42nd Session of FAO Conference

Why in news ?

Recently, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare addressed the 42^nd session of Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Conference.

Food and Agriculture Organization

• FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
• World Food Day is celebrated every year on 16^thOctober to mark the anniversary of the founding of the FAO in 1945.
• It is one of the UN food aid organisations based in Rome (Italy). Its sister bodies are the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Initiatives Taken:

• Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS).
• Monitors the Desert Locust situation throughout the world.
• The Codex Alimentarius Commission or CAC is the body responsible for all matters regarding the implementation of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme.
• The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.