The publication was launched at the Global Symposium on Soil Organic Carbon (GSOC) held at FAO headquarters (Rome, 21-23 March 2017). It provides an overview to decision-makers and practitioners of the main scientific facts and information regarding the current knowledge and knowledge gaps on Soil…

How much do you know about forests and energy? International Day of Forests 2017 quiz

When more than 1,200 land rights experts converge on the World Bank’s Washington, DC headquarters today for the 18th Annual Land and Poverty Conference, participants from government, civil society groups, private sector and donor agencies will focus on how they can use data and other evidence to…

Global Forest Watch Water (GFW Water) is a free global database and interactive mapping tool designed to help identify deforestation risks to watersheds and opportunities for natural infrastructure solutions. The tool can help downstream beneficiaries, financing and development institutions, civil…

The International Day of Forests is observed on 21 March every year. This year, a special event to observe the Day was held at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome under the theme, “Forests and energy”. The observance was held in conjunction with the…

In a world with 7 billion people to feed amid growing concerns about land and water scarcity, today’s land and water professionals need easy access to up-to-date information, models, approaches and technologies for sustainable food production. FAO hosts state-of-the-art databases and software to…

This guide results from the accumulated lessons of many resource persons in many countries on supporting farmer field schools (FFS) in learning and adaptive management for sustainable land and water management. FAO supported the capacity development process through field projects and the field work…

GLOBAL SYMPOSIUM ON SOIL ORGANIC CARBON (GSOC17); Co-organized by FAO, GSP/ITPS, IPCC, UNCCD-SPI and WMO 21 – 23 MARCH 2017; FAO HQ, ROME, ITALY

The biggest and worst droughts may not stay fixed in one place but can travel thousands of kilometres from their origin, according to a new study. And that discovery, disturbing as it may sound, could shed light on how droughts evolve in space and time, provide new insights for water managers, and…

Drought is one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. It often has large-scale and serious consequences particularly in poor countries. It has accompanied humankind ever since, but is projected to increase with climate change. Yet, in our present time drought no longer needs to be a disaster, its…

Using drone technology could cut labour and costs spent in collecting data for maize breeding by at least ten per cent, preliminary findings of a project shows. With increased demand for better seeds to adapt to changing climate, breeders have turned to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) also known as…

Action on soil sustainability must move beyond the farm and into the boardroom

The termination of the African Humid Period (AHP) induced the most significant, broad-scale landscape change that occurred on the African continent during the Holocene. Although variable in tempo and spatial distribution, rainfall profoundly decreased across most of the northern half of Africa and…

IUCN welcomes first-ever UN report acknowledging healthy ecosystems as a human right. IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, welcomed a recent report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Environment and Human Rights, Prof. John Knox, which highlights how biodiversity and ecosystems are…

The report, “Resource Efficiency: Potential and Economic Implications,” which was commissioned in 2015 and released in Berlin at the G20 meeting, found that while investment in ambitious climate action would cause a 3.7 per cent fall in per capita gross world product by 2050, more sustainable use of…

This Factsheet explains the concept of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and provides data and case studies on land degradation in the Arab Region.

In adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, world leaders agreed that a global Indicator framework was necessary to measure, monitor and report progress towards the 17 transformational Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 associated Targets. They also recognised the critical…

Women’s Economic Empowerment: A Development Challenge To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, the OECD is launching a Policy Dialogue on Women’s Economic Empowerment in developing countries. The new dialogue will create practical guidance to improve policies and development co-operation…

Businesses Save Money by Reducing Food Loss and Waste

The European Climate Adaptation Platform (CLIMATE-ADAPT) is a partnership between the European Commission (DG CLIMA, DG Joint Research Centre and other DGs) and the European Environment Agency. CLIMATE-ADAPT aims to support Europe in adapting to climate change. It is an initiative of the European…