These guidelines are primarily directed towards decision-makers responsible for integrating the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development into national policies and programmes. They will be of value to public and private actors, including investors, researchers and technical practitioners, involved in the broad area of food and agriculture, and rural development. Complementing FAO’s Common Vision for Sustainable Food and Agriculture and its five principles, this publication presents 20 practical and interconnected actions with the aim of transforming food and agriculture and driving achievement across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Consumers are a powerful force for change towards a sustainably developing world that leaves no one behind and respects the human rights of all. This publication showcases the work of a selection of consumer organizations around the world in securing the right to adequate food. Intended to be frequently updated, this collection brings to the fore the experiences and good practices of members of Consumers International. It aims to be of use to multi-sector partnerships and the whole community of consumer organizations, to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and skills, and to foster collaborations around thematic areas. It is designed as a complement to Consumer Organizations and the Right to Adequate Food – Making the Connections, which presents the linkages between the work of consumer organizations and the realization of the right to adequate food. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) wishes to thank the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) for its financial support, which made this publication possible.
In order for Codex Alimentarius Members to share information on the results of Genetically Modified (GM) food safety assessments, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) maintains an online database entitled “FAO GM Foods Platform”. Upon requests from several Members, a global community meeting of the FAO GM Foods Platform was organized from 10 to 13 September 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. Ninety-nine people from 73 different Platform community members participated in the meeting. This report describes the key points of discussions that took place during the three and a half days of the meeting; these include, but are not limited to, clear benefits of data sharing, and good practices in the process of sharing and utilizing the shared data. While the main purpose of the Platform is to simply share the relevant official data globally, the community of the Platform was recognized as a great value, providing an opportunity for all focal points of the Platform to be able to directly communicate and learn from each other on technical issues around GM food safety assessments, and more importantly, to develop mutual trust among the community members from different countries. The Platform itself has become a model for an effective community of practice, resulting in many collaborative and successful joint activities, including bilateral and multilateral capacity development actions. At the end of the meeting, participants had the opportunity to network through the World Café to identify concrete steps for follow-up actions at the national and regional level.
The BCC strategy document contains a collection of communication processes and strategies used in programming to influence social change and individual behaviour. The strategies outlined in the document focuses on messages including a set of technical themes linking nutrition, health, food safety, dietary diversity, and production innovations within a food systems approach, where different activities and products are correlated and allow building up of basic to technical knowledge and practice. The strategy document, which is presented in a theme-based booklet, is prepared for community resource persons and agriculture extension officers to equip them in bringing about desired changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practices of farmers in terms of crop production and consumption behaviours via sensitisation/training of producing and consuming nutrient dense crops at individual, household and community level. The BCC efforts follow the strategic objectives delineated in the National Food and Nutrition Security Strategy, Bhutan. The key messages, therefore, have been developed to improve the identified behaviours in order to achieve the strategic objectives of the National Food and Nutrition Security Strategy. The messages will be disseminated to the right target audiences through a multipronged communication approach to facilitate behaviour changes.
Global fruit and vegetable (F&V) production and consumption are significantly below the threshold needed to meet the FAO and World Health Organization (WHO) recommended F&V intake. In 2017, approximately 4 million premature deaths globally were attributable to insufficient F&V consumption. Globally, very few policy actions specifically promote F&V consumption beyond school-based interventions. Communication and behavior change interventions are insufficient on their own. International evidence suggests that fiscal policies, and policies and programmes that increase access to fresh F&Vs through mobile produce markets can be effective in increasing F&V consumption.
This publication considers what is involved in ensuring that biodiversity contributes to improved food security. It summarizes the major challenges expected over the next 40 years and offers a perspective on the fundamental changes needed to ensure that biodiversity contributes to sustainable and productive systems.
FAO recognizes the potential of rural women and men in achieving food security and nutrition and is committed to overcoming gender inequality, in line with the pledge to “leave no one behind”, which is at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda. The publication illustrates the consistent and sustained work of FAO towards gender equality and women’s empowerment, which are at the core of the Organization’s work to eliminate hunger and rural poverty. Each chapter h ighlights the relevance of gender work to achieving the FAO Strategic Objectives, and describes main results achieved, showcasing activities implemented at country and international levels. Stories from the field demonstrate the impact of FAO’s work for beneficiaries, highlighting successes and significant insights gained.
