FAO Full Form

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized international agency of the United Nations, which was formed to defeat hunger and take care of improved nutrition and food security.

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organizations Of United Nations) was created on 16th October 1945.

From then on, FAO helps the governments develop their food agencies and coordinates their activities to improve agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and water resources. It conducts research and provides technical assistance to projects. It also operates educational training programs and collects data on agricultural production and development.

The FAO is governed by a biennial conference representing each member country and the European Union, which elects a 49-member executive council. There are various committees governing finance, programs, agriculture, and fisheries. The Director-General is currently of China, serving as the chief administrative officer. 

The FAO is composed of 197 members of states. The headquarter is in Rome, Italy, and it also maintains regional and field offices worldwide, operating in over 130 countries.

Goals and Vision of FAO:

The primary goals and visions of the FAO are as follows:-

1. The main vision of FAO is to eliminate food insecurity, hunger, and malnutrition.
2. Making Agricultural development and fisheries production sustainable is also a reason for the formation of FAO.
3. Reducing rural poverty is also an important aspect of FAO.
4. More availability of inclusive and efficient agricultural food systems throughout.
5. Another motto of FAO is to increase the resilience of livelihoods with threats and crises. 

Rather than providing food to the countries suffering from famines, the FAO takes the initiative to set up a sustainable food source in those countries. After the earthquake of 2010 in Haiti, the FAO quickly launched a series of initiatives designed to keep domestic food production and farm incomes. Among these was the Haiti Food Security Emergency, the aggregated data on usable roads, crop calendars, land use, livelihood zones, and damage the information for helping the improved food production and distribution in the ravaged country.

Successful Programs by FAO:

FAO has launched many missions worldwide, helping millions of people worldwide.

1. Global soil Partnership 2018-2021.
2. UN-Water Work Programme 2010-2011.
3. Development of soil Atlas of Asia na National Soil Information System.
4. Addressing water scarcity in Agriculture and food systems.
5. World Agricultural Watch.
6. Partnerships to enhance agriculture water investments in Africa to achieve green growth objectives.
7. UN water integrated monitoring initiative (GEMI).
8. CACILM 2- for Central Asia and Turkey.

Upcoming Projects of FAO:

1. Technical assistance to World Bank-funded operations on livestock and climate change. 
2. Low Carbon and Resilient Livestock Development Strategies for Climate Informed Investments. 
3. Climate Action Enhancement Package. 
4. Strengthening Agricultural Adaptation (SAGA) global project.
5. Towards sustainable bioeconomy guidelines.

There are many more programs added to the list of FAO which will help the human man-kind to sustain in their upcoming years and for the Welfare of the planet. The World would become a better place with more organizations like FAO.

Conclusion

Between 1960 and today, the world population has doubled, still global food production tripled, ensuring more food per person at lower prices. The expansion of agricultural land has had important negative effects on forests and biodiversity and led to large greenhouse gas emissions. If food systems had not managed to increase productivity, the consequences for human and environmental well-being would have been devastating. While production growth after 1960 was initially achieved mostly by using more inputs that create their own set of environmental challenges. In recent decades, efficiency gains have been the main source of production growth. Food systems are expected to provide food security and nutrition for a growing population expected to approach 10 billion people by mid-century. Food systems are also relied on to provide livelihoods for those working on 570 million farms worldwide and other stages of the food supply chain. And food systems depend on natural resources and are also expected to contribute to environmental sustainability.