A summary report was released on May 16, 2016, after the Joint Meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues in Food and the Environment and the World Health Organization (WHO) Core Assessment Group on Pesticide Residues held at the WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 9-13, 2016.

Genetically engineered (GE) crops and conventionally bred crops have no difference in terms of causing risks to human health and the environment, according to the report Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Led by Research Fellow in the Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, Philip Keane, the work has been funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).

When it comes to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries, expanding access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is crucial. Keeping this in mind, the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) established the SME Finance Forum in 2012, a global membership network dedicated to sharing knowledge, spurring innovation and promoting the growth of SMEs.

Philippines—Philippine Senator Loren Legarda urged the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to work with government agencies to create more Climate-Smart Villages, build rice seed nurseries, and organize capacity-building workshops for farmers. Legarda’s call for urgent action on Climate-Smart Villages was prompted by the recent unrest among farmers in drought-stricken areas of Cotabato province on the southern island of Mindanao.

Twenty-five countries from the Near East and North Africa have stressed the importance of peace for food security as they reaffirmed their commitment to fighting hunger in all its forms.

Development of a framework for cooperation and integration among different disciplines within ICRISAT to undertake holistic research for greater impacts, was a key focus of scientists from Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region at their recent regional planning meeting. They reviewed achievements and lessons learnt from past activities as well as shared and peer reviewed each other’s work plans.

Strong and secure forest tenures for forest-dependent communities in Viet Nam are a necessary condition for improved income and sustainable livelihoods. Strengthening forest tenure systems in the country is necessary if forest-dependent communities are to benefit from forests and forestry activities, as weak and contested tenures commonly results in conflict.
 

A new report by WHO, UNICEF, and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) reveals the status of national laws to protect and promote breastfeeding. Of the 194 countries analysed in the report, 135 have in place some form of legal measure related to the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes

While debating on the motion, "Is the proposed National Biotechnology and Biosafety Law in the best interests of Ugandans?" Makerere University students argued that it was imperative for the country that the said law be passed after taking so long in Parliament. The bill has been in parliament waiting to be passed into law since 2012.