Building Four Betters – Agrifood Systems
By Dr QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
This year’s World Food Day marks 80 years since the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), whose mandate from the outset has been to ensure humanity’s freedom from want.
Today, around 8.2 percent of people face chronic undernourishment. That compares to roughly two-thirds of the global population living in areas with inadequate food supply in 1946, as revealed by the first World Food Survey conducted by FAO in its first months of existence. Moreover, in 2025, even with a population more than three times as large, the world produces more than enough calories to feed everyone.
As we mark this day and reflect on challenges past, present and future, I am reminded of one conclusion from that long-ago survey: “The choice is between going forward and going backward.”
FAO and its member countries have achieved a lot: eliminating the rinderpest virus, establishing the Codex Alimentarius food safety standards, nearly tripling global rice yields since setting up the International Rice Commission in the late 1940s, negotiating international treaties on fisheries practices and genetic resources, setting up early-warning monitoring schemes to mitigate the risk of pests and plant and animal diseases, establishing and hosting the Agricultural Market Information System to support trade, and the development of dietary guidelines to tackle not just stunting but also the world’s growing overweight trend.
When desert locust outbreaks started in 2019 – coinciding with the hardest times of the COVID-19 – $231 million was mobilized to mitigate a crisis that ultimately saved $1.77 billion in losses and secured food for more than 40 million people across 10 countries.
Credit for such achievements goes rightly to our Members who have been steadfast in their support of the idea that a world without hunger is a better one for everyone, rich or poor, North or South. These and other successes show what is possible when nations pool knowledge and resources, when there is political will, and when effective partnerships are forged.
Sustaining the spirit of cooperation that has existed for the past eighty years is increasingly urgent; the global agrifood system is more interconnected than ever with more than a fifth of all calories crossing international borders before being consumed. At the same time, threats to those agrifood systems from climate shocks, pests and diseases, economic downturns, or the fallout from conflict, respect no borders and can unwind years of progress against hunger and malnutrition. As we see today with the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, more commonly known as bird flu, Fall armyworm and locust, no single country can combat such transboundary threats by working alone.
We must ensure that the more than one billion people working in the agrifood systems that feed us all have the resilience to withstand and overcome the risks they constantly face.
We have the technologies, proven financial mechanisms, along with enabling policies, know-how and the capacity to rapidly achieve the goal of ending hunger. Enabling access to markets is key both to mitigating inequalities that erode resilience and to getting food to where it is needed. Full market participation means access to drought-resistant seeds, sustainable fishery and forestry norms, agreed phytosanitary standards, digital technologies, innovative resource-management tools and early-warning systems.
We have a framework in place to scale up and accelerate our task. The FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative identifies and prioritizes investment opportunities in places where poverty and hunger are highest and agricultural potential is the greatest. The FAO One Country One Priority Product initiative promotes unique national agricultural products to drive sustainable agrifood systems and rural prosperity. The South-South and Triangular Cooperation programme recognizes that many developing countries have become major players in global development and economic governance and supports investment and partnership. The Digital Villages initiative aims at enabling farmers around the world to use digital technologies, expanding access to e-commerce opportunities and reducing the digital gap. And the G20 Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty unites countries and partners to mobilize action and investments for ending hunger and reducing poverty worldwide. These and many other tools work when they are deployed efficiently and effectively, and they work even better when consistently and coherently applied.
At FAO, we channel this vision through the Four Betters: Better Production, so farmers can produce more with fewer resources; Better Nutrition, because quality matters as much as quantity; a Better Environment, to sustain healthy ecosystems and their multiple benefits; and a Better Life for all, so rural communities can build dignity and opportunity. Together, the Four Betters ensure that no one is left behind.
If we choose not to pursue these goals, we will go backwards. Eighty years on, hunger is still with us, but it is not inevitable. With shared purpose, we can – we must – move forward. With continued collaboration, we can finish the job of ending hunger. For a better food-secure future for all.
Blog
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OpEd – World Food Day 2025 : Let us be better together
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EU Commission deceives citizens with flawed figures on pesticide reduction
BRUSSELS, 7 OCTOBER 2025 – Three NGOs, PAN Europe, IFOAM Organics Europe, and Global 2000, lodged a formal complaint before the European Ombudsman concerning the European Commission’s reliance on the Harmonised Risk Indicator 1 (HRI1) to measure use and risk of pesticides.
