FAO has signed an agreement with JR Farms Limited to promote youth involvement in agriculture and create work opportunities in Rwanda. The aim is to develop youth-led agriculture enterprises by providing equity funds through JR Farms' Green Agribusiness Fund (GAF), to selected youth-led agribusinesses. The farmers will also benefit from training and capacity development opportunities and will be introduced to wider networks of colleagues. 

Laboratory tests have started to determine whether radiation can render the coronavirus harmless in the cold food chain. The research is led by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), which designed the irradiation equipment, and the Institute of Microbiology, which is reviewing the findings. Preparations for the tests began in December after a number of coronavirus cases were linked to the packaging of imported frozen food. 

According to the United Nations, poor seasonal rain forecasts in Somalia threaten to exacerbate the plight of tens of thousands of Somalis displaced from their homes and villages due to extreme water shortages since last November. An estimated 2.7 million people in Somalia, including around 840,000 children aged under five, are at risk of serious food insecurity. 

China's worst sandstorm in a decade has caused more than a few problems as many areas of the country were engulfed in a thick, orange haze of dust and sand, forcing authorities to cancel hundreds of flights, close roads and schools, and suspend outdoor activities. In Beijing, the PM10 hit more than 9,000 micrograms per cubic meter, which is 180 times the level deemed healthy by the World Health Organization. 

In recent years, increased incomes in Africa have improved access to food and reduced malnutrition rates, although around 20% of Africans, more than 250 million people, are still suffering from hunger. This data, as confirmed by recent studies, is in stark contrast to the increase in people who are overweight or obese, partly due to the growing demand for ultraprocessed food and sugary drinks. 

Faced with increased levels of acute hunger caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts and the climate-related crisis, FAO is seeking 1.1 billion dollars in 2021 to save lives and provide livelihoods for the people most vulnerable to food insecurity. The organization is aiming to reach more than 48.9 million people who already rely on agriculture for their survival and livelihoods.