FAO Stresses Importance of Neglected Crops to Tackle Climate and
Food Security Challenges 10 December 2012: Addressing a seminar
on "Crops for the 21st Century," José Graziano da Silva,
Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
UN (FAO), described the importance of conserving crop diversity,
noting that approximately 7,000 plant species have been consumed
as food throughout human history, and that many of these species
are disappearing. Da Silva underscored the role of neglected
crops in responding to food security and adapting to climate
change. According to FAO, the majority of calories consumed
around the work come from rice, maize, wheat and potatoes. The
Director-General called for attention to production challenges
through sustainable intensification of agriculture, as well as
attention to sustainable food consumption, underscoring that
almost 870 million people are hungry, and even more are
overweight or obese. The seminar also saw the start of the
International Year of Quinoa (2