated at close to 1 billion people) as part of its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals . Through projects in over 100 countries worldwide, the programme promotes effective, tangible solutions to eliminating hunger, undernourishment, and poverty. Currently, 102 countries are engaged in

1496-545: Is US$ 1,005.6 million. The voluntary contributions provided by members and other partners support mechanical and emergency (including rehabilitation) assistance to governments for clearly defined purposes linked to the results framework, as well as direct support to FAO's core work. The voluntary contributions are expected to reach approximately US$ 1.6 billion in 2016–2017. This overall budget covers core technical work, cooperation and partnerships, leading to Food and Agriculture Outcomes at 71 percent; Core Functions at 11 percent;

1584-526: Is a global partnership dedicated to increasing plant breeding capacity building. The mission of GIPB is to enhance 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 and technicians, donors and partners are linked together through an effective global network. Increasing capacity building for plant breeding in developing countries

1672-571: Is an applied science that involves the adaptation of ecological concepts to the structure, performance, and management of sustainable agroecosystems. In Latin America , agroecological practices have a long history and vary between regions but share three main approaches or levels: plot scale, farm scale, and food system scale. Agroecology in Latin American countries can be used as a tool for providing both ecological, economic, and social benefits to

1760-440: Is critical for the achievement of meaningful results in poverty and hunger reduction and to reverse the current worrisome trends. Plant breeding is a well recognized science capable of widening the genetic and adaptability base of cropping systems, by combining conventional selection techniques and modern technologies. It is essential to face and prevent the recurrence of crises such as that of the soaring food prices and to respond to

1848-470: Is governed by a biennial conference representing each member country and the European Union , which elects a 49-member executive council. The director-general, as of 2019 Qu Dongyu of China, serves as the chief administrative officer. Various committees govern matters such as finance, programs, agriculture, and fisheries. The idea of an international organization for food and agriculture emerged in

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1936-458: Is human activities, and hence economics, that are the primary governing forces that ultimately control the field. Wojtkowski discusses the application of agroecology in agriculture , forestry and agroforestry in his 2002 book. Buttel identifies four varieties of agroecology in a 2003 conference paper. The main varieties he calls ecosystem agroecology which he claims derives from the ecosystem ecology of Howard T. Odum and focuses less on

2024-637: Is inherently multidisciplinary, including sciences such as agronomy , ecology , environmental science , sociology , economics , history and others. Agroecology uses different sciences to understand elements of ecosystems such as soil properties and plant-insect interactions, as well as using social sciences to understand the effects of farming practices on rural communities, economic constraints to developing new production methods, or cultural factors determining farming practices. The system properties of agroecosystems studied may include: productivity , stability , sustainability and equitability . Agroecology

2112-686: Is itself an important problem; one which has often been exacerbated by earlier agricultural development programmes that fostered a dependency on external sources of expertise. This deeper understanding of the problem was first recognised by farmers in Indonesia who graduated from FFS but realised there was more they could do to improve rural livelihoods. They started to organise new groups, alliances, networks and associations, and became involved in planning and implementing their own interventions. These interventions were highly diverse, ranging from research and training, to marketing and advocacy work. In response to

2200-536: Is much debate regarding what model of agriculture or agroecology should be supported through policy. Agricultural departments of different countries support agroecology to varying degrees, with the UN perhaps its biggest proponent. Advances in Agroecology Book Series Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ( FAO ) is a specialized agency of

2288-399: Is not limited to any one scale; it can range from an individual gene to an entire population, or from a single field in a given farm to global systems. Wojtkowski differentiates the ecology of natural ecosystems from agroecology inasmuch as in natural ecosystems there is no role for economics, whereas in agroecology, focusing as it does on organisms within planned and managed environments, it

2376-606: Is the Global Rinderpest Eradication Programme , which has advanced to a stage where large tracts of Asia and Africa have now been free of the cattle disease rinderpest for an extended period of time. Meanwhile, the Desert Locust Information Service monitors the worldwide locust situation and keeps affected countries and donors informed of expected developments. The Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB)

2464-720: Is to ensure the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity for food and agriculture and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from its use, for present and future generations. FAO has a unit focused on Animal Genetic Resources , which are defined as "those animal species that are used, or may be used, for the production of food and agriculture, and the populations within each of them. These populations within each species can be classified as wild and feral populations, land-races and primary populations, standardized breeds, selected lines, varieties, strains and any conserved genetic material; all of which are currently categorized as Breeds." FAO assists countries in implementation of

