FAO services international, regional, and community radio networks and national broadcasters. Our newsroom offers, free of charge, online audio files on FAO's related events and programmes.
FAO declines all responsibility for the opinions expressed by the interviews in this web site. The mention or omission of specific companies, their products or brand names does not imply any endorsement or judgement by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
|
Water key to eradicating hunger and poverty |
 |
A three-day pan-African ministerial Conference pledged to promote water development throughout the continent to fully exploit Africa's agricultural and hydroenergy potential.In a final Declaration, the Conference, on Water for Energy and Agriculture in Africa: the Challenges of Climate Change, noted that water is a key resource to economic and social development as well as to hunger and poverty eradication in Africa, and that food and energy security are prerequisites for the development of Africa's human capital.
|
Water management is "a key element" in food security, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf told a ministerial conference on Water for Agriculture and Energy in Africa: the Challenges of Climate Change which opened on December 15, 2008. |
1. "Much has changed since 2004. The world today is in a crisis. The severe financial and economic crisis was preceded by a food crisis that disrupted the international agricultural economy and highlighted the fragility of world food security. It also showed us that reviving agricultural production in poor countries is the only viable and lasting solution to the fight against hunger. We must therefore invest more in agriculture."
|
| Duration:
51sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 (823 KB) |
2. "Agriculture accounts for 17 percent of Africa ’s GDP , 57 percent of its employment and 11 percent of its exports. Its population, which th on inhabitants, of whom 53 percent are under the age of 20, will reach 2 billion in 2050. Agriculture and related industries are essential to economic growth in Africa , and to a reduction in poverty and food insecurity."
|
| Duration:
50sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 (803 KB) |
3. "In 2003-2005, 24 percent of Africa ’s population, or 218 million people, still suffered from chronic undernutrition. In 2007, the food crisis added a further 24 million people to the number suffering from chronic hunger in sub-Saharan Africa . In addition, today 70 percent of its poor people live in rural areas."
|
| Duration:
42sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 (677 KB) |
16 december 2008, Syrte, Lybia -- FAO Director-General, Jacques Diouf, is interviewed by UN Radio's Samir Darabi |
| Duration:
12min.33sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 (9.032 KB) |
FAO - International Year of the Potato 2008: celebration to mark end |
 |
The International Year of the Potato (IYP) in 2008 was a celebration of one of humanity’s most important and universally loved staple foods. It has raised awareness of the potato’s fundamental importance as a staple food of humanity. But it also had a very practical aim: to promote development of sustainable potato-based systems that enhance the wellbeing of producers and consumers and help realize the potato’s full potential as a “food of the future”.
The Rome based-IYP secretariat at FAO has organized a month of events and displays to mark the end of this World celebration.
|
1. Mr Shivaji Pandey, Director of the Plant Production Protection Division in FAO |
|
Mr. Shivaji Pandey says that there still is much to be done on technologies to improve potato's farming.
|
| Duration:
3min.52sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 (2.660 KB) |
2. Tadayuki Noguchi, Japanese painter. |
Nogushi paints Peruvian farmers cultivating potatoes in the Andes. His paintings were exposed at FAO Headquarters, as part of events and displays organized by the IYP secretariat.
Noguchi's interview in Japanese with English interpretation.
|
| Duration:
3min.13sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 (1.070 KB) |
3. Odyssey of the potato |
|
The International Potato Center's travelling exhibition, "The odyssey of the potato", was opened in FAO Headquarters by CIP's Director-General, Pamela Anderson. The exhibition illustrates the origins of the potato in Peru and its important role today in food security.
|
| Duration:
2min.28sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 (1.700 KB) |
4. Exhibit |
Donated for the end-of-year event by the Regional Agency for Rural Development (ERSA) of northern Italy's Friuli Venezia Giulia region (close to Austria and Slovenia), the exhibit was introduced by ERSA’s managing director, Dr. Josef Parente.
