1. Good nutrition is our first defence against disease and our source of energy to live and be active. Nutritional problems caused by an inadequate diet can be of many sorts, and when they affect a generation of youngsters, they can lower their learning capacities, thus compromising their futures,...
  2. Seeds are the primary basis for human sustenance. They are the repository of the genetic potential of crop species and their varieties resulting from the continuous improvement and selection over time. Crop improvement and the delivery of high quality seeds and planting materials of selected...
  3. All over the world local varieties of fruit, vegetables and grain are grown. Many are seemingly forgotten or are underutilized despite having outstanding nutritional or taste qualities. Some have good commercial potential and could be an excellent cash crop for a smallscale or family farmers,...
  4. It is difficult to rate the importance of the different soil functions, since all are vital to our well-being, to some extent. However, the function ofsupportingfood andagricultureworldwide is fundamental for the preservation and advancement of human life on this planet. Soil is also the basis...
  5. At the beginning of the year we took a tour of6 incredible plants you might not have heard of. Diets worldwide – from forest roots and leaves such as the moringa in Africa and parts of Asia to cardoon, the close relative of the artichoke in Europe – are varied, suited to local environment and can...
  6. FAO Promoting nutritionally adequate diets for all people is a major aim of FAO. Undernutrition, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, obesity and diet-related chronic diseases exist side by side in many countries. Whether food supplies are scarce or abundant, it is essential that people know how...
  7. In broad terms, land tenure rights are often classified according to whether they are “formal” or “informal”. There can be perceptual problems with this approach because, for example, some so-called informal rights may, in practice, be quite formal and secure in their own context. Despite these...
  8. TheInternational Union of Soil Science (IUSS)- at its Seventh Congress, at Madison, Wisconsin, USA, in 1960 - recommended that soil maps of continents and large regions be published. As a follow-upFAO and Unesco decided in 1961 to prepare a Soil Map of the World at 1:5 000 000 scale. The project...
  9. It is estimated that some 10,000 plant species are used medicinally, most of these are used in traditional systems of medicine. However, only a relatively small number of species are used in any significant volume. For example, in TCM, 9,905 botanical materials are used but only an estimated 500...
  10. Abstract, FAO, 1999 Some of the wide range of feed materials suitable for poultry in developing countries is listed in the order of their availability to small holders. Most are already fully utilised. A simple method for determining the amount of feed material available in a region for a chicken...