catalogo publicaciones FAO 2019

AREAS OF WORK
SENEGAL
A farmer sprays a
cabbage crop with
an organic pesticide.
©FAO/Olivier Asselin
PLANT
PRODUCTION
AND HEALTH
Providing adequate and
nutritious food for a
growing world population,
projected to reach 10 billion
people by 2050, poses an
unprecedented challenge for
crop production systems.
Furthermore, the risk of plant
pests and diseases, which
can quickly spread through
increasing volumes of trade and
travel, is an ongoing challenge.
FAO focuses on using integrated
management approaches
to manage these risks while
ensuring healthy food for all
(p. 105). Fall Armyworm is
one of the most serious threats
as it spreads across Africa
and beyond, and FAO has
developed specific guidance for
managing this invasive pest.
Managing pesticide use is
just as important as managing
pests, and FAO therefore works
closely with the World Health
Organization on an ongoing
basis to set standards and codes
of conduct for pesticide use. This
work is reflected in a number of
annual publications (p. 107).
FAO also produces guides to
ensure that farmers have access
to quality seeds and planting
materials for a range of nutritious
crop varieties that are well
adapted to their agroecological
and production systems and meet
end use requirements. These
include a six-module Seed Toolkit
(p. 106).
FAO was invited by the UN
General Assembly to serve as
the lead agency facilitating the
implementation of the International
Year of Plant Health in 2020,
established to raise awareness
about the importance of healthy
plants in the fight against hunger. •
104