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Reducing food loss and waste helps to protect natural resources and biodiversity, reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and maximize the use of food produced. It is therefore central to improving food security and health, securing sustainable agrifood systems, and fighting climate change. On the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (29 September), we urge everyone to take action to expand and strengthen individual and collective efforts to reduce food loss and waste and help ensure a food-secure world.
Forecast-based action, resilient crops, efficient irrigation, diversification, and integrated support systems help farmers withstand El Niño shocks and strengthen long-term food security.
In Côte d’Ivoire, Victorine Akoua farms the same land as her parents, but the rains and seasons they once relied on have changed. Facing costly loans and an unpredictable climate, she found another way forward: saving and borrowing with other women in her village. With affordable credit and training supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Victorine now grows vegetables using compost and other sustainable practices, earning more while feeding her family. Women like Sonia France Boa are also pooling savings, farming together and reinvesting their earnings. Their experience shows how shared finance, practical skills and solidarity can help women build livelihoods and face climate change together.
On 16 October, World Food Day unites people across 150 countries to build a sustainable food future and ensure nutritious food for everyone.
Across Latin America and the Caribbean, women are strengthening food security, livelihoods and communities. In Belize, teacher Elevernie Davis has turned a school garden into a living classroom, where children learn agricultural skills while growing fresh vegetables for nutritious school meals. Some students have even started gardens at home, sharing what they learn with their families. Nearly 800 students and more than 50 teachers have been trained. From Belize to Brazil, Guatemala, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic, women are showing how knowledge and opportunity can help build more sustainable food systems. The International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 offers a unique opportunity to place women farmers at the centre of the agrifood systems agenda and accelerate action.
Women scientists are helping turn soil into a source of solutions for Mozambique’s farmers. At the country’s Agricultural Research Institute, Stília Vilanculos and Janete Americano analyse soils and turn the results into practical advice on crops and farming. Through the FAO-supported SoilFER programme, laboratories are gaining new equipment, training and closer links with farmers. By strengthening local expertise and access to reliable soil information, the initiative aims to improve soil health, farm productivity and food security while helping agriculture cope with drought and changing weather.
In Mongolia’s Töv province, dairy farmer Otgo Dashdorj sings to keep her cows calm — and producing more milk. After 27 years as nomadic herders, she and her husband settled three years ago as harsher winters, drought and degrading grasslands made traditional herding increasingly difficult. Now, with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization and partners, Otgo is using better feed, digital tools and climate-smart farming practices to strengthen her business. She hopes to double her herd to 40 cows and eventually pass the farm — and her secret of singing to happy cows — to her veterinarian son.
The Global Partnership Programme for Transboundary Animal Diseases (GPP-TAD) strengthens global partnerships to prevent, control and eliminate transboundary animal diseases, protecting food security, livelihoods, trade and resilient agrifood systems.
Family farming registries are administrative systems that collect information on family farmers and their households. By providing reliable and up-to-date data, they help governments better understand who family farmers are, how they produce, and the challenges they face. This information supports the design of more inclusive and effective policies, more efficient resource allocation, and better coordination across sectors, from agriculture and social protection to education, health, and the environment. Registries also contribute to monitoring and evaluating public policies, strengthening support for family farming and promoting more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive agrifood systems.
With nearly half of the world’s young people living in rural areas, IFAD highlights how combining skills, finance, entrepreneurship and access to markets can help young people build lasting careers and businesses while strengthening rural economies.
Millions of people with food allergies rely on labels such as “may contain nuts” to make safe choices, but these warnings are often used inconsistently or unnecessarily. New guidelines adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission introduce the first risk- and science-based thresholds for precautionary allergen labelling. Developed from years of FAO and WHO expert research, the guidance aims to ensure warnings are used only when cross-contact cannot be adequately controlled and allergen levels pose a genuine risk. The approach could make labels more reliable for consumers while allowing more food products to be safely available and supporting consistent standards in international trade.
At a seed fair in southern Malawi, farmers showcased biscuits, flours and other products made from sorghum and cowpea, two nutritious, drought-resistant crops once widely grown but sidelined as maize came to dominate agriculture. The event formed part of an FAO-led initiative under the AWSAMe initiative to revive these "opportunity crops" and strengthen resilience to water scarcity. Working with Malawi's Ministry of Agriculture, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) trained researchers, tested drought-tolerant varieties and involved farmers in selecting preferred crops. Cooking demonstrations and business training highlighted new income opportunities, helping communities improve nutrition, adapt to climate change and restore agricultural biodiversity.
Agrifood systems sustain life by connecting food production, distribution, and resources, while resilient systems help protect food supplies amid climate change and global challenges.
Agrifood systems sustain life by connecting food production, distribution, and resources, while resilient systems help protect food supplies amid climate change and global challenges.