2552-509: Is to grow the EndingHunger movement's Facebook community to 1 million members. As with the petition, the more people who get involved, the more powerful the message to governments: "We are no longer willing to accept the fact that hundreds of millions live in chronic hunger." Groups and individuals can also decide on their own to organize an event about the project, simply by gathering friends, whistles, T-shirts and banners (whistles and T-shirts can be ordered, and petition sign sheets downloaded, on

2640-834: Is very similar to the first, but is derived from the science of ecology primarily based on the more modern theories of population ecology such as population dynamics of constituent species, and their relationships to climate and biogeochemistry , and the role of genetics . Dalgaard et al . identify different points of view: what they call early "integrative" agroecology, such as the investigations of Henry Gleason or Frederic Clements . The second version they cite Hecht (1995) as coining "hard" agroecology which they identify as more reactive to environmental politics but rooted in measurable units and technology. They themselves name "soft" agroecology which they define as trying to measure agroecology in terms of "soft capital" such as culture or experience. The term agroecology may used by people for

2728-586: The Hot Springs Conference . The main impetus for the conference was the British-born Australian economist Frank L. McDougall , who since 1935 had advocated for an international forum to address hunger and malnutrition . The Conference ended with a commitment to establish a permanent organization for food and agriculture, which was achieved on 16 October 1945 in Quebec City , Canada, following

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2816-505: The International Plant Protection Convention or IPPC in 1952. This international treaty organization works to prevent the international spread of pests and plant diseases in both cultivated and wild plants. Among its functions are the maintenance of lists of plant pests, tracking of pest outbreaks, and coordination of technical assistance between member nations. As of July 2018, 183 contracting parties have ratified

2904-895: The United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security . Its Latin motto, fiat panis , translates to "let there be bread". It was founded on 16 October 1945. The FAO comprises 195 members, including 194 countries and the European Union . Its headquarters is in Rome , Italy, and it maintains regional and field offices worldwide, operating in over 130 countries. It helps governments and development agencies coordinate their activities to improve and develop agriculture, forestry , fisheries , and land and water resources . It also conducts research, provides technical assistance to projects, operates educational and training programs, and collects agricultural output, production, and development data. The FAO

2992-601: The World Food Summit , attended by 112 Heads or Deputy Heads of State and Government. The Summit concluded with the signing of the Rome Declaration , which established the goal of halving the number of people who suffer from hunger by 2015. At the same time, 1,200 civil society organizations (CSOs) from 80 countries participated in an NGO forum. The forum was critical of the growing industrialization of agriculture and called upon governments – and FAO – to do more to protect

3080-494: The World Food Summit , the Alliance was initially created in 2002 as the 'International Alliance Against Hunger (IAAH)' to strengthen and coordinate national efforts in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. The mission of the Alliance originates from the first and eighth UN Millennium Development Goals ; reducing the number of people that suffer from hunger in half by 2015 (preceded by the "Rome Declaration" in 1996) and developing

3168-470: The population ecology of plants using different scientific disciplines. Ethnobotanist Efraim Hernandez X.'s work on traditional knowledge in Mexico in the 1970s led to new education programs in agroecology. Works such as Silent Spring and The Limits to Growth caused the public to be aware of the environmental costs of agricultural production, which caused more research in sustainability starting in

3256-946: The 'Right to Food' for the poor. In 1997, FAO launched TeleFood, a campaign of concerts, sporting events, and other activities to harness the power of media, celebrities, and concerned citizens to help fight hunger. Since its start, the campaign has generated close to US$ 28 million, €15 million in donations. Money raised through TeleFood pays for small, sustainable projects that help small-scale farmers produce more food for their families and communities. The projects provide tangible resources, such as fishing equipment, seeds, and agricultural implements. They vary enormously, from helping families raise pigs in Venezuela through creating school gardens in Cape Verde and Mauritania or providing school lunches in Uganda and teaching children to grow food to raising fish in

3344-663: The 1980s. The view that the socio-economic context are fundamental was used in the 1982 article Agroecologia del Tropico Americano by Montaldo, who argues that this context cannot be separated from agriculture when designing agricultural practices. In 1985 Miguel Altieri studied how the consolidation of the farms and cropping systems impact pest populations, and Gliessman how socio-economic, technological, and ecological components gave rise to producer choices of food production systems. In 1995, Edens et al . in Sustainable Agriculture and Integrated Farming Systems considered

