In response to a recent reference question, a librarian found the financial contributions of FAO member states published in the "Statement of Contributions and Arrears" section of the FAO Council reports.
The most recent one, published in 2009, can be found here: ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/meeting/016/k5280e.pdf
Posted by GiselleF on 26 October 2009 in Interesting reference questions | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
A library patron requested electronically-available FAO documents on the topics of climate change and food security; bioenergy and climate change, and climate adaptation.
Here is our list:
CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SECURITY:
The State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI) High food prices and Food Security, threats and opportunities. http://www.fao.org/docrep/011/i0291e/i0291e00.htm
Climate Change & Food Security: a Framework Document.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/k2595e/k2595e00.htm
Climate change and biodiversity for food and agriculture. High Level Conference on World Food Security - Background Paper HLC/08/BAK/3. FAO.
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/meeting/013/ai784e.pdf
FAO. 2008. Climate change, water and food security. High Level Conference on World Food Security - Background Paper HLC/08/BAK/2.
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/meeting/013/ai783e.pdf
BIOENERGY:
The State of Food and Agriculture 2008. Biofuels: prospects, risks and opportunities: http://www.fao.org/docrep/011/i0100e/i0100e00.htm
High Level Conference on World Food Security:the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy.
List of documents: http://www.fao.org/foodclimate/conference/doclist/en/?no_cache=1
FAO/IFPRI. 2008. Impact of Climate Change and Bioenergy on Nutrition. http://www.fao.org/ag/AGN/agns/files/HLC2_Food_Safety_Bioenergy_Climate_Change.pdf
The market and food security implications of the development of biofuel production. Background document for the FAO Committee on Commodity Problems 67th session. Rome, 20-22 April 2009.
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/meeting/016/k4477e.pdf
Bioenergy, food security and sustainability - towards an international framework. Background document for the High-level Conference on World Food Security: the challenges of climate change and bionergy. Rome, 3-5 June 2008. http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/foodclimate/HLCdocs/HLC08-inf-3-E.pdf
Climate change, bioenergy and food security: options for decision-makers identified by expert meetings Background document for the High-level Conference on World Food Security: the challenges of climate change and bionergy. Rome, 3-5 June 2008.
http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/foodclimate/HLCdocs/HLC08-inf-5-E.pdf
CLIMATE ADAPTATION:
Low Greenhouse Gas Agriculture. Mitigation and adaptation potential of sustainable farming systems.
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/ai781e/ai781e00.pdf
Climate change adaptation and mitigation in the food and agriculture sector. High Level Conference on World Food Security - Background Paper HLC/08/BAK/1. FAO.
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/meeting/013/ai782e.pdf
Climate change adaptation and mitigation: challenges and opportunities in the food sector. High Level Conference on World Food Security - Information Paper HLC/08/INF/2.
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/meeting/013/k2545e.pdf
Dryland Pastoral Systems and Climate Change: Implications and Opportunities for Mitigation and Adaptation.
http://www.fao.org/climatechange/media/15537/0/0/
Terrestrial essential climatic variables for climate change monitoring, mitigation and adaptation. Rome, FAO.
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a1430e/a1430e.pdf
Climate change and disaster risk management. High Level Conference on World Food Security - Background Paper HLC/08/BAK/5. FAO.
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/meeting/013/ai786e.pdf
Posted by GiselleF on 21 September 2009 in Bioenergy, Climate Change, Food Crisis, Interesting reference questions | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
We were recently contacted by a patron who was looking for data on the incidence of diseases and pests of plants in Tanzania.
We referred her to the Distribution Maps of Plant Pests and the Distribution Maps of Pest Diseases, produced by CAB International. These maps, first published in 1942, are one of the most authoritative sources of information available for identifying the presence and extent of specific plant pests and diseases.
FAO staff members have access to the maps in pdf format via subscription to the CAB Abstracts database. In order to access them, you just have to search for "distribution map" in the title field. You can also specify the name of the disease, country of prevalence, etc. in your search.
Once you have identified a map that you would like to see, click on the link that says "CAB Database pdfs" in the right-hand column. In the subsequent dialog box, click on "CAB Maps of Plant Pests," and the full text of the map will appear on your screen.
Each map is global and shows a mark on each country in which the pests/diseases appear.
Posted by GiselleF on 18 September 2009 in Interesting reference questions | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Every so often, we get questions from people who are looking for information about peace keeping and international security.
