FAO FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

There were six thousand people working at FAO in Rome when I visited the headquarter in 1973. And it came to a halt! Today, only four thousand work there, but the world needs more food than ever. FAO was my first assignment to a world organization. Mr. Arne Løken from the Norwegian Department of Food and Nourishment (Nærings-depratementet) invited me over to FAO. We stayed at the same hotel, St’Anselmo on the Aventine Height.

A group from Norway and elsewhere dined together in the charming backyard of the hotel one evening, when Arne Løken, then a man in  his sixties, grudgingly pointed out to me that what I just ate, was “Sopa de verdure”, green vegetable soup. I thanked him for the information. The next day I had with me my Tandberg reel-to-reel tape recorder and ran up the steps at FAO to an appointment with a Danish representative. What a day it was, in June of 1973.

Headquarter Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00153 Rome, Italy

In addition to its Headquarters in Rome, Italy, FAO has an extensive decentralized network of Regional, Subregional, Country and Liaison Offices. FAO is dedicated to recruiting the best staff possible, hiring internationally minded people to carry out its work toward the eradication of hunger. We invite you to explore the opportunities and benefits of working with us.

FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, processing, training, visa or other fee). For more information click here. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.

Our goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With over 194 member states, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide. We believe that everyone can play a part in ending hunger.

1950 The World Census of Agriculture

The Census creates guidelines to generate internationally comparable figures on variables defining the structure of agriculture. This Census helps countries to carry out their national agricultural censuses using standard international concepts, definitions and methodology

1951 FAO moves to Rome

Following the fifth session of the General Conference in 1949 where Member States decided to move the offices of FAO to Rome, two ships, Saturnia and Vulcania, set sail from Washington in the early spring of 1951 with 76 families on board.

1970 Second World Food Congress

The Second World Food Congress turns the spotlight of public attention onto ‘hunger and malnutrition’ in the world and on international efforts to eliminate it. The Congress reviews the state of hunger and malnutrition in the world and identifies areas of immediate action in line with FAO’s strategy.

1974 World Food Conference

The food crisis is reaching its peak at the very time of FAO's World Food Conference. The conference proposes to establish a world food bank ensuring access to around 10 million tonnes of stored grain, to found an International Fund for Agricultural Development, to improve tropical agriculture, and to set up a new food forecasting system that would provide early warning of future crises.

1996 Rome Declaration on World Food Security

The Declaration is adopted by 112 Heads or Deputy Heads of State and over 70 high-level representatives from other countries. The Declaration reaffirms the universal right to safe and nutritious food.

Terme de Caracalla as seen from FAO