www.fao.org

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations is one of the largest specialised agencies of the UN and the main agency for agriculture, fisheries, forestry and rural development. FAO currently has over 180 member countries and one member Organisation, the European Community. It works towards the alleviation of hunger and poverty through promoting agricultural development, food security and raising nutritional standards. The Department of Agriculture and Food is the lead Department in relation to FAO and pays Ireland’s annual subscription to the Organisation. However both the Department of Agriculture and Food and Irish Aid occasionally fund various FAO projects in developing countries.