'Think global, act local', declared Mr Parente.
|
| Duration:
1min.33sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 (1.070 KB) |
The International Year of the Potato comes to an end |
 |
The International Year of the Potato (IYP) in 2008 was a celebration of one of humanity’s most important and universally loved staple foods. It has raised awareness of the potato’s fundamental importance as a staple food of humanity. But it also had a very practical aim: to promote development of sustainable potato-based systems that enhance the wellbeing of producers and consumers and help realize the potato’s full potential as a “food of the future”.
|
|
Mr Juvénal Kabirigi is National Coordinator of cross-border food security (Northern and Southern provinces, Rwanda) and an Irish potato expert. The commodity chain and marketing of the produce are his main priorities.
|
| Duration:
1min.17sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 |
The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2008 |
 |
Another 40 million people have been pushed into hunger this year primarily due to higher food prices, according to preliminary estimates published by FAO. This brings the overall number of undernourished people in the world to 963 million, and the ongoing financial crisis could tip even more people into hunger. Jacques Diouf, FAO Director-General, indicated that a new system of world food security must be established.
|
1. Mr Diouf underlined that the current crisis is no where to be over.
|
| Duration:
3min.43sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 (2.671 KB) |
2. According to Mr Diouf, structural constraints facing agriculture must be addressed.
|
| Duration:
1min.40sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 (1.119 KB) |
3. Egypt: FAO's work on soaring food prices |
|
Strategic actions are undertaken and closely monitored.Egypt has recovered from the food riots caused by soaring food prices, last year.
Abdessalam OULD AHMED is Deputy Regional Representative for the Near East and FAO Representative in Egypt. He is witnessing the government's efforts to contain the food crisis and plans for the longer term food security, with the help of international partners:
|
| Duration:
2min.22sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 |
WORLD AIDS DAY – Agrarian policies must be improved in order to face the epidemic |
 |
On December 1st, 2008, FAO highlights the need for improving agrarian and nutritional policies in order to face the epidemic. Rural areas in Africa have been the most affected by HIV/AIDS in past years, and its impact has severely hit food security, reducing farm production in countries whose economy and sustainability depend entirely on it. The lack of the workforce is the main constraint.
|
| Ms Marcela Villarreal, the Director of Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Division in FAO, has this view |
|
1. “We need much stronger nutritional policies and we need much stronger agricultural sector policies that will be able to create effective synergies with the health sector strategies.”
|
| Duration:
2min.8sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 |
|
2. “Some countries could lose up to 25%, that’s a quarter of the labour force due to this epidemic.”
|
| Duration:
3min.5sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 |
Regreening Thousand Hills in Rwanda’s Wetlands towards 2020 |
 |
The government of Rwanda, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization partner in programmes for a wiser use of Wetlands for food security.
It is an uphill task, but in the highlands and the lowlands, Rwanda is slowly but surely restoring the slopes of its thousand hills. Many of them are green once more, but still in poor condition due to environmental degradation, mainly caused by human activity and the ravages of the war and genocide of 1994.
Determined to carve a brighter future and backed by strong political will, this country in Africa’s Great Lakes region has developed a strategy and launched a series of initiatives aimed at reducing poverty and protecting its natural heritage, with a target of 2020.
The following is a reportage in Rwanda, undertaken in October 2008
|
| Duration:
17min.16sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 (16.585 KB) |
Wetlands and food security |
 |
As the international community celebrates World Food Day, there is a growing concern that the current financial crisis added to rising food prices impact most on the poor and the malnourished.
"A wiser use of wetlands and other fragile ecosystems, from the mountains to the sea, can contribute to securing more food at lower prices", according to Mr Anada Tiéga, Secretary-General of the Switzerland based-Ramsar Convention on Wetlands:
|
|
(joined in Gland, Switzerland, by telephone) - L. Kambirigi
|
| Duration:
2min.40sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 |
Rwanda: A wiser use of wetlands for Food Security |
 |
In the aftermath of the 1994 genocide, Rwanda has struggled to restore its degraded thousand hills, in order to protect and promote the normal functioning marshlands and better manage the watersheds. To this effect, four major wetland complexes in Rwanda have been considered to be critical ecosystems, for which an integrated program management is a priority.
