CROPS

The Green Revolution, which began in the 1960s, is widely seen as a global technological achievement, the effects of which are still being felt today. The introduction of improved varieties, irrigation, pesticides and mineral fertilizers for key commodity crops, accompanied by investment in institutional infrastructure and ongoing research programmes, raised food production and productivity on a wide scale. While the productivity gains in rice and wheat in Asia have been especially significant, many farms growing crops in other regions have also achieved productivity increases during the last three decades. However, in the light of constant population growth and a diminishing land area to produce food, the challenge to continue to increase productivity and to introduce the necessary tools for doing so in the poorer, food-insecure countries remains.

FAO helps Member Countries to develop sustainable agricultural systems, with the overall aim of increasing crop and grassland production and productivity, improving food security and promoting general economic development. Projects emphasize the conservation of plant genetic resources and their sustainable utilization by plant breeding and seed intensification through plant nutrient management, conservation farming, application of plant biotechnology techniques, development of integrated crop production systems and rational grassland development. Projects also focus on integrated pest management, emergency response to migratory pests, international regulatory facilitation concerning pesticides, and strengthening of national phytosanitary capabilities to protect crops from field to market.

• Crops and Cropping Systems
  
• Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture
  
• Seeds and Plant Genetic Resources
  
• Plant Protection

• Plant Production and Protection Division
  
• Agriculture 21