1 . UN FAO World Food Day Poster Contest applications are now being accepted. Try to picture a future where everyone has access to food and water. What comes to mind? You may help create a sustainable future by taking appropriate action. Create a poster showing your water action for food as part of the World Food Day Poster Contest to showcase your artistic talent.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialized agency that leads international efforts to end hunger, promote nutrition, and ensure food security.

Procedure and Benefits

Fill out the form on our website, take a picture of or scan your submission, and submit it on line. The screening committee will choose 15 posters from each category for the first round (a total of 60 posters from 4 age categories), and those chosen will be notified in December 2024. A certificate for this accomplishment will be given to the shortlisted individuals. Winners will be highlighted on the FAO social media channels and by regional FAO offices.

Our judges will choose three winners in each age group, and they will be revealed in December. The winners will also get a diploma and a surprise gift package, as well as promotion from FAO offices throughout the world.

Entry Requirements

●The entry period will open on June 1, 2024, and end on November 3, 2024.

●Per individual, only one entry may be submitted.

●Poster entries may be painted, sketched, or drawn using oil or watercolor paint as well as mixed media, pens, pencils, crayons, or charcoal. Artwork produced digitally is also acceptable. No photos are permitted.

●Text may or may not be included in poster entries. Use of text is limited to no more than 25 words.

●Never mention private information such as names, schools, ages, etc.

●Please do not send in physical posters; only digital files saved as JPEGs will be allowed.

2 . Around the world, coral reefs (珊瑚礁) are in danger. Now, let’s check out a few ways conservationists are protecting these habitats.

Seaweed Smackdown

Hot ocean temperatures can supercharge seaweed growth — and that’s not good for a reef. So, in Hawaii, scientists have used an underwater vacuum (真空吸器) to suck up lots of seaweed into the device’s long tube. In Australia, scientists are studying a low-tech solution: pulling seaweed by hand.

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Some polyps (珊瑚虫) are harmed by heat waves and pollution. Scientists cut parts of coral from a healthy reef. Then these polyps are taken to a nursery, which could be in shallow protected areas underwater. After about a year, the healthy coral parts are attached to damaged reefs. The nursery-grown corals can bring new life to a struggling habitat.

Sound Saver

Healthy reefs are noisy. Fish make different sounds, and thousands of shrimp create and pop bubbles with their claws to create a sound. The biologists play sounds of healthy reefs through underwater speakers. They found that six weeks of broadcasting healthy reef sounds doubled the amount of fish in the area.

Bleaching Killer

One of the biggest threats to coral reefs is bleaching. Here’s how it works.

Biologists have discovered that many corals in the Red Sea have a species of algae in their tissue that’s found nowhere else, so they can survive heat waves. Biologists hope their work will inspire governments and environmental groups to protect these corals.

In a study conducted twelve years ago near natural gas wells in New Mexico, research found that there were 75% fewer pin on pine seedlings (幼苗) in noisy sites than in quiet     1     (one). This was most likely due to the noise driving away the scrub jay (灌丛鸦),which plants thousands of pine seeds while     2     (store) them to eat during the winter months. A research team from California Institute of Technology recently returned to the sites to find out whether the pin on pine had recovered over and time.

    3     companies changed the sites where they used noisy compressors (压缩机) to help produce natural gas,some of the     4     (previous) noisy sites had become quiet. The researchers found that in the these areas,there were still fewer seedlings     5     (compare) to sites that didn’t have compressors added to speed up gas extraction. This shows that though the noise     6    (remove) before the pin on pine seeds were planted,they still didn’t sprout (发芽).

“The effects of human noise pollution     7     (grow) into the structure of the woodland communities at present.” said biology professor and senior author Clint Francis. “    8     we’re seeing now is that     9     (disappear) of the noise doesn’t necessarily immediately result in a recovery of     10     (ecology) function.”

More and more children are suffering from "eco-anxiety"－a condition that causes people     1     (worry) a lot about the future of Earth and the life on it. Many teachers say very few courses     2     climate change, wildlife and the environment are provided in schools. And only four per cent of schoolchildren say that they know enough about the climate crisis, according to the research     3     (conduct) recently.

    4    , there are growing calls for schools to teach     5     (much) about climate change. One campaign group, called Earth Rangers,     6     (take) action to address the problem over the past year. “Eco-anxiety     7     (do) affect children in very real ways. This includes feelings of fear, hopelessness and despair. So it is important to research the ways in     8     we can help children find     9     (effect) strategies to cope with these feelings,” said Tovah Barocas, president of Earth Rangers. “Children are on the front lines of climate change. Schools should create conservation     10     (activity) and help children to teach their parents about how to protect nature.”