BULLETIN 1
FAO and WFP early warning report reveals worsening hunger in 13 hotspots; five with immediate risk of starvation

Figure: A farmer prepares the soil on his farm with a hoe ahead of planting season in Gitikiri, Yambio County, South Sudan. ©FAO/Arete/Patrick Meinhardt
FAO 16/06/2025
Joint FAO-WFP News Release
Rome – A new joint UN report warns that people in five hunger hotspots around the world face extreme hunger and risk of starvation and death in the coming months unless there is urgent humanitarian action and a coordinated international effort to de-escalate conflict, stem displacement, and mount an urgent full-scale aid response.
The latest Hunger Hotspots report shows that Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali are hotspots of highest concern, with communities already facing famine, at risk of famine or confronted with catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity due to intensifying or persisting conflict, economic shocks, and natural hazards. The devastating crises are being exacerbated by growing access constraints and critical funding shortfalls.
The semi-annual Hunger Hotspots report is an early-warning and predictive analysis of deteriorating food crises for the next five months. Developed and published with financial support from the European Union through the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC), the latest edition projects a serious deterioration of acute food insecurity in 13 countries and territories – the world’s most critical hunger hotspots in the coming months.
In addition to hotspots of highest concern, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar and Nigeria are now hotspots of very high concern and require urgent attention to save lives and livelihoods. Other hotspots include Burkina Faso, Chad, Somalia, and Syria.
“This report makes it very clear: hunger today is not a distant threat – it is a daily emergency for millions,” FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said. “We must act now, and act together, to save lives and safeguard livelihoods. Protecting people’s farms and animals to ensure they can keep producing food where they are, even in the toughest and harshest conditions, is not just urgent – it is essential.”
“This report is a red alert. We know where hunger is rising and we know who is at risk,” said Cindy McCain, World Food Programme Executive Director. “We have the tools and experience to respond, but without funding and access, we cannot save lives. Urgent, sustained investment in food assistance and recovery support is crucial as the window to avert yet more devastating hunger is closing fast."
Hotspots of highest concern
In Sudan, Famine was confirmed in 2024. Conditions are expected to persist due to the continuing conflict and ongoing displacement, particularly in the Greater Kordofan and Greater Darfur regions. Displacement is likely to increase further during the outlook period while humanitarian access remains restricted. The circumstances are driving the country towards the risk of partial economic collapse, with high inflation severely limiting food access. Around 24.6 million people were projected to face Crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above) levels of acute food insecurity, including 637,000 people facing Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) through May 2025.[1]
In Palestine, the likelihood of famine in the Gaza Strip is growing as large-scale military operations hinder the ability to deliver vital food and non-food humanitarian assistance. In addition to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip, high food prices coupled with exhausted livelihoods and a commercial blockade will accelerate an economic collapse. The entire population in Gaza – 2.1 million people – is projected to face Crisis or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above) levels of acute food insecurity, with 470,000 projected to face Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) through September 2025.
South Sudan faces compounding threats from political tensions, the risk of flooding, and economic challenges. Approximately 7.7 million people – or 57 percent of the population – are projected to face high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) between April and July 2025, with 63,000 people projected to face Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) levels of acute food insecurity. An IPC update released after the report’s finalization indicated Risk of Famine in two areas of the country and confirmed the bleak outlook.
In Haiti, record levels of gang violence and insecurity are displacing communities and crippling aid access. Over 8,400 internally displaced persons (IDPs) already facing Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) levels of acute food insecurity in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area by June 2025.
Meanwhile, in Mali, high grain prices and ongoing conflict are eroding the coping capacities of the most vulnerable households, particularly in conflict-affected areas. Around 2 600 people are at risk of Catastrophe (CH Phase 5) from June to August 2025 if assistance is not provided on time.
Additional hotspots and areas of improvement
In Myanmar, the impact of the recent major earthquake is likely to worsen the already dire food insecurity situation in the country, driven by escalating conflict, widespread displacement, severe access restrictions and high food prices.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been reintroduced to the hotspot list due to intensifying conflict.
In contrast, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have been removed from the Hunger Hotspots list. In East and Southern Africa, as well as in Niger, better climatic conditions for harvests and fewer weather extremes have eased food security pressures. Lebanon has also been delisted following reduced intensity of military operations. However, FAO and WFP warn that these gains remain fragile and could reverse quickly if shocks re-emerge.
See: https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/fao-and-wfp-early-warning-report-reveals-worsening-hunger-in-13-hotspots--five-with-immediate-risk-of-starvation/en

