What's New

The latest editions of the FAO Food Price Index and AMIS Market Monitor are both now available for September. The FAO Food Price Index is a measure of the monthly change in international prices of a basket of five food commodity groups; the monthly AMIS Market Monitor covers the international markets for wheat, rice, maize, and soy and provides an overview of the market situation and outlook for each of these crops.

With about one-third of all food produced around the world lost or wasted each year, reducing food loss and waste is a key component in ending hunger and malnutrition. A major hurdle, however, stems from the fact that food loss and waste are complex issues, and thus properly measuring them and identifying where in the food system they occur remain a challenge. Food loss and waste have been defined in various ways in the literature, and there has thus far been no single measurement methodology agreed upon.

In recent years, many developing countries have seen significant reductions in chronic childhood malnutrition. Understanding what is driving these reductions is key in scaling up effective nutrition policies and strategies and reaching the nutrition goals set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

World Water Week 2017 , from running from August 27- September 1 and organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) explores the theme of water and waste (reduce and reuse). Water clearly plays a crucial role in global development, impacting agricultural production, economic growth, health and nutrition, and the environment. In a new report from the World Bank, researchers examine another important facet in the conversation about water and development – gender equity.

According to the most recent World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) Report , global wheat supplies for 2017-2018 are up significantly due to an 8.6-million-ton production increase in the Former Soviet Union (FSU). Russian wheat production surpassed last year’s record by 5.0 million tons. Even though there are reduced production forecasts in Canada, EU, and U.S. the increased production from FSU more than offsets these conditions; as a result, foreign trade has increased from the FSU as well.