We don't have a lot of information in our collection that addresses this topic (most of what's in our collection is likely to deal with peace in the context of food security or the environment) but I did find this list of records in our library catalog.
Posted by JessicaM on 25 June 2009 in Interesting reference questions | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Every year, we get visits from scholars who are interested in researching the history of the International Institute of Agriculture (IIA). Here is some information about what we have in our collection that can help you.
We have the archives of David Lubin, the founder of the IIA. These archives, composed of 39 volumes, include official correspondence and papers regarding the preliminary work for the creation of the institute, as well as articles on the IIA published in European and American periodicals.
The FAO archives contain records pertinent to the institutional memory of the IIA.
Our library houses the contents of the IIA's library, which was transferred to the FAO in 1945. This collection contains detailed statistical information on the global agricultural situation during the first half of the 20th century. It also includes the following sub collections:
The Cappelli Collection: Donated by the second president of the IIA, this collection includes 185 rare books, 20 of which are incunabulae. Highlights of this collection include five books authored by Virgil, three books authored by Aristotle, and 4 books produced on the presses of Aldus Manutius.
The Centre International de Silviculture Collection (CIS):
The complete collection of the CIS-- a research center created with the aim of establishing an exhaustive international collection of documentation related to forests, forestry, and the timber industry. This collection includes rare volumes (mostly in German) that do not exist in any other library in the world.
The Marescalchi Collection: This collection is composed of pamphlets, bulletins and periodicals donated by A. Marescalchi, noted wine scholar as well as Undersecretary of State in the Italian Ministry of Agriculture.
The Giglioli Collection: A 19th century collection composed of 10,000 volumes and pamphlets on agriculture. It includes the archives of Italo Giglioli's family, and photos and publications written by Giglioli (a professor of agricultural chemistry at the University of Pisa who participated in the founding of the IIA)
Bibliography:
(see also our David Lubin delicious links)
La Biblioteca dell' Istituto Internazionale d'Agricoltura e La Biblioteca della Food and Agriculture Organization by Maria Pia Loreti (Masters Thesis, 1966)
The Work of the International Institute of Agriculture, by Louis M. Dop, IIA Vice President
Alle origini della FAO. Le relazioni tra l'Istituto Internazionale di Agricoltura e la Societa delle Nazioni, by L. Tosi
David Lubin, A Study in Practical Idealism by Olivia Rossetti Agresti
The International Institute of Agriculture. (An historical and critical analysis of its organization, activities and policies of administration), by Asher Hobson
Posted by JessicaM on 24 June 2009 in David Lubin, Interesting reference questions | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
The FAO library maintains a complete collection (in print) of FAO Conference and Council Reports from 1945 until the present. The library's documentation includes verbatim records (transcriptions of the sessions) for these meetings.
You can also find these reports (and verbatim records back to 1997) online.
Posted by Lubin on 22 June 2009 in Interesting reference questions | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Consult the FAO Yearbook of Field Projects to find historical documentation on FAO projects. These volumes (found only in print) supplement the information to be found in the Field Programme Management Information System (FPMIS) database.*
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*FPMIS is available to FAO staff only.
Posted by Lubin on 25 May 2009 in Interesting reference questions | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
It was a year that saw oil prices rise to levels that had never before been imagined. And the world witnessed a decline in world grain production that outlined the the pitfalls of depending on the surplus of a handful of nations for a world food reserve. Nations met to discuss "the food challenge" in the context of a "world of energy shortages, rampant inflation, and a weakening trade and monetary system..."
Are we talking about 2008? No. The year was 1974. These are some of the issues referred to in Henry Kissinger's speech to the UN World Food Conference held in Rome on November 5, 1974. This document is kept in the FAO Archives.
(content is part of public domain)
Posted by Lubin on 15 May 2009 in Food Crisis, Interesting reference questions | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I found this resource for a patron who was looking for a historical list of FAO projects conducted in Mexico.
You can find information about recent FAO projects in FPMIS (internal, FAO staff only-- non FAO staff click here) but this system only goes back as far as the early 1990s.
Posted by Lubin on 10 December 2008 in Interesting reference questions | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I was recently contacted by someone who wanted information on a patent for the non-exploding coal oil lamp invented by David Lubin in 1879.
I searched the web and ended up at the Google Patent Search. Great luck, I found a pdf of the original Improvement in Lamps, Patent number 213052.
Posted by Lubin on 02 June 2008 in David Lubin, Google, Interesting reference questions | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