With a strong political will, the government of Rwanda is determined to respect international engagements on Environment while securing food for all. Two officials of Rwanda have this to say, on the occasion of World Food Day 2008 (Theme: "World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy" )
|
| (©FAOPhoto/Giulio Napolitano)/Producer: Liliane Kambirigi/Studio Engineer: Ricardo Parenti |
Two officials of Rwanda have this to say, on the occasion of World Food Day 2008 (Theme: "World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy")
1. Minister of Natural Resources, Mr Stanislas Kamanzi
2. Director-General of Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA): Ms Rose Mukankomeje
|
| Duration:
|
|
Format:
mp3 |
The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2008.
|
 |
Annual report weighs opportunities and risks of biofuels
7 October 2008, Rome - Biofuel policies and subsidies should be urgently reviewed in order to preserve the goal of world food security, protect poor farmers, promote broad-based rural development and ensure environmental sustainability, FAO said today in a new edition of its annual flagship publication The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2008.
|
|
1. "The challenge is to reduce or manage the risks while sharing the opportunities more widely and ensuring that benefits reach the poor", noted Jacques Diouf, FAO Director-General, at a press conference in Rome.
|
| Duration:
3min.25sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 |
|
2. Biofuel policies and subsidies should be urgently reviewed in order to preserve the goal of world food security, protect poor farmers, promote broad-based rural development and ensure environmental sustainability, according to FAO analyst Keith Wiebe.
|
| Duration:
2min.50sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 |
|
3. Production of biofuel feedstocks may create income and employment, if particularly poor small farmers receive support to expand their production and gain access to markets.
FAO Natural Resources economist Astrid Agostini, has this view:
|
| Duration:
7min.25sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 |
|
4. Address by Mr Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (English and Spanish versions)
|
|
English version
|
| Duration:
22min. |
|
Format:
mp3 |
|
Spanish
|
| Duration:
30min. |
|
Format:
mp3 |
 |
5. South Africa’s Wits University Research Group on Vulnerability Adaptation Mitigation Planning believes there should be an extensive research before we could all blame climate change on impact of food security. Professor Colleen Vogel says the emphasis should also focus on current climate variability and its impact on people. Prof Vogel believes we should educate rural and commercial farmers about these challenges and find out where extension workers are working well. She says there are also opportunities that come with challenges of biofuels and climate change.
Interviewee: Professor Colleen Vogel (Wits University REVAMP)
|
| Duration:
4min.35sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 |
How to cope with food price increases
|
 |
Press Conference by FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf to launch immediate action plan
Recent dramatic increases in food and commodity prices are threatening the food security of millions of people in many of the world’s poorest developing countries, especially those which rely heavily on food imports. However, in view of the magnitude of the problem, it is unlikely that national policies alone will be sufficient to protect the poor. Some form of concerted international action is needed.
|
| 1. Coping with higher global bills |
|
"Many governments are trying to moderate the impact of high prices through restricting exports or reducing tariffs on imported food", said Mr Jacques Diouf. Rising food prices have sparked social tensions in many parts of the world but could have a positive impact on small farmers' production capacity.
|
| Duration:
2min.20sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 |
| 2. FAO calls for urgent action and immediate |
|
"There is a need to increase the purchasing power of farmers for seeds, farmers and animal feeds and involve the private sector", said Jacques Diouf.
|
| Duration:
2min.21sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 |
| 3. FAO to commit US$ 17 million |
|
and to hold a High-Level Conference on World Food Security and the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy, in Rome from 3 to 5 June 2008.
|
| Duration:
1min.23sec. |
|
Format:
mp3 |
|
