The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) moderated the technical segment of the opening ceremony of the International Year of Millets (IYM2023) at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome on 6 December 2022. ICRISAT had a pivotal role in supporting the Government of India’s proposal in the FAO Council to celebrate the International Year of Millets, working with governments in its host countries in Africa to gather support letters.

Sarvesh Prabhu, a 17-year-old research intern at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), represented India at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Atlanta, USA and won the third prize and US $1000 in the biochemistry category for developing a cost-effective bio-insecticide from the leaves of bullock’s heart (Annona reticulata) popularly known as ramphal.

The International Rice Congress is a scientific platform for rice-based food systems innovators to work towards shaping a food- and nutrition-secure future. Convened by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) every four years, the Congress brings together scientists, experts, and decision makers from the government, private, and public sectors to formulate evidence-based solutions to some of the biggest challenges of the global rice sector.

IFPRI’s picture-based insurance (PBI) initiative, recognized as a CGIAR@50 Innovation and active since 2016, relies on participating farmers to upload smartphone pictures of their fields at intervals throughout the growing season. In the event of bad weather, pests, disease, or other problems that harm the crops, the photos are used to assess the damage and trigger insurance payouts.

FAO’s new fish recipe book features worldly recipes, like this Japanese cured mackerel dish featured above. It also helps consumers recognize various types of fish and presents interesting food and fish facts to reiterate that there can be no global food security without fish. ©FAO/Nik Neves

The United Nations General Assembly at its 75th session in March 2021 declared 2023 the International Year of Millets (IYM 2023). FAO is the lead agency for celebrating the Year in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders. Millets can grow on arid lands with minimal inputs and are resilient to changes in climate.

The  Sustainable Animal Productivity for Livelihoods, Nutrition and Gender inclusion’ (SAPLING) initiative works with sector actors to support sustainable growth of the livestock sector in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). This involves developing market-driven solutions to incentivize small- and medium-scale producers to invest in sustainable productivity and capture growing demand, while enhancing social inclusion, supporting improved nutrition, and contributing to environmental protection.

Deteriorating water quality is a global challenge, more so in surface waters. Traditional methods of monitoring water quality are human resource intensive and require the active involvement of technical personnel in remote environments. Nonetheless, it is essential to monitor water quality trends and to obtain baseline information on how water resources are being impacted over time by human activity – and how this can potentially affect socioeconomic development as well as human and ecological health.

A highlight of the new culture of “listening to each other” at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) took place Thursday, with 200 individuals and 19 teams winning Employee Recognition Awards. The awards, now in their fourth season, were introduced by Director-General QU Dongyu shortly after taking office in 2019. Employees are “FAO’s biggest asset,” he said at today’s hybrid ceremony, held at headquarters and remotely.

On October 18, 2022, the Bureau of Plant Industry of the Philippine Department of Agriculture granted the “Biosafety Permit for Commercial Propagation (No. 22-001 Propa)” of Bt Eggplant (Event EE-1) to the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) making the Philippines the second country in the world to allow the commercial propagation of the transgenic eggplant.