3432-460: The 1990s, FAO took a leading role in the promotion of integrated pest management for rice production in Asia. Hundreds of thousands of farmers were trained using an approach known as the Farmer Field School (FFS). Like many of the programmes managed by FAO, the funds for Farmer Field Schools came from bilateral Trust Funds, with Australia, Netherlands , Norway and Switzerland acting as

3520-691: The Constitution of the Food and Agriculture Organization. The first session of the FAO Conference began the same day in the Château Frontenac in Quebec City and ended on 1 November 1945. This was led by Sir John Boyd Orr where his work on ending world hunger and creation of FAO resulted in him winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1949. After the war, the IIA was officially dissolved by resolution of its Permanent Committee on 27 February 1948. Its functions, facilities, and mandate were then transferred to

3608-583: The Country Office Network – 5 percent; Capital and Security Expenditure – 2 percent; Administration – 6 percent; and Technical and Cooperation Program – 5 percent. The world headquarters is located in Rome , in the former seat of the Department of Italian East Africa . One of the most notable features of the building was the Axum Obelisk which stood in front of the agency seat, although just outside

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3696-575: The EndingHunger movement pushes the boundaries of conventional public advocacy. It builds on the success in 2010 of The 1billonhungry project and the subsequent chain of public events that led to the collection of over three million signatures on a global petition to end hunger (www.EndingHunger.org). The petition was originally presented to representatives of world governments at a ceremony in Rome on 30 November 2010. The web and partnerships are two pivotal and dynamic aspects of EndingHunger. The campaign relies on

3784-753: The European Union signed an initial aid package worth €125 million to support small farmers in countries hit hard by rising food prices. The aid package falls under the EU's €1 billion Food Facility, set up with the UN Secretary-General 's High-Level Task Force on the Global Food Crisis and FAO to focus on programmes that will have a quick but lasting impact on food security. FAO is receiving around €200 million for work in 25 countries, of which €15.4 million goes to Zimbabwe. The Special Programme for Food Security

3872-510: The FAO's headquarters were moved from Washington, D.C., United States, to Rome , Italy. The agency is directed by the Conference of Member Nations, which meets every two years to review the work carried out by the organization and to Work and Budget for the next two-year period. The conference elects a council of 49 member states (serve three-year rotating terms) that acts as an interim governing body, and

3960-415: The FFS approach led to a deeper understanding of the problem and its causes. It was recognised that sustainable agricultural development required more than just the acquisition of ecological knowledge by individual farmers. It also required the development of a capability for generating, adapting and extending this knowledge within farming communities. The weakness of this capability in most farming communities

4048-486: The FFS was built on the assumption that farmers could only implement IPM once they had acquired the ability to carry out their own analysis, make their own decisions and organise their own activities. The empowerment process, rather than the adoption of specific IPM techniques, is what produces many of the developmental benefits of the FFS The first IPM Farmer Field Schools were designed and managed in 1989 by experts working for

4136-512: The Green Revolution helped to double average rice yields between the 1960s and the 1990s. During the 1970s it became increasingly apparent that pest resistance and resurgence caused by the indiscriminate use of insecticides posed an immediate threat to the gains of the Green Revolution. At the same time, research was being conducted that demonstrated the viability of biological control of major rice pests. However, gaps still existed between

4224-499: The ICP. National projects were also developed and supported by FAO on a smaller scale in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China and Nepal. Additionally, the ICP launched 'spin-off' regional programmes focusing on IPM in cotton and vegetables. In total, during the 15-year period between 1989 and 2004, approximately $ 100 million in grants were allocated to IPM projects in Asia that used the FFS approach under

4312-582: The Philippines. Over the following two decades the Intercountry Programme (ICP) played a leading role in the promotion of rice IPM in Asia, giving rise to numerous other projects and programmes. By the time of completion in 2002, the ICP had a cumulative budget of $ 45 million, which had been spent on training activities in 12 countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam). The ICP

4400-778: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Indonesia . This was not, however, the first attempt made by FAO to extend IPM techniques to farmers in South East Asia. The FAO Intercountry Programme for the Development and Application of Integrated Pest Control in Rice in South and South-East Asia started in 1980, building on the experience of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Bureau of Plant Industry in

4488-687: The activities of these groups, IPM projects started to support the idea of 'Community IPM', which gave considerable attention to organisational issues rather than focussing solely on technological and educational aspects of IPM. A farmer field school (FFS) is a group-based learning process. During an FFS, farmers carried out experiential learning activities that helped them understand the ecology of their rice fields. These activities involve simple experiments, regular field observations and group analysis. The knowledge gained from these activities enables participants to make their own locally specific decisions about crop management practices. This approach represents

