Globally, over three million people migrate to cities each week looking for work opportunities or to join their families. By 2050, over two-thirds of the global population is expected to live in urban areas. The city of Dakar in Senegal has also faced this unprecedented population increase in the last few decades. Over 3.8 million people currently live in the Senegalese capital. Population growth and rapid urbanization have led to losses of agricultural land. This has caused food shortages and a general increase in the price of food products, further threatening the food security of the most vulnerable people. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been working with the Municipality of Dakar and some NGOs on a micro-gardening project to reduce food insecurity in the city. Producers; Yacine Cisse (FAO Senegal), Anais Hotin, Ruki Inoshita.Presenter: Daniel Johnson, UN Radio & TV Geneva.  Photo credit: © FAO/Yacine Cisse

Feeding and regreening: The micro-gardens of Dakar

Have you ever wondered where your coffee beans come from? Chances are it was prepared in Guatemala, ninth largest coffee exporter in the world. In the remote region of Ixil, far off the beaten tracks of the northern part of the country, low literacy rates and poverty have long plagued the Maya Ixil Indigenous population. Employment opportunities are far and few between and many parents feel that they have no choice but to bring their children to work with them in coffee fields to make ends meet. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO, and partners in the Ixil region are tackling child labor and poverty by promoting education and safe youth employment in the coffee industry. Producers ; Anais Hotin, Charlotta Lomas. Presenter: André Vornic, FAO Photo credit: © FAO/Santiago Billy

The coffee industry : a catalyst for change in child labor

Imataca is a vast tropical forest in southeast Venezuela spanning 38,000 square kilometers. Rich in biodiversity, the forest is home to thousands of plant and animal species. Decades of illegal logging and mining have led to deforestation and loss of wildlife. The Karina indigenous people living in the forest are working hard to change this. Through a women-led initiative, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), they’re ensuring the forests of Imataca are now protected for generations to come. Producers: Marina Sánchez Castelo, Charlotta Lomas, Anais Hotin. Presenter: Charlotta Lomas, FAO. Photo credit: ©Jesús Contreras/FAO

Venezuela's forest guardians leading the way

Across the globe, people are transforming agrifood systems to become more nutritious, equitable and sustainable. Listen to how one town in northern Italy sparked a global movement to bring about change to local food systems. Producers: Megan Williams, Charlotta Lomas, Anais Hotin, Marina Sánchez Castelo. Presenter: Megan Williams. Photo: ©Federica Bolla         

Growing locally across the globe

In April 2021, four astronauts travelled to space for six months where they conducted a series of scientific experiments. From inside the International Space Station, astronaut and FAO Goodwill Ambassador Thomas Pesquet told us how growing food in space can help us to adapt to extreme environmental conditions and ensure future food security on earth. Producers: Charlotta Lomas, Anais Hotin, Marina Sánchez Castelo. Presenter: Charlotta Lomas, FAO. Photo credit: ESA/NASA–T. Pesquet/W. Harold. Sound effects provided by ESA and NASA.

Why are astronauts growing food in space?

Who says children shouldn’t play in the kitchen? Cooking healthy food starts young in this Touch Smell Taste cooking class in Rome. The hands-on cooking lab led by Naheda Slayih and supported by volunteers, invites visually impaired children to learn how to become young chefs and have a good time too. Producers: Megan Williams, Charlotta Lomas, Anais Hotin, Marina Sánchez Castelo, Nina Coates. Presenter: Megan Williams. Photo: ©FAO/Cristiano Minichiello.

Kids, it’s time to cook!

The Greater Karamoja Cluster lies at the crossroads of Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda. In this vast desert region nearly the size of the United Kingdom, crossing borders is a requisite for survival. But in recent decades, competition over natural resources has led to cattle raids and violent conflicts. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has supported a series of community-led initiatives to strengthen pastoralists’ livelihoods, enhance food security and prevent conflict in the region. Producers: Charlotta Lomas, Anais Hotin, Marina Sánchez Castelo, Ariel Bardi, Michael Adey, Video agency Wolfstreet. Presenter: Charlotta Lomas, FAO. Photo ©FAO/ Luis Tato.

Warriors on the path to peace

Tonle Sap Lake in northeast Cambodia is one of the most productive inland fishing waters in the world, due to flooding and monsoon. Fisheries are the backbone of country’s economy, with Tonle Sap contributing over half of the country’s fish production. Yet the lake’s 4.8 million residents are some of the poorest in Asia. Many depend heavily on fish and rice for their livelihoods and have to send their children to work rather than school, in order to survive. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is working with the government and partners to get children back to school. Producers: Charlotta Lomas, Anais Hotin, Marina Sánchez Castelo, Chann Tet, Sophana Sim, Panos Pictures. Presenter: Charlotta Lomas, FAO. Photo ©FAO/Tang Chhin Sothy.

Combatting child labor in Cambodia

This time last year, swarms of desert locusts began spreading to countries in the Horn of Africa, devastating crops and people’s livelihoods. FAO's emergency campaign appealed for urgent action to avoid a desert locust plague and a looming humanitarian crisis. One year on, we ask FAO' s senior locust forecasting officer Keith Cressman if we are winning the fight. Host/Producer: Charlotta Lomas, FAO. Photo: ©FAO/Sven Torfinn.