Equipping agricultural extension and advisory services with nutrition knowledge, competencies and skills is essential to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture. This report presents the results of an assessment of capacity within agricultural extension and advisory services, undertaken in Côte d'Ivoire with the global capacity needs assessment (GCNA) methodology developed by FAO and the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS). The methodology is available online at https://doi.org/10.4060/cb2069en
Between 2 and 17 January 2024, following a request by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MoA&F), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in close cooperation with the Food Security Technical Secretariat (FSTS) and the State Ministries of Agriculture, carried out its annual Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission (CFSAM) to estimate the 2023 crop production and assess the food supply situation throughout the 18 states of the country. The report's recommendations are to provide immediate response to the needs of the population most affected by acute food insecurity as well as to support the recovery of the agriculture sector, increasing food production and farmers’ incomes, and enhancing efficiency along the value chain to reduce production costs.
On 23 September 2021, the Food Systems Summit convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, was held. Latin America and the Caribbean played an essential role in this event. The official proposals and recommendations presented at the Summit are part of the official reports of the national dialogues and the speeches of their official representatives. In this publication, we reproduce the transcripts of these 23 speeches. This publication is an invitation to those who want to learn about Latin America and the Caribbean proposals at the Summit.
This study, titled "FAO in Türkiye" presents an overview of the activities and initiatives undertaken by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Türkiye. It comprehensively covers the program areas, major themes, and ongoing projects within the FAO in Türkiye Office. The primary objective of this study is to illustrate how the FAO Representation in Türkiye aligns its operations with the core guiding principle of FAO, known as the "Four Betters." This study unveils the remarkable diversity, both thematically and geographically, of FAO's programs and projects in Türkiye. Ranging from sustainable food systems to addressing climate change, promoting food literacy, and empowering rural women, it seeks to convey the important message that FAO actively contributes to various aspects of the agri-food system in Türkiye and its broader impact. Within the aforementioned framework, this study emphasizes key initiatives such as the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programme, projects supported by the Global Environment Facility, and the Syrian Refugee Resilience Plan. Furthermore, it furnishes valuable insights into the Country Office's relationships with donors and key stakeholders. In summary, this study sheds light on FAO's pivotal role in advancing Turkish agriculture and rural communities over the past four decades through initiatives aimed at capacity development, technical cooperation, policy dialogue, and spanning across sectors including crop production, livestock, fisheries, forestry, as well as agri-food industry and rural development.
This paper presents the programming approach adopted in Niger to implement food purchases for food assistance and provide procurement preferential treatment for small-scale family farming food outputs. The study provides a detailed description of the selection of farmers and discusses the main constrains faced in a pilot scale and introduces an analysis of challenges and opportunities of the approach for broader Governmental initiatives of food procurement.
Since the early 1980’s, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has coordinated AGROVOC, a valuable tool for classifying data homogeneously, facilitating interoperability and reuse. AGROVOC is a multilingual and controlled vocabulary designed to over concepts and terminology under FAO’s areas of interest. It is the largest Linked Open Data set about agriculture available for public use and its greatest impact is through providing the access and visibility of data across domains and languages.
This compendium is the result of a first-of-its-kind stocktaking exercise looking at FAO activities to address child labour in agriculture in Malawi, Mali, Uganda, the Niger and the United Republic of Tanzania over a decade (2010–2020). It is intended to make a practical contribution to the field of child labour elimination in agriculture, by shedding a light on some of the FAO-supported activities, country processes and practices as well as achievements, and lessons learned. As such, it highlights the general main lessons learned and key messages, outlines and provide details on country processes and related outcomes and achievements on knowledge generation, capacity development, awareness raising, policy advice and promotion of advocacy and partnerships. The contents on these FAO strategies for the elimination of child labour in agriculture are complemented by examples of areas of work such as promoting safe practices and labour-saving technologies and empowering and building the skills of youth aged 15–17 by facilitating school-to-work transition in agriculture.
There have been numerous economic difficulties felt by several countries in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) in recent years, generating difficult and region-specific challenges for the food and agriculture systems of the region. The COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent economic crisis made a bad situation worse. This report does an extensive review and analysis of policy decisions made by 19 governments in the region in response to the COVID-19 crisis, from March 2020 to May 2020. The broad range of policy decisions were reviewed based on the Food and Agriculture Policy Decision Analysis (FAPDA) database, complemented by information on disruptions of food and agriculture systems and related policy responses provided by regional and country offices. Results from the review indicate what were the major policy responses from most countries in the region, including common policy responses targeting consumers and producers. It further shows that the magnitude of measures implemented in the region is characterized by a somewhat foreseeable divide between oil- and gas-rich countries and all other NENA countries. Benefiting from this consolidated analysis of the regional policy response, the report draws insights and provides general recommendations that may feed the policy debate at the national, regional, and global levels, facilitating better-targeted policy support and contribute to economic recovery with coordinated policy responses across countries.
