18 November, 2014, Rome - Ryanwil M. Baldovino of Philippines has been selected by FAO's 536,000+ Facebook fans as winner of the International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) photo contest.

His photo, The green season, features a typical rice-planting scene in Lanao del Sur province in the Philippines. Rice plays a major role in this part of the country as a primary component of local diets.

"I summed up my idea of why and how nutrition matters to me in this vivid scene in the paddy field, since the battle to ensure proper nutrition doesn't start on the table, but right during production," according to Baldovino.

FAO launched the photo contest in collaboration with National Geographic Society to draw attention to the importance of good nutrition for people and societies, in the lead up to ICN2, taking place this week in Rome.

A jury comprised of staff at FAO and National Geographic narrowed down some 800 submissions based on the following criteria: originality, relevance to the theme, artistic value and communication potential.

Three photos short-listed by the jury were shared on FAO's Facebook page and fans were asked to vote by 'liking' their favorite.

All three finalists will participate in an FAO photography mission to document agricultural development work in the field. Photos submitted to the contest will be featured in FAO communications materials.

ICN2 will be a follow-up to the first such conference, which was held in 1992. It aims to bring together government leaders, other top-level policymakers and representatives of intergovernmental organizations and civil society, to take stock of progress made in improving nutrition and to seek new ways to boost national and global efforts that improve diets and health.