Helmut Burtscher-Schaden, chemicals officer at Global2000 (Friends of the Earth Austria), said: “The current indicator does not reflect the real toxicity of pesticides. For instance, this indicator attributes over 800% more risk to potassium bicarbonate (baking powder, used in organic agriculture) than to difenoconazole, a synthetic fungicide flagged as highly toxic and persistent.”
Eric Gall, deputy director at IFOAM Organics Europe, said: “The HRI-1 indicator leads to absurd results and gives the wrong impression that organic farming is the problem, because it is mainly a volume-based indicator that discriminates against natural substances. Relying on a misleading indicator to measure pesticide use is ineffective and unfair to organic farmers who are the ones who strive to apply agroecological methods as alternatives to toxic synthetic pesticides.”
Martin Dermine, executive director at PAN Europe, said: “The European Commission regularly communicates that pesticide use is decreasing in Europe thanks to their flawed indicator. This is untrue: available pesticide sales data show that there is no substantial reduction in the use of toxic pesticides. Using this false indicator is misleading both policymakers and the general public.”
By filing this complaint, the three organizations ask the European Ombudsman to assess whether the Commission has committed maladministration by breaching its duty of accuracy and transparency by using and promoting HRI-1. -
Joint Statement on the Occasion of International Peace Day
Kathmandu 23 September : Resist US Military Bases! Fight for Land, Liberation, Sovereignty, and Just Peace! US Out of Everywhere!
On the so-called “International Peace Day” 2025 proclaimed by the US-dominated United Nations, the below-signed organizations condemn the imperialist drive for war, alive today as ever before, while international institutions attempt to pacify our militant calls for land, liberation, sovereignty, and a peace that is both just and lasting. On International Peace Day 2025, we recommit ourselves to the militant struggle of the people, the only force that will actually bring about genuine peace in the world.
The US commands a sprawling global military infrastructure. Its major strategic theaters pit forces against rivals in Asia and the Pacific, West Asia and Eastern Europe, but its reach simultaneously fuels proxy conflicts and US counter-insurgency and regime change efforts across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. A new northern front is emerging as bases break ground in the Arctic’s stark wilderness. Moreover, the mobile might of US aircraft carriers and submarines transforms entire oceans into operational zones, while terrestrial airbases, now sporting rocket launchpads, extend this militarization into the final frontier: space.
US military bases function as logistical hubs to prepare for and wage wars of aggression that kill, injure, and displace millions, destroying infrastructure and environments that subjugate nations to poverty and misery, all to secure US control over land and resources. Hosting these bases draws countries directly into US-provoked conflicts and subjects them to constant surveillance and imperialist pressure. American soldiers stationed overseas have committed violent abuses, including extrajudicial killings and rape, while the bases cause environmental devastation and disrupt civilian life. The accumulation of toxic waste from these bases makes it impossible for surrounding communities to sustain their means of living amidst ongoing military drills, buildup, violence and crime. These harms persist with impunity, as unjust agreements with puppet regimes shield US personnel from accountability and deny victims justice.
Seven hundred days have passed since the Zionist entity unleashed its genocidal war upon the Gaza Strip. This war, unprecedented in its length and brutality in modern times, is waged by what effectively functions as a vast US military base: the zionist entity of “israel” itself. This satellite serves as an instrument in a strategy of constant regional warfare, building towards a broader confrontation with Iran. The US, through its extensive network of proxy institution, has provided comprehensive and unwavering political, military and financial support, critically reinforced by international diplomatic power. This persistent backing has empowered the occupation to pursue its objectives and continue its crimes with impunity: the forced displacement of populations, systematic ethnic cleansing, and the deliberate obliteration of the foundations of life within the Strip.
Since its declared pivot to Asia in 2012 the US has increased its military footprint in the region and taken every move to paint the economic, diplomatic and military rise of China as “aggressive”, engendering a new Cold War mentality and preparing public support for a future war. This move was accompanied by and justified the building of new military bases, expansion of existent ones and de facto controlling other nations bases through so-called “cooperation agreements.” These US military outposts have been used to support war games and military exercises that terrorize local communities, destroy the environment, increase violence against local and native women, create a strain on natural resources and aim to provoke the US’s most powerful rival into what would be the most destructive war in human history.