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4576-430: The assistance of organizations and institutions that can facilitate the project's diffusion, by placing banners on their own websites or organizing events aimed to raise awareness of the project. In its 2011 season, the campaign expanded its multimedia content, pursued mutual visibility arrangements with partner organizations, and sharpened its focus on 14- to 25-year-olds, who were encouraged to understand their potential as

4664-410: The communities that practice it, as well as maintaining high biodiversity and providing refuges for flora and fauna in these countries. Due to its broad scope and versatility, it is often referred to as "a science, a movement, a practice." Garí wrote two papers for the FAO in the early 2000s about using an agroecological approach which he called "agrobiodiversity" to empower farmers to cope with

4752-452: The consequences of farmers becoming better organised? Regarding costs, should we limit ourselves to the expenses involved in running field schools, or should we also take account of the wider costs of training extension staff and managing IPM programmes. Secondly, there is a high degree of variation in the value of individual factors. The cost of conducting a season-long field school for 25 farmers has ranged from $ 150 to $ 1,000 depending on

4840-420: The contrary, participation in FFS has always involved a considerable cost in terms of time and effort. Despite these costs, two million farmers decided to participate. In most countries, the demand for places on a field school has been ahead of supply, and drop-out rates have been very low. Furthermore, there are many examples of farmers who decided to train other members of their community and continue working as

4928-531: The country and the organisation. In some cases, the graduates of FFS have saved $ 40 per hectare per season by eliminating pesticides without any loss of yield. In other cases, graduates did not experience any savings because they were not previously using any pesticides, but yields increased by as much as 25% as a result of adopting other practices learnt during the FFS, such as improved varieties, better water management and enhanced plant nutrition. The conceptual and methodological problems associated with assessing

5016-781: The decrease of these resources as an urgent problem in 1961 and created a joint collaboration with the International Biological Program (IBP) in 1967. To that end, it joined the UN General Assembly in creating the UN World Food Programme , the largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security. The FAO launched what would become the FAO Money and Medals Programme (MMP) in 1968. FAO issued collector art medals in various series to bring attention to FAO's goals and missions. This program

5104-491: The director-general, who heads the agency. The FAO is composed of eight departments: Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Climate , Biodiversity , Land and Water Department, Economic and Social Development, Fisheries and Aquaculture , Forestry , Corporate Services and Technical Cooperation and Programme Management. Beginning in 1994, the FAO underwent the most significant restructuring since its founding, to decentralize operations, streamline procedures and reduce costs. As

5192-433: The economics of systems, ecological impacts, and ethics and values in agriculture. Several social movements have adopted agroecology as part of their larger organizing strategy. Groups like La Via Campesina have used agroecology as a method for achieving food sovereignty . Agroecology has also been utilized by farmers to resist global agricultural development patterns associated with the green revolution . Agroecology

5280-416: The effect of training. In a number of cases, there was also a convincing increase in yield due to training. ... A number of studies described broader, developmental impacts of training. ... Results demonstrated remarkable, widespread and lasting developmental impacts. It was found that the FFS stimulated continued learning, and that it strengthened social and political skills, which apparently prompted

5368-427: The endinghunger.org website) and thereby alert people about chronic hunger by using the yellow whistle. The original 1billionhungry campaign borrowed as its slogan the line "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!", used by Peter Finch in the 1976 film, Network . Meanwhile, the yellow whistle has been the campaign symbol from the start, from 1billionhungry to Ending Hunger. (The creative concept

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5456-844: The following priorities in its fight against hunger. Two fundamental areas of work – gender and governance – are fully integrated in the above strategic objective action plans. FAO and the World Health Organization created the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1961 to develop food standards, guidelines, and texts such as codes of practice under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme. The programme's main aims are protecting consumer health, ensuring fair trade, and promoting co-ordination of all food standards work undertaken by intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. In 1996, FAO organized

5544-436: The guidance of FAO There are two major reasons why it is difficult to make generalisations about the costs and benefits of IPM field schools. Firstly, there is a lack of agreement about what factors should be taken into account on both sides of the cost-benefit equation. Regarding benefits, should we limit ourselves to measuring yields and pesticide savings, or should we also take account of improvements in public health and

