While being the backbone of the African country's economy, the sector is also the one that most affects deforestation. The expansion and cultivation of new plots of land at the expense of forests, the replacement of old cocoa trees and the abandonment of old cultivated land due to the loss of soil fertility, are rapidly depleting the country's forest cover. 

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity said countries should move to prevent future pandemics by banning so-called “wet markets”. By selling wild animals for human consumption these can be the source of pandemics. 

Mandatory quarantine for seasonal foreign workers in Canada could damage the country's fruit and vegetable production. In Canada, where farms rely on 60,000 seasonal workers, arrivals delayed by border restrictions are already creating numerous problems. Once workers arrive, the government requires them to be isolated for 14 days, with pay, although they cannot work. 

The global economy could shrink by one percent in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, a reversal from the previous forecast of 2.5 percent, the UN has said. If restrictions on economic activities are extended without adequate fiscal responses, experts warn, it could contract further. 

To understand how the current epidemic is affecting food and agriculture, FAO is making hundreds of thousands of documents and studies available to everyone. In many cases it is also possible to download e-books or make use of specially made videos. These are useful both for students and people working from home. 

The possibility has been discussed for some time. Now the EU’s European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is expected to approve the sale of insects for human consumption. This means that, for the first time, a vast amount of edible insects and new business opportunities for the food industry will arrive on supermarket shelves.