The US is currently staging provocative military maneuvers off the coast of Venezuela, even executing over a dozen civilians in cold-blooded murder via drone strike, claiming with no evidence that they were drug smugglers and so-called “terrorists”, a strategy still used since the birth of the Bush-era “War on Terror” doctrine. To prepare for its potential invasion of Venezuela, the US uses its military bases in Puerto Rico to stage its troops, despite mass protests from the Puerto Rican people against the use of their land for US military strategy, and despite the Venezuelan people’s brave resolve to resist a US invasion by any means necessary.
US bases are not invincible, despite the coercive power that these bases project, communities are organizing and taking direct action to resist and expel these outposts of US imperialism. People’s resistance to US military bases today follows decades of rage against these symbols of occupation and centuries of unbowed resistance to colonialism and neocolonialism that US imperialism tries desperately to maintain. Women play a key role in leading their people in militant struggle against the extrajudicial killings, kidnapping, and horrors of sexual slavery that foreign troops bring to to their communities. Indigenous people fight across generations for their national patrimony and to eject the foreign occupiers from their lands and safeguard the environment. Workers, peasants, fisherfolk, and all toiling people unite to reclaim their lands and livelihood from the economic, political, and environmental devastation that imperialist militarization thrusts on their communities. The people of the world are united in their rage and just struggle against the use of their nations as staging grounds for imperilaist war!
A sustained, multifaceted struggle, ranging from legal advocacy to militant confrontation, is essential to defeat the expansion of aggressive military bases. People fight not just to limit militarization, but because united, they can shut bases down. Mass movements have blocked new bases in Korea and Japan and expelled US forces from Subic Bay and Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, the US Navy in Vieques and Culebra (Puerto Rico), Ecuador’s refusal to renew a US lease, and the recent removal of French and US bases from Senegal, Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The Axis of Resistance has struck US and Zionist bases, proving these installations are vulnerable with popular support. Ending US imperialism and its fascist allies is crucial to stopping military base violence permanently, and each victory strengthens the movement toward liberating nations from US-led war and imperialism. -
EU Organic Awards 2025 celebrated excellent and inspire the future of organic
Kathmandu 23 September, Today, EU Organic Day, during a ceremony at the European Commission in Brussels, the winners of the EU Organic Awards 2025 were revealed, shining a spotlight on Europe’s most outstanding initiatives and actors in the organic sector.
The awards, jointly organized by the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Committee of the Regions, and IFOAM Organics Europe, honor innovation, commitment, and excellence across the organic value chain.The winners of the 2025 EU Organic Awards are:
•Best Organic Farmer (female): Ms Albina Yasinskaya, Rozino Organic Farm, Bulgaria
•Best Organic Farmer (male): Mr Lieven Devreese, Het Polderveld Farm, Belgium
•Best Organic Region/Bio-District: Võru County, Estonia
•Best Organic City: Valpaços, Portugal
•Best Organic SME: Joseph Brotmanufaktur GmbH, Austria
•Best Organic Retailer: Radis&Bona eG, Germany
•Best Organic Restaurant/Catering Service: Peskesi Restaurant, Greece
These champions of organic exemplify how the sector contributes to resilient food systems, rural vitality, and sustainable development across Europe.
Speaking on behalf of IFOAM Organics Europe, President Jan Plagge said: “It gives me great pride to congratulate this year’s winners of the EU Organic Awards. Their accomplishments are tangible proof that sustainable food and farming systems within our planetary boundaries are not a distant ideal but an unfolding reality. By pushing boundaries – whether in farming practice, food processing, retail, or community engagement – these projects light a path toward a more resilient, equitable, and vibrant organic sector. May they inspire many more across Europe to join in this movement, advancing rural livelihoods, climate action, biodiversity, and consumer confidence in organic agriculture.”
A forward-looking sector Referring to the Awards Ceremony’s opening speech by Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen, our Director Eduardo Cuoco said: “IFOAM Organics Europe takes note of Commissioner Hansen’s announcement of a targeted revision of the EU organic regulation and welcomes the European Commission’s commitment to continue developing organic production, market and research through a new EU Organic Action Plan.”
He then continued: “We stand ready to work with the Commission, the Parliament and the Council to ensure that this targeted revision of the organic regulation will focus on fixing legal issues and ensuring the regulation is coherent and implementable for the thousands of organic farmers and operators in the food production who already deliver for sustainability. IFOAM Organics Europe wants to ensure that none of the high standards that the organic regulation delivers for soils, water and biodiversity, as well as animal welfare, will be touched upon, and urges Member States and MEPs to guarantee that this revision will be smooth, targeted and efficient.”