5632-444: The impact of IPM field schools have resulted in disagreements among experts about the advantages of this intervention . One widely circulated paper written by World Bank economists has questioned the benefit of 'sending farmers back to school'. By contrast, a meta-analysis of 25 impact studies commissioned by FAO concluded: The majority of studies ... reported substantial and consistent reductions in pesticide use attributable to

5720-890: The impacts of the AIDS on rural areas in Africa. In 2011, the first encounter of agroecology trainers took place in Zimbabwe and issued the Shashe Declaration. The European Commission supports the use of sustainable practices, such as precision agriculture , organic farming , agroecology, agroforestry and stricter animal welfare standards through the Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy. Within academic research areas that focus on topics related to agriculture or ecology, such as agronomy, veterinarian science, environmental science, and others, there

5808-602: The increasing demands for crop based sources of energy. FAO's technical cooperation department hosts an Investment Centre that promotes greater investment in agriculture and rural development by helping developing countries identify and formulate sustainable agricultural policies, programmes and projects. It mobilizes funding from multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, regional development banks and international funds as well as FAO resources. The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Partnership Initiative

5896-928: The initiative, FAO contributed to the work of the UN High-Level Task Force on the Global Food Crisis, which produced the Comprehensive Framework for Action. FAO has carried out projects in over 25 countries and inter-agency missions in nearly 60, scaled up its monitoring through the Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture, provided policy advice to governments while supporting their efforts to increase food production, and advocated for more investment in agriculture as well as provided funding to distribute and multiply quality seeds in Haiti, which has significantly increased food production, thereby providing cheaper food. In May 2009, FAO and

5984-550: The late 19th and early 20th century, advanced primarily by Polish-born American agriculturalist and activist David Lubin . In May–June 1905, an international conference was held in Rome , Italy, which led to the creation of the International Institute of Agriculture (IIA) by the King of Italy , Victor Emmanuel III . The IIA was the first intergovernmental organization to deal with the problems and challenges of agriculture on

6072-420: The leading donors. FAO's efforts in this area have drawn praise from NGOs that have otherwise criticized much of the work of the organization. FAO established an Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases in 1994, focusing on the control of diseases like rinderpest , foot-and-mouth disease and avian flu by helping governments coordinate their responses. One key element

6160-437: The natural environment, while agronomists dedicated their attention to the cultivated systems in agriculture, but in the 1970s agronomists saw the value of ecology, and ecologists began to use the agricultural systems as study plots, studies in agroecology grew more rapidly. More books and articles using the concept of agroecosystems and the word agroecology started to appear in 1970s. According to Dalgaard et al ., it probably

6248-456: The newly established FAO, which maintained its headquarters in Rome. The FAO's initial functions supported agricultural and nutrition research and provided technical assistance to member countries to boost production in agriculture, fishery, and forestry. Beginning in the 1960s, it focused on efforts to develop high-yield strains of grain, eliminate protein deficiency, promote rural employment, and increase agricultural exports. The FAO recognized

6336-489: The only way to convince farmers to change their practices. By the end of the 1980s, a new approach to farmer training emerged in Indonesia called the 'Farmer Field School' (FFS). The broad problem which these field schools were designed to address was a lack of knowledge among Asian farmers relating to agroecology , particularly the relationship between insect pests and beneficial insects. The implementation of projects using

6424-451: The programme, and of these, approximately 30 have begun shifting from pilot to national programmes. To maximize the impact of its work, FAO strongly promotes national ownership and local empowerment in the countries in which it operates. The 1billionhungry project became the EndingHunger campaign in April 2011. Spearheaded by FAO in partnership with other UN agencies and private nonprofit groups,

6512-429: The rural sociology, and agronomic agroecology which he identifies as being oriented towards developing knowledge and practices to agriculture more sustainable. The third long-standing variety Buttel calls ecological political economy which he defines as critiquing the politics and economy of agriculture and weighted to radical politics. The smallest and newest variety Buttel coins agro-population ecology , which he says

6600-456: The science generated in research institutions and common farmer practice conditioned by years of aggressive promotion of pesticide use. Over the ensuing years, a number of approaches were tried to bring integrated pest management (IPM) to small farmers - particularly rice farmers – in Asia, with mixed results. Some experts claimed that the principles of IPM were too complex for small farmers to master, and that centrally designed messages were still

