The world must tackle the urgent challenge of ending hunger if it is to ensure a model of development that is sustainable over the long term, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said in its latest assessment of the food security situation in the world.FAO has increasing relied on the model adopted by some African countries in addressing the challenges of food security as a template for the rest of developing world. "We cannot call development sustainable if we are leaving almost one in every seven people behind, victims of undernourishment,” Director-General José Graziano da Silva told participants at FAO’s biennial regional conference that began in Baku, Azerbaijan. "I am convinced ending hunger is a possible goal, with true political commitment. FAO is committed to this effort.” At the heart of the organisation’s effort is resolving the challenges faced by smallholder farmers in developing countries.  Rwanda’s experienceThis was the highlight of a keynote speech to representatives of the organisation by President Paul Kagame in February this year in which he outlined Rwanda’s experience in modernising agriculture, which has led to the country achieving food security in recent years.He elaborated on the need to support smallholder farmers in developing countries in order to increase food production and protect the environment.The ongoing conference has highlighted several areas requiring concerted action, including adopting more sustainable production approaches and technologies to produce more food with less impact, and shifting to healthier diets to tackle the emerging problem of obesity and reduce pressure on natural resources essential to food production.Turning to the particular challenges for Europe, he noted the food security and nutritional challenges it faces. Although most European countries experience malnutrition rates under five per cent, there are pockets of particular concern, such as the Caucasus and Central Asia, where undernourishment and poverty rates remain high. While FAO projects that this situation will improve over the coming decades, it also warns that a rise in obesity and diet-related illnesses will emerge as major problems – a key finding of a report the agency released yesterday ahead of the conference. The report also warned that as diets shift from cereals towards higher consumption of meat and dairy, the risk factors behind chronic, non-communicable diseases could rise in parts of the Caucasus and Central Asia, as it has done parts of Africa.In addition to diet, the report said that lifestyle habits, poverty and medical care also influence obesity, disease and death rates, and that these increased risk levels will place greater pressure on healthcare facilities in the poorer countries of Central Asia than in the European Union. The two-day conference will also look at what agricultural policies can help boost crop production to both address food security as well as combat rural poverty.As part of efforts to strengthen FAO’s capacities, the United Kingdom has agreed to donate $25 million to support a partnership programme that will improve agricultural data available to governments and farmers in developing countries. "The programme provides an excellent example of how FAO works with partners to translate global information into concrete results at household, community and country levels,” said da Silva, in a news release released on Wednesday. "The UK Government’s generous support will help deliver enormous benefits to governments around the world and the people they serve.” The FAO-led programme, known as the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics, will focus on improving governments’ agricultural statistical systems and will seek to identify innovative approaches to collect, analyze and disseminate data.