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40 countries attend FAO conference in Hanoi
Ministers, high-ranking officials and representatives from civil society organizations from 40 countries and territories gathered in Hanoi on March 12 for the 31st UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) regional conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC).
During the five-day conference, delegates will discuss the increasing trend of global food prices, food security, poverty, and exhaustion of natural resources.
The price of food increased by 1 percent in February – the first rise over the past six months. FAO and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) forecast that prices of essential commodities will go up sharply by the end of this decade, notably, rice by 40 percent, corn by 48 percent, and wheat by 27 percent.
The Asia-Pacific region is home to 578 million poor people, accounting for 62 percent of total poor and malnourished people in the world. Population boom, shrinking agriculture land areas, and rising oil prices are seriously affecting poverty and malnutrition in Asia. Climate change is also exerting a negative impact on food security and socio-political stability in the region.
According to FAO, promoting sustainability in agricultural production and enhancing poor people’s accessibility to food should go along together to address the aforementioned issues.
The FAO conference will provide opportunities for civil societies, farmers’ associations, social movements and the private sector to work with governments and strategic partners in the struggle against poverty.
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