2014 was the International Year of Family Farming, and throughout the year FAO worked with our partners to keep the spotlight pinned on this critical player in the global food, nutrition and agriculture arena. According to the 2014 edition of our annual State of Food and Agriculture report - which focused on the needs of family farmers -- nine out of ten of the world's 570 million farms are managed by families, and produce about 80 percent of our food.

31 December 2014 –As South Sudan’s livestock owners have fled the ongoing conflict, millions of animals have been displaced, leading to fresh outbreaks of disease and rising tensions between pastoral groups and farmers, as well as within different pastoralist communities.

A new international study led by Chinese scientists and Bruce Tabashnik at the University of Arizona suggests that biotech crops and traditional farming practices can be compatible approaches to sustainable agriculture.

Graham Brookes of PG Economics documented and analyzed the trends of weed control changes and herbicide tolerant (HT) crops in the USA from 1996 to 2012. The findings are published in GM Crops and Food journal. According to the report, the use of HT technology resulted to net reduction in both the amount of herbicide used and associated environmental impact when compared to the use of conventional production methods.

A group of researchers from the United States has published the results of their research on the genetic basis of drought tolerant soybeans. Their study focused on three specific characteristics that could make crops more drought tolerant and result in yield increases

Researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and scientists from The American Chestnut Foundation have confirmed that the addition of a wheat gene increases the blight resistance of American chestnut trees.

China has officially approved the imports of genetically modified (GM) crops: a corn variety developed by Syngenta AG, a soybean developed by DuPont Pioneer, as well as a soybean variety from Bayer CropScience AG. The approval for Syngenta's Viptera corn covers corn grain and processing byproducts, such as dried distillers' grains, for human and animal consumption.

Some 27 participants from national and local media, farmers and members of the Biosafety Commission participated in a three-day visit to corn and sugarcane research stations and farms. The event jointly organized by Indonesian Biotechnology Information Center (IndoBIC), NOFA, and CropLife Indonesia aimed to provide an overview of the corn and sugarcane seed industry in Indonesia.

8 January 2015, Rome - FAO's monthly Food Price Index declined in December after three months of stability. Continued large supplies and record stocks combined with a stronger U.S. dollar and falling oil prices contributed to the decline.

Origin Agritech Limited announced that the Biosafety Certificate for its genetically modified phytase corn has been renewed by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture. The Biosafety Certificate for GM phytase corn was originally received in 2009 which was valid for a period of 5 years. The Certificate expired in August 2014.

A study by a group of researchers of National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology (NRCPB) and Institute of Biotechnology, ANGRAU, India reports that the transgenic herbicide tolerant rice could tolerate up to 1% of commercial Roundup, which is five times more than the usual dose used to kill weeds under field conditions.

Professor Lord Krebs, Principal of Jesus College, told the Oxform Farming Conference that organic farming does not necessarily equate to environmentally friendly farming. He explained that organic farming is generally less productive per hectare meaning more land is needed to produce a certain amount of food.

19 January 2015, Rome - Genetic resources have a critical role to play in feeding the world — especially as climate change advances faster than expected — and much more needs to be done to study, preserve and utilize the biological diversity that underpins world food production, according to a new book released by FAO today.

Between 2004 and 2011, Brazil reduced deforestation rates in the Amazon by 77%, thus decreasing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than a third. This is an all-time record. No country had ever been able to cut down emissions so drastically over a similar period, including reductions in transportation, energy and all other sectors.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced its decision to deregulate Monsanto's Dicamba-tolerant trait technologies –Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ soybeans and Bollgard II® XtendFlex™ cotton. The decision will be published in the Federal Register in the near future.

The National Academy of Sciences conducted a two-day workshop on how to communicate about genetically modified organisms (GMO) to the public. The workshop was held on January 15-16, 2015 in Washington, DC. The workshop was attended by life science researchers and featured speakers who are experts on science communication.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a major fungal disease in durum wheat caused by Fusarium gramineum. FHB infected durum wheat suffers grain yield losses and reduced quality. With this problem, researchers from Sapienza Università di Roma, University of Bari "Aldo Moro" and Iowa State University conducted a study on durum wheat to increase its resistance against the disease.

Ag Biotech Vietnam, in collaboration with the Faculty of Biology and Chemistry of the Northwestern University, organized a biotech quiz contest  bearing the theme "Learning the biotechnology applications in agriculture 2014 ".

Ha Noi, Viet Nam. The National Zero Hunger Challenge (ZHC), a major initiative to eradicate hunger in Viet Nam, was launched today by the Government of Viet Nam in collaboration with the United Nations, including FAO. The launch, led by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dũng along with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cao Duc Phat, and other leaders of line ministries symbolized the Government of Viet Nam's commitment to achieving Zero Hunger by 2025.
 

29 January 2015, Rome – Inland fisheries – the network of lakes, rivers and streams that provide fish and freshwater to millions across the world – need to be better managed in order to safeguard their contribution to healthy diets and economies, particularly in developing countries.