Desert locusts: Are we winning the fight?

Plants make up 80 percent of the food we eat. Yet, each year we lose up to 40 percent of food crops because of pests and diseases. This leaves millions of people without enough food to eat and seriously damages agriculture - the primary source of income for poor rural communities. Plants are critical to our food security, which is why the UN declared 2020 the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). Ralf Lopian, chairperson of the International Steering Committee of the IYPH, explains. Producer: Charlotta Lomas, FAO. Photo: ©FAO/Florita Botts

Plant health key to safeguarding food

All around the world, people, plants and animals are dying from infections that cannot be treated – even with the best medicines available. That's because of the rise in antimicrobial resistance - the increasing failure of antibiotics and other life-saving drugs to treat diseases. It's a global problem that threatens to be the next pandemic, as Chief Veterinary Officer Keith Sumption explains. Producer: Charlotta Lomas, FAO. Photo: ©FAO/ Luis Tato

Antimicrobial resistance - the next pandemic?

The COVID-19 pandemic could threaten global food security if urgent action is not taken, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The UN agency has launched a COVID-19 Response and Recovery Programme, which aims to mitigate the immediate impacts of the pandemic while also strengthening the long-term resilience of food systems and livelihoods. In this podcast, FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol details the plan and calls for a global coordinated response to the crisis.  Producer: Charlotta Lomas, FAO. Photo: ©FAO/Giulio Napolitano / FAO.

COVID-19: Rebuilding for a better world

Sudan has been hit by devastating floods; the worst seen in decades. More than 600,000 households (2.9 million people) have been impacted across 17 of the country’s 18 states, with homes destroyed and farmland damaged just ahead of the harvest season. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is calling for urgent funding to support Sudan, a country already facing alarmingly high rates of hunger and food insecurity. Dominique Burgeon, the Director of FAO’s Emergency and Rehabilitation Division, has just returned from a mission to Sudan. Producer & Presenter: Charlotta Lomas, FAO. Photo credit:©FAO/Montser Elsaddig.

Sudan floods: Another shock felt amid existing crises

August 19th marks World Humanitarian Day, a day to commemorate the humanitarian workers worldwide who are protecting and saving the lives of millions. 2020 has been a particularly challenging year as a result of the restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this podcast we hear from Meshack Malo, FAO representative for South Sudan.

COVID-19: Impacts on humanitarian work in South Sudan

Deforestation and desertification impact the lives and livelihoods of millions of people around the world. A new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reveals big gains in forest protection but that it’s still not enough to meet global targets. FAO Senior Forestry Officer Anssi Pekkarinen explains how data can help boost protection. Interview: Charlotta Lomas, FAO.

How data helps protect our forests

The number of hungry people worldwide continues to rise, according to the latest report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World. The joint report by UN agencies gauges whether the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger remains achievable. To learn more we’re joined by FAO’s Assistant Director General and Chief Economist Maximo Torero via Zoom. Producer: Charlotta Lomas, FAO.   

UN report: As hunger rises, does Zero Hunger remain achievable?

The pandemic's impact across the Pacific has been immense. For many countries in the region, imported foods constitute half of a person's food intake. If the pandemic continues, and the global and local supply chain is affected, it will disrupt the region's food systems, explains Eriko Hibi, FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator for the Pacific and Representative to thirteen Pacific States. Interview: Charlotta Lomas, FAO.

COVID-19: Impacts on food security in the Pacific

300 kilometers south of Tunis, in the Gulf of Gabes, women have long harvested clams to generate an income. The seasonal work is often labor intensive and poorly paid. That is why FAO, in collaboration with the Tunisian government and a local women’s association, have created a pilot project to support the women in securing a fairer price for their clams, and it’s having all kinds of other benefits. Producers: Annie Ho, Charlotta Lomas, Anais Hotin. Presenter: Charlotta Lomas. Photo: ©FAO/Amine Landoulsi

Empowering women clam harvesters

It’s the worst Desert Locust outbreak in decades for many countries in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are most affected by the locust swarms. To date, the swarms have spread to a total of seven countries, including nearby Djibouti, Eritrea and Uganda. As the situation continues to deteriorate, FAO warns there’s a growing risk the pests could migrate to more neighboring countries. Report: Charlotta Lomas, FAO  

'Worst Desert Locust outbreak in decades'

In 2013, FAO launched the Blue Growth Initiative, which supports the development of aquatic resources and the communities that depend on them. Today, innovators across the globe are coming up with new and exciting ways to harness the ocean’s resources sustainably, from blue fish fashion to the medical use of fish skin. These creative inventions offer potential alternative income generating opportunities for fisheries communities worldwide. Lucy Hughes is the inventor of MarinaTex, a bioplastic made from fish waste. The graduate student's innovation won the 2019 James Dyson Award. Producer: Charlotta Lomas, FAO. Photo: © 2020 Lucy Hughes, MarinaTex.

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