 

BULLETIN 2
Global Agrifood Biotechnologies Conference 2025 opens with a call for inclusive and responsible innovation

 

 

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu looks on during the International Biotechnology Conference on “Biotechnologies for sustainable Future: Driving Agrifood Systems Transformation”
©FAO/Pier Paolo Cito
16/06/2025
Rome, Italy – The Global Agrifood Biotechnologies Conference 2025 opened today at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), bringing together policymakers, scientists, civil society, farmers, youth leaders, private sector and development partners under the theme “Biotechnologies for a Sustainable Future: Driving Agrifood Systems Transformation.” The three-day event marks a milestone in FAO’s 80th anniversary celebrations, highlighting the Organization’s commitment to technologies, innovation and science-based approaches for the transformation of global agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable.
In his opening remarks, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu underscored the urgency of harnessing technologies and innovation in the face of intersecting global challenges. “With rapid scientific advancements and the simultaneous growing global challenges, it is a timely moment to place biotechnologies once again at the center of our collective agenda,” he said.
The Director-General noted that biotechnologies already play a critical transformative role through a wide array of tools — including genomics, gene editing, and AI-powered bioinformatics — that are being applied to improve productivity, enhance nutrition, food quality, and reduce environmental impacts.
“Biotechnologies are vital drivers of agrifood systems transformation, helping us to ensure increased efficiency, productivity, inclusiveness, technologies sharing, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and resilience,” he added.
He emphasized that beyond the technologies themselves, what matters is their equitable, ethical, and context-specific application, particularly in support of small-scale producers, Indigenous Peoples, and vulnerable communities in low- and middle-income countries.
Biotechnologies are already making a real impact on the ground—whether through gene editing, advanced diagnostics, AI-driven bioinformatics, or precision fermentation. These tools are helping improve yields, lower the environmental footprint of production, enhance the quality and nutritional value of food, and bioeconomy. These technologies are transforming how the world grows, produces, and consumes food—offering new opportunities to build resilience in the face of the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and food insecurity.
The FAO Director-General noted that biotechnology is not a substitute for traditional knowledge, but that instead it is a valuable complement. It must be accessible to those on the front lines of agrifood systems: farmers, rural communities, and stewards of the environment, he said, stressing that responsible governance, appropriate regulatory frameworks, public trust, and cross-sector collaboration are essential to ensure that no one is left behind in this era of rapid transformation.
See https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/global-agrifood-biotechnologies-conference-2025-opens-with-a-call-for-inclusive-and-responsible-innovation/en

SCIENTIFIC NEWS 

Transcriptomic analysis of AhAHL23-mediated root development and space-induced mutations in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)
Zhihui Sun, Weicai Jin, Muhammad J Umer, Lingling Wu, Runfeng Wang, Yuan Xiao, Shaoxiong Li, Haifen Li, Lu Huang, Qianxia Yu, Wenyi Wang, Dayuan Sun, Zhenhua Guo, Afnan A Alnufaei, Yanbin Hong, Xiaoping Chen, Qing Lu, Hao Liu
Int J Biol Macromol.; 2025 Jun; 311(Pt 4):144064. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.144064.

 

  

 

 

Abstract
Peanut seedling development encompasses four distinct tissues (leaf, stem, hypocotyl, root) with largely uncharacterized transcriptional regulatory networks, so we conducted RNA-seq on the space mutant line ZHM112. Transcriptome analysis showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in peanut seedlings were enriched in basic biosynthesis and physiological metabolism pathways, with photosynthetic metabolism prominent in leaves and hormone metabolism in roots. The weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified eight modules related to the four tissues. By integrating differential expression and co-expression analyses, we found 1190 key genes in leaves, 133 in stems, 72 in hypocotyls, and 1472 in roots. Further, screening these genes led to the identification of 154 core transcription factors and the construction of a transcriptional regulatory network. Notably, the root-specific transcription factor AhAHL23 was found to enhance root development in Arabidopsis by modulating auxin and cytokinin pathways upon ectopic expression. These findings elucidate the transcriptional regulatory networks of peanut seedling development, providing a molecular basis for understanding genetic improvements in space breeding and their applications in peanut cultivation.
See https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40348236/

 

  

Figure:
Additive genetic gains for grain yield (kg/ha) over 110 years (1908–2018) in the LSU rice breeding program, comprising 23 generations of selection