15. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Mohamed Ali Mekouar
Abstract
Celebrating its seventy-fifth anniversary, the FAO issued FAO at 75: Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together. Portraying the milestones of the organization’s trajectory since its establishment in 1945, this publication depicts the major chapters it has gone through over time: (i) the 1945–70 ‘grow’ period: its inaugural phase, marked by a primary focus on stepping up food production and agricultural productivity by eliminating the factors that previously hindered growth; (ii) the 1970–95 ‘nourish’ period: an era of shifting perceptions, where the pursuit of yields continued to drive agricultural development, but with environmental concerns transforming humanity’s relationship with nature; and (iii) the 1995–2020 ‘sustain’ period: coinciding with the advent of the sustainability paradigm, which combined multiple strands of human rights, environmental, and global health discourse, with food security and nutrition being ultimately enshrined in the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Finally, in the 2020–45 emerging period, envisioned as an...