UN food agency launches web site on agricultural practices and resources

The best way to get rid of rodent pests is now just a mouse click away for farmers around the world with the launch today of two web-based information services by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which provide general and technical information on global agriculture and natural resources.

The web sites, called Ask FAO and Best Practices, are attached to FAO's main site and will be constantly updated by its agricultural experts, the agency said.

Ask FAO includes an area where anyone can ask for advice on individual problems, as well as answers to a range of frequently asked questions, such as "How does the Global Rinderpest Eradication Programme function?" and "How many hectares of forest are destroyed each year due to disturbances such as fire, insects, diseases and climate change?"

The Best Practices site will contain continually-updated information on food production techniques that have proven effective in various parts of the world, such as the Conservation Agriculture approaches used by FAO projects in Tanzania, Kenya, Uzbekistan and DPR Korea to counter erosion by maintaining an organic cover over the underlying soil.