The marine ecosystem food chain can be described in its simplest form as plankton eaten by fish and the fish eaten by whales. We can visualize this as a food pyramid in which the fewer top level organisms are supported by a larger number of food organisms. With the moratorium on commercial whaling protecting even abundant whale species, if their abundance continues to increase, the top layer al…
The World Trade Statistical Review 2023 presents recent trends in international trade at a time of geopolitical and macroeconomic strains and technological challenges affecting the global economy and supply chains. The data cover merchandise and services trade broken down by geographical origin, main product groups and sectors, along with related data on key economic developments such as GDP gr…
This brief provides a rigorous and standardized approach for value chain analysis and design (VCA/D).1 It assumes that a specific value chain (VC) has already been selected and describes how to complete the first two steps for its sustainable evelopment, namely analysing the VC and designing an upgrading strategy and development plan for it.2 The next step, beyond this brief, is the implementat…
Only with knowledge can we free the world from hunger, malnutrition and poverty. According to the Basic Texts of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Organization’s first function is to “collect, analyse, interpret and disseminate information relating to nutrition, food and agriculture”. FAO’s strategic focus on “the four betters” – better product…
Disasters are resulting in unprecedented levels of destruction across the world. These shocks and disruptions affect the functioning and sustainability of agricultural production and threaten the livelihoods of millions of people reliant on agrifood systems. Reducing the impact of disasters in agriculture requires a better understanding of the extent to which these events produce negative im…
This e-book contains anatomy and physiology of an animal.
Every year, over 5.9 million children die, mostly from preventable or easily treatable diseases, and more than 95% of those deaths occur in developing countries. Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in children under 5 years of age, being responsible for at least 18% of all deaths in this age category (1). In 2010, there were an estimated 120 million episodes of pneumonia in children under 5…
The tourism sector is a major driver of economic growth and an engine for job creation. In recent decades, it has experienced continued expansion and diversification and has become one of the largest and fastest-growing economic sectors globally. 3 Sustainable tourism can have a positive impact on the livelihoods of women and men, lift communities out of poverty, drive prosperity and generate e…
Support for building adequate capacities in the health sector at a national level is particularly needed, given that the health sector both uses mercury and is responsible for diagnosing, treating and preventing the health effects of mercury. The sector’s role in prevention is well recognized, and includes identifying the health effects and sources of exposure to mercury; setting reference le…