Celebrating vision and commitment
Today, EU Organic Day, we celebrate more than just winners of awards: we honor the bold ideas, the strong dedication, and the creative solutions that are helping to shape the future of organic across Europe. Each finalist and awardee reminds us that organic agriculture is not just about methods: it is about health, ecology, fairness, care, and vision. As we reveal this year’s winners, we also reaffirm our commitment to working with policymakers, producers, processors, industries, consumers and all partners to ensure organic systems are supported with long-term frameworks, fair incentives, and recognition for their contributions to public goods. -
Stand with Ogoni Peoples on the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine: “No Justice on Pundered Lands!”
PRESS RELEASE
September 23, 2025 – The International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL) stands in solidarity with the Indigenous Ogoni peoples and their allies across the globe in launching this year’s commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the martyrdom of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine. Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine were brutally executed on November 10, 1995, by Nigeria’s military dictatorship in collusion with corporate oil giant Shell.
The Ogoni Nine were executed for demanding justice, dignity, and the right of the Ogoni people to live free from ecological destruction in their own lands. Through the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Ken Saro-Wiwa together with Ogoni leaders gave voice to the cries of peoples whose rivers had been poisoned, farmlands had been rendered barren, and air had been choked by incessant gas flaring.
Their demands were clear and just: self-determination, environmental remediation, and economic justice. But their courage and clarity threatened the powerful nexus of oil corporations and the Nigerian state. Their murder exposed the depths of imperialist corporate greed and state repression, transforming the Ogoni struggle into a symbol of Indigenous Peoples resistance against ecological plunder.
Three decades later, justice remains elusive. In 2011, the United Nations Environmental Programe (UNEP) confirmed catastrophic levels of oil pollution in Ogoniland, with carcinogens in drinking water recorded at 900 times above safe standards.
Yet cleanup efforts are at a glacial pace, the Nigerian government has failed to contribute, and Shell continues to evade full accountability. Instead of ensuring justice, President Bola Tinubu is now pushing for the resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland, ignoring UNEP’s findings, court rulings, and Ogoni people’s clear rejection.
“This clean-up must be scientific, transparent and independently monitored with local communities fully involved… Anything less is an insult to the memory of those who died demanding justice, and a continuation of the very injustice that Ken Saro-Wiwa fought and died for. It will be a dance on the grave of Ken Saro-Wiwa,” said Celestine Akpobari of Miideekor Environmental Development Initiative and Ogoni Solidarity Forum – Nigeria during the launching’s press conference.
“Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine gave their lives to demand justice. They are our inspiration in the annual IP Heroes Day celebration lead by IPMSDL every November 10. Their blood waters, our self-determination struggle,” said Beverly Longid, IPMSDL Co-convener. “Thirty years later, the Niger Delta is still bleeding. The Ogoni people are still fighting the battle against imperialist and corporate greed and state repression. As Indigenous Peoples, we clearly say no more poisoned river, not one more stolen land, life and future.”
The 30th anniversary commemoration coincides with the upcoming COP30 in Brazil, offering a crucial moment to connect the Ogoni struggle with the broader global climate movement. For IPMSDL, the story of Ogoniland exposes the limits of climate summits dominated by corporations, business lobbyists, and state elites. Thus, it underscores the urgency of highlighting “Self-Determination is a Climate Solution” not only during COP but more so in the everyday fight of Ingenous Peoples against the climate and ecological crisis. The Ogoni case is a stark reminder that climate justice cannot be achieved without Indigenous Peoples’ justice for all those killed, criminalized, communities militarized and bombed in defense of their lands, territories, and resources.
“Ogoni land shows us what happens when Indigenous Peoples are denied self-determination. Corporations treat our lands as sacrifice zones, our people as disposable, our future as collateral damage,” said Jiten Yumnam, IPMSDL Co-convener. “The climate crisis is rooted in colonialism and corporate plunder using violence and fascism, militarization and wars. Our solution is self-determination because only free peoples living in genuine peace can protect their lands, defend their rivers, and safeguard the planet.”
As governments and corporations converge in Brazil for COP30, IPMSDL joins the call for international solidarity with the Ogoni people. Around the world, movements must rise to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine, and all Indigenous Peoples martyrs and heroes.
