FAO ISSUES LOCUST ALERT INDIA

 

FAO ISSUES LOCUST ALERT

 

• India should remain on ‘high alert’ during the next four weeks, say the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
• Indian government has stepped up efforts and is using equipment such as drones and Bell helicopters to control the menace
• Rajasthan are the most affected State in the country
• Other affected States are Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Bihar
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security.
• Its Latin motto, fiat panis, translates to "let there be bread"
• Headquartered in Rome, Italy and maintains regional and field offices around the world, operating in over 130 countries
• There are 197 members: 194 member nations, 1 member organization and 2 associate members.
• May–June 1905, an international conference was held in Rome, Italy, which led to the creation of the International Institute of Agriculture (IIA) by the King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III
• World War II effectively ended the IIA.
• Permanent organization for food and agriculture, which was establish on 16 October 1945 in Quebec City, Canada
• In 1951, FAO's headquarters were moved from Washington, DC, United States, to Rome, Italy
• FAO created the International Plant Protection Convention or IPPC in 1952.
• FAO and the World Health Organization created the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1961 to develop food standards, guidelines and texts such as codes of practice under the Joint FAO/ WHO Food Standards Programme
• In 2004 the Right to Food Guidelines were adopted, offering guidance to states on how to implement their obligations on the right to food
• FAO is an official sponsor of International Day of Forests, on 21 March each year, as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on 28 November 2012
• FAO is composed of eight departments: Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Climate, Biodiversity, Land and Water Department, Economic and Social Development, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Forestry, Corporate Services and Technical Cooperation and Programme Management
• Helps governments and development agencies coordinate their activities to improve and develop agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and land and water resources. It also conducts research, provides technical assistance to projects, operates educational and training programs, and collects data on agricultural output, production, and development
• FAO's Regular Programme budget is funded by its members, through contributions set at the FAO Conference
• FAO assists countries in implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources. FAO supports a variety of ex situ and in situ conservation strategies including cryoconservation of animal genetic resources
• ESSG is an acronym for the Global Statistics Service, the major "section" of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization - Statistics Division. It is responsible for updating and disseminating the FAOSTAT report.