Proceedings of the FAO International Symposium on the Role of Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition

Proceedings of the FAO International Symposium on the Role of Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2019-01-31
Genre: Science
ISBN: 925109330X

The FAO international symposium on “The role of agricultural biotechnologies in sustainable food systems and nutrition” took place from 15 to 17 February 2016 at FAO headquarters, Rome. Over 400 people attended, including 230 delegates from 75 member countries and the European Union, as well as representatives of intergovernmental organizations, private sector entities, civil society organizations, academia/research organizations and producer organizations/cooperatives. The symposium encompassed the crop, livestock, forestry and fishery sectors and was organized around three main themes: i) climate change; ii) sustainable food systems and nutrition; and iii) people, policies, institutions and communities. The proceedings provide the main highlights of the symposium which covered a broad range of biotechnologies, from low-tech approaches such as those involving use of microbial fermentation processes, biofertilizers, biopesticides and artificial insemination, to high-tech approaches suc h as those involving advanced DNA-based methodologies and genetically modified organisms. The full report has been divided into sections and individual chapters for ease of downloading: Introduction to the Proceedings Chapter 1. Opening plenary session Chapter 2. High-level ministerial session Chapter 3. Parallel sessions: Climate change Chapter 4. Parallel sessions: Sustainable food systems and nutrition Chapter 5. Parallel sessions: People, policies, institutions and communities Chapter 6. Student interactive session: Bringing fresh perspectives Chapter 7. Side events: Reports Chapter 8. Final plenary session For more information, visit the webpage http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/agribiotechs-symposium/en/.

Case studies of the use of agricultural biotechnologies to meet the needs of smallholders in developing countries

Case studies of the use of agricultural biotechnologies to meet the needs of smallholders in developing countries
Author: Ruane, J.
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 188
Release: 2023-12-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 925138424X

There are a wide range of biotechnologies available and many of them have been, and are currently being, used in many situations and sectors worldwide to solve the myriad problems that farmers are facing. Documentation of the application of agricultural biotechnologies for smallholders is an important part of FAO’s role in facilitating knowledge sharing regarding agricultural biotechnologies. This document synthesizes a unique series of 15 case studies where agricultural biotechnologies were used to serve the needs of smallholders in developing countries. The introduction chapter provides an overall background and objectives of the compilation of case studies. The case studies cover different regions, production systems, species and underlying socioeconomic conditions in the crop, livestock and aquaculture/fisheries sectors. The biotechnologies covered include some that are considered quite traditional, such as artificial insemination, as well as other more modern ones, such as the use of DNA-based diagnostics. The case studies were prepared by scientists and researchers who were directly involved in the initiatives, and the authors aimed to provide the background, achievements, obstacles, challenges and lessons learned from each case study. The final chapter of the document provides a summary overview of the challenges, results and lessons learned from the 15 case studies.

Contested Global Governance Space and Transnational Agrarian Movements

Contested Global Governance Space and Transnational Agrarian Movements
Author: Mauro Conti
Publisher: Fernwood Publishing
Total Pages: 148
Release: 2023-09-21T00:00:00Z
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1773636480

This book is the first scholarly study of the new transnational agrarian movements (TAMs) from their perspective. It explores how they strategize within the global governance of agriculture to confront neoliberal aims of expanding capital penetration in the countryside. TAMs oppose this phase of financialization and instead foster a system based on agroecology and re-peasantization of production, valuing labour and natural resources over capital. The book outlines how TAMs defend food sovereignty and oppose neoliberal policies in the context of climate change negotiations. It is written from their perspective, merging scholarship with activism through a methodology of observant participation.

Plant Genetics and Biotechnology in Biodiversity

Plant Genetics and Biotechnology in Biodiversity
Author: Rosa Rao
Publisher: MDPI
Total Pages: 213
Release: 2018-08-09
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3038420034

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Plant Genetics and Biotechnology in Biodiversity" that was published in Diversity

Sustainability of the Food System

Sustainability of the Food System
Author: Noelia Betoret
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2020-01-31
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0128182946

Sustainability of the Food System: Sovereignty, Waste, and Nutrients Bioavailability addresses the concept of global sustainability, focusing on three key areas of action within the food production system: food sovereignty, environmentally friendly food processes, and food technologies that increase the bioavailability of bioactive compounds. The book defines key concepts in the food production system and provides examples of specific and tailored actions that contribute to global sustainability. Sustainability of the Food System: Sovereignty, Waste, and Nutrients Bioavailability will serve as a welcomed resource for food scientists and technologists, agriculturists, agronomic engineers, food engineers, environmental technologists, nutritionists, and post-graduate students studying bioresource technology and sustainability. - Addresses global sustainability as a three-dimensional concept - Describes the use and recovery of crops with high content in bioactive compounds as a preliminary and necessary step to achieve food sovereignty - Presents advances in the development of environmentally friendly food processes that reduce and revalue food waste and byproducts - Considers the development of functional foods with innovative food technologies that increase the bioavailability of nutrients and bioactive compounds to achieve social and economic sustainability