This is not only about Ogoni; it is about defending the right of all Indigenous Peoples to determine their future, to live in clean and healthy environments, and to resist the imperialism that causes and worsen the climate crisis. -
UN agencies, and global coalitions on ocean sustainability and climate justice
Dr. Essam Yassin Mohammed,
Kathmandu 23 september, WorldFish is pleased to announce that its Director General, Dr. Essam Yassin Mohammed, has been named to the 2025 Forbes Sustainability Leaders list. The annual list in its second year recognizes leaders globally for delivering innovative and scalable solutions that are tackling the climate crisis and helping shape a sustainable future for all.
Dr. Essam was recognized for his leadership in promoting sustainable aquatic food systems as a key solution to global challenges including food insecurity, malnutrition, and climate change. Under his direction, WorldFish has strengthened partnerships across Asia, Africa, and the Pacific to scale science-based innovations that improve livelihoods, reduce environmental impact, and support sustainable resource management.
“I am honored to be listed on the Forbes 2025 Sustainability List. Aquatic foods are rich in nutrients, low in emissions, and already nourishing billions and providing livelihoods for millions, yet have been missing from food systems discourse and climate agenda. Our work at WorldFish is changing that. This recognition is bringing them into the spotlight where they should be, at the center of our efforts for a resilient, sustainable food future,” said Dr. Essam Yassin Mohammed.
A major achievement and focus under Dr. Essam’s leadership has been bridging the vast gap in Africa’s aquatic food production compared to Asian countries. A champion of South-South collaboration, he is at the helm of a cross-country adaptation of scalable innovations through a seven-year project, Asia–Africa BlueTech Superhighway, funded by the UK Government.
Along with being named on the Forbes List at the 2025 Forbes Sustainability Leaders Summit on Monday, 22 September at Forbes on Fifth in New York City. He will also speak at the UN General Assembly’s Global Center on Adaptation Leaders’ Dialogue on 25 September in New York.
Dr Essam Yassin Mohammed is an environmental economist with over two decades of experience in sustainable development, natural resource governance, and international climate policy. Prior to joining WorldFish, he held senior roles at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and has advised governments, UN agencies, and global coalitions on ocean sustainability and climate justice. -
IFOAM Organics Europe released the first full documentary of its new campaign, Organic Delivers
BRUSSELS, 3 SEPTEMBER 2025 – Today, IFOAM Organics Europe released the first full documentary of its new campaign, Organic Delivers, highlighting the benefits of organic farming and how it contributes to a sustainable future for food and farming.
“Organics delivers more than you think. With this campaign we want to put the spotlight on some of the socio-economic benefits of organic agriculture that are less well-known. Organic agriculture of course delivers for nature and for animal welfare, but it is also a driver for agroecological innovation, an important part of our European culture and a stimulant for the vitality of our rural communities”, said Eduardo Cuoco, Director of IFOAM Organics Europe.
Now available on YouTube, focuses on organic plant breeding. It tells the story of innovative farmers, breeders and researchers who are developing plant varieties adapted to organic conditions – resilient, diverse and better suited to sustainable food systems.
“With this first video we want to convince policy-makers that funding agroecological research is a more efficient and promising road to ensure food security and sustainability than betting on techno-fixes like NGTs”, explains Eric Gall, deputy director at IFOAM Organics Europe. “As the organic approach to plant health care and plant breeding is not always well known, we thought it is important to give the floor to organic breeders and farmers for them to explain how they work with the complexity of agroecosystems and on a diversity of traits to develop plant varieties and genetic material that can deliver good yields in low-input production systems that rely primarily on healthy soils and functional biodiversity.”
The organic strategy to plant health care, that relies on a combination of preventive and indirect agronomic measures, more genetically diverse plant material, complemented with natural substances when needed, is knowledge intensive rather than input intensive, and is more likely to ensure sustainability and food security on the long term than techno-fixes like NGTs, according to IFOAM Organics Europe. Complex and varied strategies based on agronomic knowledge also prevent or delay the emergence of resistance in pests and diseases compared to the use of synthetic pesticides and GMOs.
A second documentary will follow on 15 September 2025, dedicated to biodistricts. These territories bring together farmers, citizens, local authorities and other stakeholders to jointly manage resources sustainably, strengthening local economies and communities.
