FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

• Maize production in 2013 to reach new records

• Wheat production expected to recover in 2013

• Exports of maize could decline in marketing year 2013/14

• Domestic prices of maize, rice, and wheat are declining

Conference on Forests and Nutrition calls for secure tenure for smallholders

16 May 2013, Rome - Governments, civil society and the private sector should ensure and strengthen the contributions of forests, trees and agroforestry systems to food security and nutrition, participants in the first-ever International Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition (13-15 May), organized by FAO, said yesterday.

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

• Above average cereal production gathered in 2012

• Reduced revenues from cashew nuts (main cash crop) due to lower prices and reduced exports volume

• Access to food affected by high prices and lower revenues

Three-year agreement to target smallholders, biodiversity

15 May 2013, Rome - FAO and the international Slow Food organization agreed today to develop joint actions to improve the livelihoods of smallholders and others working in rural areas.

Under a three-year Memorandum of Agreement signed here the two organizations will join forces to promote more inclusive food and agriculture systems at local, national and international levels.

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

• Maize production in 2013 is forecast at an above average level, similar to last year

• Maize prices continued to climb sharply in March 2013, reaching alarming levels

• Nearly 2 million people were estimated to be food insecure. However, conditions are expected to improve with the arrival of the 2013 harvest

New study highlights role of insects for food and feed consumption

Rome, 13 May 2013 – Forests, trees on farms and agroforestry are critical in the fight against hunger and should be better integrated into food security and land use policies, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said today at the International Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition in Rome (13-15 May).

New record expected for coarse grains

9 May 2013, Rome - Strong growth is expected for global wheat, coarse grains and rice production in 2013, according to early forecasts published in the May issue of FAO's monthly Cereals Supply and Demand Brief.

Assuming more normal weather conditions than in 2012, global wheat production in 2013 is expected to reach 695 million tonnes, 5.4 percent up from last year's harvest and just some 6 million tonnes short of the 2011 record level.