Agroecology in Policy and Practice

Agroecology in Policy and Practice
Author: Rachel Bezner Kerr
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2023-10-13
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 2832516637

In the past years, there has been steady growth in work relating to agroecology. People-centred, knowledge-intensive and rooted to sustainability, it is now well established that agroecology matches the transformative approach called for by the 2030 Agenda; a transition to sustainable food and agriculture systems that ensures food security and nutrition for all, provides social and economic equity, and conserves biodiversity and the ecosystem services on which agriculture depends. Although not a new concept, agroecology is today gaining interest worldwide among a wide range of actors as an effective answer to climate change and the interrelated challenges facing food systems, finding expression in the practices of food producers, in grassroots social processes for sustainability and the public policies of many countries around the world.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Genetically Modified Organisms
Author: Giovanni Molteni Tagliabue
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2023-04-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1527505278

Due to an intricate web of psychological, socio-political and economic factors, an alliance of ill-advised forces of radical activism and powerful commercial interests encourage the rejection of so-called “genetically modified organisms” (GMOs), that is agri-food products whose DNA has been directly retouched, or “recombined” (rDNA). While the pseudo-concept has no scientific meaning, the opponents of the agro-industry insist on attacking it as an alleged symbol of the exploitation of nature for greed and profit: this socio-political struggle, in itself legitimate, but directed at the wrong target, fosters doubts and fears about the supposed negative effects of GMOs on the environment and health. Instead, scientists recommend carefully checking new individual plant varieties or animal breeds, regardless of how they are obtained (through rDNA or other processes). Similarly, the important socio-economic pros and cons of the cultivation and consumption of agri-food novelties, in richer or poorer countries as well, should be assessed independently of the developers’ biotech methods. The book explains this contemporary taboo and calls for a well-regulated use of all biotechnological innovations, ending the decades-long quagmire which stymies public research and its philanthropic repercussions.

Food System Transformations

Food System Transformations
Author: Cordula Kropp
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 319
Release: 2020-12-28
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1000338312

This book examines the role of local food movements, enterprises and networks in the transformation of the currently unsustainable global food system. It explores a series of innovations designed to re-integrate sustainable modes of food production and encourage food sovereignty. It provides detailed insights into a specialised network of social actors collaborating in novel ways and creating new economic arrangements across different geographical locales. In working to devise ‘local solutions to global problems’, the initiatives explored in the book represent a ‘second-generation’ food social movement which is less preoccupied with distinctive local qualities than with building socially just food systems aimed at delivering healthy nutrition worldwide. Drawing on fieldwork undertaken in sites across Europe, the USA and Brazil, the book provides a rich collection of case studies that offer a fresh perspective on the role of grassroots action in the transition to more sustainable food production systems. Addressing a substantive gap in the literature that falls between global analyses of the contemporary food system and highly localised case studies, the book will appeal to those teaching food studies and those conducting research on civic food initiatives or on environmental social movements more generally. Chapters 1, 3, 7, and 8 of this book are freely available as downloadable Open Access PDFs at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

The future of food and agriculture: Trends and challenges

The future of food and agriculture: Trends and challenges
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 180
Release: 2018-06-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9251095515

How can we achieve FAO’s original vision of a world free from hunger and malnutrition? The report sheds some light on the nature of the challenges that agriculture and food systems are facing now and throughout the 21st century, and provides some insights as to what is at stake and what needs to be done. What emerges is that “business as usual” is no longer an option but calls for major transformations in agricultural systems, in rural economies and in how we manage our natural resources. The report was undertaken for the quadrennial review of the FAO Strategic Framework and in preparation for the Organization’s Medium-Term Plan 2018-2021.

The State of Food and Agriculture 2021

The State of Food and Agriculture 2021
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2021-11-23
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9251343292

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of agrifood systems to shocks and stresses and led to increased global food insecurity and malnutrition. Action is needed to make agrifood systems more resilient, efficient, sustainable and inclusive. The State of Food and Agriculture 2021 presents country-level indicators of the resilience of agrifood systems. The indicators measure the robustness of primary production and food availability, as well as physical and economic access to food. They can thus help assess the capacity of national agrifood systems to absorb shocks and stresses, a key aspect of resilience. The report analyses the vulnerabilities of food supply chains and how rural households cope with risks and shocks. It discusses options to minimize trade-offs that building resilience may have with efficiency and inclusivity. The aim is to offer guidance on policies to enhance food supply chain resilience, support livelihoods in the agrifood system and, in the face of disruption, ensure sustainable access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to all.