In addition, the campaign features a total of 14 podcast episodes, 7 for each video, that dive deeper into the stories and perspectives presented in the videos. Listeners will hear directly from the people featured in the documentaries, with new episodes released alongside the films. -
Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment establishes first Asia hub in Kathmandu
ICIMOD to host regional hub of prestigious global network in bid to increase scientific knowledge and policy responses to at-risk mountain biodiversity
Press Release
Kathmandu/ Bern, 1 September 2025 – The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) has become the third regional hub for the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA) global research network, reflecting both the region’s immense biological richness and precarity.The GMBA Hindu Kush Himalaya hub, which will be hosted by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, will set out to develop assessments on the status, trends, and knowledge gaps on the zone’s biodiversity and enhance regional research capacity at a critical moment for mountain ecosystems.
It will also examine drivers of change and evaluate the flow of Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP).
“It’s an honour and a great responsibility for ICIMOD to become the latest regional hub in the important GMBA network,” said Izabella Koziell, Deputy Director General, ICIMOD, at a ceremony to mark the hub’s opening. “Mountain ecosystems in our region and around the world are on the brink of collapse – so this platform and the visibility and additional capacity that this collaboration brings could not be more important or timely.”
Speaking on the agreement, Markus Fischer, Co-Chair of GMBA, states: “ICIMOD’s excellent expertise in employing knowledge for sustainable development in the HKH region perfectly complements GMBA’s strengths in global mountain biodiversity research. We are very much looking forward to this synergistic collaboration, to the benefit of biodiversity and people.”
Under this agreement, ICIMOD will initiate the HKH Biodiversity Assessment in 2025 and lead its implementation and coordination across the region. The HKH Biodiversity Assessment seeks to enhance understanding of mountain biodiversity in the region through systematic knowledge mapping, analysis of publicly available datasets, and expert consultations.
The agreement is the latest in a sustained focus on biodiversity within ICIMOD, including this year’s appointment of Sarala Khaling, a leading conservation expert to head the organisation’s Resilient Landscape and Economies group, the promotion of Sunita Chaudhary to the role of Biodiversity Lead, and the hosting of the first-ever IPBES Lead Authors workshop in Asia in February 2024.
GMBA serves as a platform for scientists and stakeholders to connect and share knowledge about mountain ecosystems and species. Initiated by the Swiss Academy of Sciences in 2000, the GMBA has evolved into a global research network under Future Earth since 2016. It is managed by an international Scientific Steering Committee and supported by various funding bodies, including the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences.
About International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region stretches 3,500km across Asia, spanning eight countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Encompassing high-altitude mountain ranges, mid-hills, and plains, the zone is vital for the food, water, and energy security of up to two billion people and is a habitat for countless irreplaceable species. It is also acutely fragile, and vulnerable to the impacts of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), based in Kathmandu, Nepal, is an international organization established in 1983, that is working to make this critical region greener, more inclusive and climate resilient.
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BAN GOLDEN RICE, BAN GMOs: TOWARD A PEOPLE-LED BIOSAFETY FRAMEWORK AND GENUINE FOOD SOVEREIGNTY
Kathmandu, Nepal, August 8, “MASIPAG and Stop Golden Rice Network once again register our collective resistance to corporate-led genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and their growing encroachment on our farms, seeds, and food systems. This day is not simply a remembrance of the historic action of more than 400 farmers in Bicol that decisively uprooted the highly dangerous Golden Rice in their community, but a continuation of a movement that asserts the right of the people to define and control their own food and agriculture.
The struggle against Golden Rice is part of a larger movement for food sovereignty, ecological justice, and national dignity. We believe that science and technology must serve the people, not the profits of a few. We believe that knowledge and seeds must remain in the hands of those who feed the nation. We believe that our future lies not in laboratories owned by corporations, but in the fields cultivated by farmers, the wisdom of communities, and the collective defense of our right to define our food and agriculture systems.”On this 12th International Day of Action Against Golden Rice, MASIPAG and Stop Golden Rice Network once again register our collective resistance to corporate-led genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and their growing encroachment on our farms, seeds, and food systems. This day is not simply a remembrance of the historic action of more than 400 farmers in Bicol that decisively uprooted the highly dangerous Golden Rice in their community, but a continuation of a movement that asserts the right of the people to define and control their own food and agriculture.
