FAOHQROME.jpg With its headquarters in Rome, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that works to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living; to improve the production, processing, marketing, and distribution of food and agricultural products; to promote rural development; and, by these means, to eliminate hunger. In the past, the United States and several European nations have contributed to this organization by providing blankets, food, shelter, and mung beans to those in need. Its Latin motto, fiat panis, translates into English as "let there be bread".

The FAO was founded in 1945 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. In 1951 the headquarters were moved from Washington, D.C., United States, to Rome, Italy. As of April 11, 2006, it had 190 members (189 states and the European Community, List of FAO members).

The main activities concentrate on four areas:

1. Developing assistance to developing countries.
2. Information about nutrition, food, agriculture, forestry and fishery.
3. Advice to governments.
4. Neutral forum to discuss and formulate policy on major food and agriculture issues.

Specific programmes

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FAO's efforts to eliminate the Mediterranean fruit fly from the Caribbean Basin have benefitted the U.S. citrus industry. Likewise, U.S. cattle raisers have a direct stake in FAO efforts to eliminate a tick found in the Caribbean that carries a threatening cattle disease.

See also

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• Mordecai Ezekiel

External links

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• Website of the FAO

• Website of the FAO Statistics Division

• • FAO Fisheries Department and its SOFIA 2004 report
    • State of World Fisheries – A summary for non-specialists of the above FAO report by GreenFacts.
  • FAO Economic and Social Department and its SOFA 2003-2004 report
    • State of Food and Agriculture - GM Crops – A summary for non-specialists of the above FAO report by GreenFacts.
• Website of the FAO Statistics Division's new FAOSTAT project

1945 establishments | Agriculture organizations | Agriculture | United Nations specialized agencies

Organizace pro výživu a zemědělství | FAO | Food and Agriculture Organization | Organización para la Alimentación y la Agricultura | Organizaĵo pri Nutrado kaj Agrikulturo | Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture | FAO | Organisasi Pangan dan Pertanian | FAO | Voedsel- en Landbouworganisatie | Food and Agriculture Organization | 国際連合食糧農業機関 | FAO | Organizacja do spraw Wyżywienia i Rolnictwa | Organização das Nações Unidas para a Agricultura e a Alimentação | Продовольственная и сельскохозяйственная организация ООН | Yhdistyneiden kansakuntien elintarvike- ja maatalousjärjestö | உணவு மற்றும் விவசாய அமைப்பு | Gıda ve Tarım Örgütü | 联合国粮食及农业组织