The origins of tea stretch back more than 5 000 years, but its contributions to health, culture and socioeconomic development are still as relevant today. Grown in very localized areas, tea supports over 13 million people who depend on the sector for their livelihoods. (21 May) is an opportunity to celebrate tea’s cultural heritage, health benefits, and economic importance. This year’s observance at headquarters in Rome features a performance by the Wuzhishan Rainforest Children’s Choir from Hainan Province, China, followed by a tea-tasting experience.
In this , we hear from Charles Spillane, Chief Scientist at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Charlie traces how his upbringing on a farm in Ireland and an early interest in science fiction shaped his techno-optimistic worldview and his belief in the power of science and innovation to improve society. He discusses why scientific advances often fail to reach smallholder farmers, what it takes to close the gap between knowledge and adoption, and how financial, institutional, and systemic barriers can be addressed. Charlie explores the growing role of data in agriculture, including questions of ownership and governance, and the limitations of current research funding models. And he shares vision for a more effective, future-ready agrifood science system.
The highlights the importance of protecting plants to improve food security, biodiversity and global economic growth. Healthy plants provide most of the world’s food and oxygen, making plant biosecurity essential for human survival.
Plant pests and diseases destroy up to 40 percent of global crops each year, causing billions of dollars in agricultural losses. Climate change and increasing trade are spreading pests faster, making stronger international plant health measures more important than ever.
In Georgia’s rural highlands, a dairy farmer is helping revive a nearly lost milk tradition while protecting the rangelands that sustain it. Nino Nugzarashvili produces cheeses and “Do,” a rare, fermented milk product, using cattle raised on natural pastures that enhance quality and flavor. With the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations support, she gained equipment and training to expand production and meet rising demand. Her story highlights the vital role of communal grazing lands in supporting livelihoods, preserving biodiversity, and maintaining cultural food heritage, even as these landscapes face growing pressure from land degradation and reduced access.
In Thailand, a simple bowl of Myanmar rice salad carries memories of home, family, and survival. For Flora Aye, a vegan chef from Myanmar, rice is more than food – it is part of daily life and culture. Growing up, her family cooked rice in large batches and never wasted leftovers, turning them into rice salad using whatever ingredients were available. Now living in Bangkok, Flora shares this dish with Thai students, using cooking to pass on Myanmar traditions and values. The rice salad reflects resilience, care, and the importance of making the most of limited resources, while helping keep Myanmar’s cultural identity alive far from home.
On a small family farm in southern Grenada, lettuce is thriving without soil—and increasingly without fear of the weather. Faced with erratic rainfall and growing climate uncertainty, Roger and Josanne Benjamin turned to hydroponics, a method of growing plants with their roots suspended in a flowing mix of water and nutrients instead of soil. With support from a project implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, their early experiment evolved into a solar-powered, climate-smart system. The results reach beyond higher yields: water use is far lower, production is more stable, and the work is less physically demanding. Their experience is now inspiring others nearby.
For centuries, Indigenous Peoples and local communities in Kenya have relied on herbal medicine to care for their families, drawing on knowledge passed from elders to children. Today, that wisdom is at risk—often ignored or exploited—just as forests and sacred landscapes disappear. Through community-led projects supported by the United Nations Development Programme’s , healers like herbalist Roda Saaya and community elder Lekerio Sakui are protecting health and heritage. By documenting remedies, restoring forests, and mentoring youth, communities show that healing people and healing nature are inseparable, and that care, culture, and biodiversity must endure together for future generations.
A potential blockage of fertilizers through the could trigger a “very significant and severe” global food crisis, disproportionately affecting the poorest countries, according to Jorge Moreira da Silva of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). He warned that access to these critical supplies is essential ahead of planting season.
He added that a UN-led task force could activate a “one-stop platform” within seven days to help coordinate the flow of fertilizers and raw materials, if passage through the strait is allowed. The goal, he told UN News journalist Reem Abaza, is to quickly support the world’s most vulnerable communities and prevent worsening .
Photo Credit: UN
In a new episode of the FAO’s The Work we Do podcast, experts warn that the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz since 28 February is beginning to expose deep vulnerabilities in global food systems. The strait previously carried up to 35 percent of global crude oil, 20 percent of natural gas and nearly 30 percent of traded fertilizers. Prices have not yet spiked because existing stocks are absorbing the shock, but prolonged disruption could drive higher input, commodity and retail food prices into late 2026 and 2027. With planting seasons approaching, farmers face hard choices, making targeted, time‑bound support critical to prevent a wider food crisis.
From a remote farm or village, the spark of the next pandemic can travel faster than the world expects. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) argues that prevention starts in these rural “first miles,” where most infectious diseases emerge from animals and degraded ecosystems. Its investments strengthen livestock health, restore land and support small-scale farmers whose livelihoods anchor global food systems. By improving animal husbandry, ecosystem management and local incomes, IFAD reduces health risks at their source while stabilizing supply chains. Guided by a linking human, animal and environmental wellbeing, and boosted by its new role in the global Pandemic Fund, IFAD is scaling up rural investments that protect communities locally while reinforcing health security and economic resilience worldwide.
Rangelands and pastoralists may seem like distant silhouettes on the world’s margins, but together they form one of humanity’s quiet anchors, shaping landscapes, livelihoods and climate resilience across nearly half the planet. FAO is spotlighting their importance during the . Stretching from grasslands and savannahs to deserts, wetlands and mountain regions, rangelands cover almost half of Earth’s land surface. When healthy, they regulate water, protect soils, store significant carbon and sustain biodiversity. Found on every continent, they underpin meat, dairy and fibre production and support cross‑border trade.
Rita once began each morning with a three‑kilometers walk to fetch water, balancing farming with caring for her children as drought and limited irrigation threatened crops and food security. That routine changed when a new dam created a reservoir for her community. Built by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with the government of Angola and European Union funding, the dam is part of FAO’s programme to strengthen water and food resilience in southern Angola. With year‑round irrigation, Rita now grows staples and vegetables, sells surplus produce to help cover school fees, and applies new techniques learned through FAO Farmer Field Schools with her children.
What if the key to healthier children and stronger farmers fit in the palm of your hand? Bhutan’s One‑Child, One‑Egg initiative links smallholder poultry farmers with school feeding programmes to combat malnutrition and support rural livelihoods. The pilot provides eggs to 32,000 students in 343 schools, boosting nutrition, energy and attentiveness. Farmers like Tenzin Drukpa now benefit from a reliable market that aids recovery and strengthens community wellbeing.
We waste over 1 billion tonnes of food each year, squandering the resources behind its production and transport. This loss equals 1.3 discarded meals for every person facing hunger, making it both a humanitarian tragedy and a climate threat, as up to 10% of global emissions come from wasted food. Addressing the problem requires action across the entire food system—from policy to agribusiness—yet individuals can also help reduce waste. Here are seven practical tips.
Angèle is helping transform Benin’s rice sector, showing how targeted support can improve local nutrition and compete with imports. ’s main funding comes from core contributions, which support long-term rural development, while extra funds from partners like Norway help focus on specific priorities, such as better nutrition. With Norway’s support, IFAD expanded projects in seven countries, improving food systems and reaching hundreds of thousands of people despite global challenges. This shows.