6688-499: The study of crop ecology by Klages in 1928. This work is a study of where crops can best be grown. Wezel et al . say the first mention of the term agroecology was in 1928, with the publication of the term by Basil Bensin. Dalgaard et al . claim the German zoologist Friederichs was the first to use the name in 1930 in his book on the zoology of agriculture and forestry, followed by American crop physiologist Hansen in 1939, both using

6776-406: The study of the interactions between plants, animals, humans and the environment within agricultural systems. Francis et al . also use the definition in the same way, but thought it should be restricted to growing food. Agroecology is a holistic approach that seeks to reconcile agriculture and local communities with natural processes for the common benefit of nature and livelihoods. Agroecology

6864-523: The territory allocated to the FAO by the Italian Government . It was taken from Ethiopia by Benito Mussolini 's troops in 1937 as war booty and returned on 18 April 2005. Partnership and Liaison Offices provide for stronger country participation in the FAO's work and programmes at national, sub-regional, regional, and inter-regional levels, and enhanced cooperation through unilateral trust fund projects and South–South cooperation . FAO has outlined

6952-471: The treaty. FAO is depositary of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture , also called Plant Treaty , Seed Treaty or ITPGRFA , entered into force on 29 June 2004. The Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition (AAHM) aims to address how countries and organizations can be more effective in advocating and carrying out actions to address hunger and malnutrition. As

7040-483: The use of composting in sustainable agriculture today. The use of agroecological practices such as nutrient cycling and intercropping occurs across hundreds of years and many different cultures. Indigenous peoples also currently make up a large proportion of people using agroecological practices, and those involved in the movement to move more farming into an agroecological paradigm. According to Gliessman and Francis et al ., agronomy and ecology were first linked with

7128-426: The word for the application of ecology within agriculture. Tischler's 1965 book Agrarökologie may be the first to be titled 'agroecology'. He analyzed the different components (plants, animals, soils and climate) and their interactions within an agroecosystem as well as the impact of human agricultural management on these components. Gliessman describes that post-WWII ecologists gave more focus to experiments in

7216-437: The world. The GIAHS Partnership recognizes the crucial importance of the well-being of family farming communities in an integrated approach while directing activities towards sustainable agriculture and rural development. The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, established in 1983, provides an intergovernmental forum that specifically addresses biological diversity for food and agriculture. Its main objective

7304-508: The worlds of music and cinema, literature, sport, activism and government. Some of the well known individuals who have become involved include former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , former presidents of Chile Ricardo Lagos and Michelle Bachelet , actress Susan Sarandon , actors Jeremy Irons and Raul Bova , singers Céline Dion and Anggun , authors Isabelle Allende and Andrea Camilleri , musician Chucho Valdés and Olympic track-and-field legend Carl Lewis . FAO created

7392-590: Was conceptualized and presented by Parviz Koohafkan the Task Manager of Chapter 10 of Agenda 21 in Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations, FAO in 2002 during World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg , South Africa. This UN Partnership Initiative aims to identify, support and safeguard Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems and their livelihoods, agricultural and associated biodiversity, landscapes, knowledge systems and cultures around

7480-607: Was not the only IPM programme supported by FAO during this period. Essential to the development of the FFS was a National IPM Programme in Indonesia, which ran between 1989 and 2000, funded by the United States ($ 25 million grant), World Bank ($ 37 million loan) and the Government ($ 14 million). FAO provided technical assistance to the National IPM Programme through a team of experts based in Indonesia, with back-stopping from

7568-526: Was provided by the McCann Erickson Italy Communication Agency.) It symbolizes the fact that we are "blowing the whistle" on the silent disaster of hunger. It is both a symbol and – at many live events taking place around the world – a physical means of expressing frustration and making some noise about the hunger situation. Both The 1billionhungry and the EndingHunger campaigns have continued to attract UN Goodwill Ambassadors from

7656-534: Was responsible for over a hundred medal designs issued to the collecting public. A thirtieth anniversary medal of the MMP was issued in 1998. In 1974, in response to famine in Africa, the FAO convened the first World Food Summit to address widespread hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity. The meeting resulted in a proclamation that "every man, woman, and child has the inalienable right to be free from hunger and malnutrition to develop their physical and mental faculties" and

7744-410: Was the concept of "process ecology" such as studied by Arthur Tansley in the 1930s which inspired Harper's 1974 concept of agroecosystems , which they consider the foundation of modern agroecology. Dalgaard et al . claim Frederic Clements 's investigations on ecology using social sciences, community ecology and a "landscape perspective" is agroecology, as well as Henry Gleason 's investigations of

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