Golden Rice, which has long been promoted as a technofix solution to the deeply rooted problem of malnutrition, represents more than just a single genetically engineered crop. It is emblematic of a broader strategy that displaces community-based and farmer-led solutions in favor of top-down, profit-driven interventions. The development and promotion of Golden Rice are tied to a global architecture of control that privileges corporate patents and scientific monopolies over local knowledge, biodiversity, and farmer autonomy.
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Workshop on Geographical Indications in Nepal
Ghanshyam Adhikari (Bairagi Jetha)
Kathmandu, September 27, Workshop on Geographical Indications in Nepal; Awareness and Strategic Development Pathway launch Naxal, in Orient Hotel by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Nepal.
On occasion in Programme Chief Guest Hon’ble Kusum Devi Thapa, Chairperson, Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Cooperative and Natural Resources. H.E. Damodar Bhandari, Minister, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply (MoICS) Ken shimizu FAO Nepal and Bhutan Representative has added to value add and conservations specific areas food in Nepal.Background
Nepal, due to its agroecological zones and multitude of cultural diversity, is endowed with a rich knowledge of agricultural biodiversity, unique agricultural heritage, and traditional knowledge that can be attributed for a wide array of origin-linked products. Some of the popular Nepalese origin agricultural products linked with the geography ranges from high-altitude Jumla Marshi rice, Ilam orthodox tea, and Mustang apples, to artisan handicrafts like Dhaka textiles and Lokta paper. These products exhibit unique reputation in market due to their reflection of local identity and tradition that is linked with their production practices and distinctive uniqueness that are inherently linked to the place of origin, its microclimate, agro- ecological factors, cultural and human practices associated with the production area.
In recent years, there has been increasing global recognition of the role of Geographical Indications (GIS) in promoting inclusive rural development. GIs serve as an important instrument for improving market access for rural products, preserving traditional knowledge, and enhancing the economic value and competitiveness of unique, origin-linked goods. They are formally recognized under the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Agreement on Trade- Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). The agreement provides a comprehensive definition of GIS and is acknowledged as the first international multilateral accord dedicated to the protection of geographical indications.
Article 22 of the TRIPS Agreement obliges WTO member countries to provide legal means for the protection of GIs. This includes preventing false or misleading claims of origin and curbing unfair competition related to geographical designations. As such, GIs offer a promising pathway to uphold product authenticity, protect rural livelihoods, and promote sustainable local development.
Despite their potential, Nepal’s GI system remains at an early stage of development. Although some initiatives and research efforts have attempted to identify and promote products with strong GI potential, the country continues to face a number of challenges. These include limited producer awareness, absence of a coherent legal and institutional framework, lack of trained personnel for registration and verification, and weak mechanisms for quality control and compliance auditing. Moreover, limited coordination among relevant stakeholders and insufficient technical capacities remain critical barriers to progress.
To respond to these challenges and to support the development of a robust GI system in Nepal, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is organizing a national workshop to raise awareness on Geographical Indications (GIS). This event marks a key milestone in FAO’s continued support to Nepal in promoting origin-linked products through institutional strengthening and stakeholder engagement.
The workshop will aim to broaden awareness on the value and benefits of GIS among national stakeholders. It will bring together representatives from government, producer groups, civil society, academia, and the private sector to discuss the strategic importance of GIS in enhancing product identity, rural development, and agrobiodiversity conservation. The event will also serve as a platform to share national and international experiences, identify key gaps and opportunities, and promote multi-stakeholder dialogue on the way forward for GI development in Nepal.
In addition, the workshop will support the identification of roles and responsibilities of relevant actors, promote inter-sectoral coordination, and help lay the foundation for the creation of a sustainable and inclusive national framework for GIs. This initiative is expected to catalyze informed policy dialogue, generate stakeholder commitment, and contribute to long-term efforts to recognize and valorize Nepal’s unique agricultural and cultural heritage through the formalization and protection of Geographical Indications.
2. Objectives:
To introduce the core concepts and values that GIs bring in the context of sustainable development and value addition of the locally identified agricultural, food and handicrafts related products.
To inform the current progress of laws and policy framework of Geographical Indications (GIS) in Nepal, including policy frameworks and institutional responsibilities for its active promulgation and adaptation.
To present the roadmap of geographical indication development, and implementation methodology of GI development.
To build consensus among the multistakeholder groups and promote coordination among key stakeholders from public, private, and development sectors for sustainable development of GI framework in Nepal.