Proceedings Of The Fao International Symposium On The Role Of Agricultural Biotechnologies In Sustainable Food Systems And Nutrition

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/.

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.

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.

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: 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

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.

Transnational Food Security addresses food security from an international relations, political economy and legal perspective analysing the relationship between food security and the environment and climate change, trade, finance and contracts, and the intersection between food and human rights. The topic of food concerns one of the most basic and profound aspects of human survival. Universal and equal access to food is, at the same time, ridden with problems of power, inequality, distribution and implicated in old and new geopolitical conflicts. As such, ‘food’ and food security are central to conditions of poverty and hunger, development and ‘modernisation’, transitional justice and rule of law reform around the world. As a problem of critique and scholarly inquiry, food prompts an inter-disciplinary assessment of the nature of food security in the modern world. The contributors to this book take us deep into the complexity of food and illustrate the challenges of adequately understanding and approaching questions of food security and food sovereignty in a globally interconnected world. Transnational Food Security will be of great interest to scholars of international relations, political economy, and transnational law. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of Transnational Legal Theory Journal.

In December 2016, FAO and WHO convened an International Symposium on Sustainable Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Improved Nutrition, gathering delegates from 90 UN Member States representatives of intergovernmental organizations, private-sector entities, civil society organizations, academia/research organizations and producer organizations/cooperatives. The symposium aimed to increase awareness of today’s urgent food and nutrition challenges, and to create a forum to discuss strategies for regulation and reform, in the aftermath of the ICN2 and under the umbrella of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition 2016-2025. Nine parallel sessions comprising expert presentations and country case studies were complemented by a session on the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition, a student’s session, plenary and special events. These proceedings include summaries of the parallel sessions, summaries and transcriptions from the plenary and Decade of Action sessions, to contribute to better-informed, accelerated action at national, regional and global levels on the urgent need to improve the human and environmental health of food systems worldwide and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.