Biodiversity protection encompasses key aspects directly related to the sustainability of our food systems: BFA provides a diverse and heterogenous biological basis for diverse and resilient production systems, for the pollination of cultures, for increased diversity of food, and is strongly linked to local and indigenous knowledge on local crops and breeds acknowledged as cultural heritage. This study examines the existence of data collection, monitoring systems, and conservation initiatives as well as legislation and policies related to biodiversity for food and agriculture in the three following regions: (1) Central Asia, (2) the South Caucasus countries, Turkey, Belarus and Ukraine and (3) the Western Balkan countries and the Republic of Moldova. From this study, it appears that none of the three studied regions currently have any solid monitoring schemes for agricultural biodiversity, nor do they have a strong legal framework for protecting farmers’ rights to seeds that would allow them, amongst other things, to maintain biodiversity. Conservation actions, policies, and legislation generally concern wild biodiversity conservation (through habitat protection) and crop genetic resources conservation but rarely address biodiversity for food and agriculture or wild biodiversity loss caused by food systems. The three regional reports conducted in the framework of this study reported a general lack of capacities and a particularly low level of involvement of farmers and other food producers in monitoring, data collection, and conservation activities. The combination of these two major observations leads us to the conclusion that the governance of BFA should be transformed to put food producers at the centre of biodiversity monitoring and conservation, in dialogue with scientists and institutional actors. Their specific expertise must be acknowledged and valued in the efforts of preserving the biodiversity that they cultivate and sustain. Beyond this needed shift in the governance of monitoring activities, we highlight the necessity of a regional articulation of monitoring efforts and a specific focus on local threatened varieties and breeds (beyond habitat conservation), while very comprehensively considering BFA and wild biodiversity impacted by food systems. Regarding biodiversity protection, we recommend – in addition to farmer-centered data collection and monitoring system implementation – addressing the root causes of biodiversity loss, adopting a systematic approach in legislations, policies, and actions while supporting agroecology, and fulfilling international instruments that guarantee the rights of producers to grow and raise local varieties and breeds.
Cell-based food production, which is the field of growing animal agricultural products directly from cell cultures, has been explored as an alleged sustainable alternative to the conventional livestock agricultural system. As commercial cell-based food production continues to expand, the urgency increases to address one of the most important questions of consumers, the question of food safety. Thus, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), has developed the present document to engage with respective Members and relevant stakeholders by proactively sharing the current knowledge to identify concrete ways to inform consumers and all other stakeholders about the food safety considerations for cell-based food products. This document includes a literature synthesis of relevant terminology issues, principles of cell-based food production processes and the global landscape of regulatory frameworks for cell-based food production. Case studies from Israel, Qatar and Singapore have been included to highlight different scopes, structures and contexts surrounding their regulatory frameworks for cell-based food. The results of the FAO-led Expert Consultation, where comprehensive food safety hazard identification was conducted, form the core of the document and the identified hazards are summarized with causal-chain examples. The way forward will consist of continuing to invest in research and development in order to understand whether the alleged benefits in increased sustainability can be realized. In this regard, it will be important to closely observe as to what extent, if any, cell-based foods result in differences from conventionally produced foods.
The Codex Alimentarius is a collection of international food standards that have been adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Such standards cover all the main foods and also material used in the further processing of food. Codex provisions concern the hygienic and nutritional; quality of food, including microbiological norms, food additives, pesticides and veterinary drug residues, contaminants, labelling and presentation, and methods of sampling and risk analysis. The Codex Alimentarius can safely claim to be the most important international reference point in matters concerning food quality. Its creation, moreover, has generated food-related scientific research and greatly increase the world community’s awareness of the vital issues at stake food quality, safety and public health.
As the pace of climate change is increasing, it is more important than ever to conserve, characterize and sustainably use genetic resources for food and griculture. Over millennia farmers, livestock keepers, fisherfolk and forest dwellers have adapted their production systems to changing environmental conditions, relying on genetic resources for food and agriculture. However, these resources are still not receiving the attention they deserve given their enormous importance. The main focus of this study is the state of current use of genetic resources in climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts. Each chapter explores the impacts of climate change on genetic resources and also considers the significance of genetic resources to climate change adaptation and mitigation.
School-based food and nutrition education (SFNE) helps schoolchildren and the school community to achieve lasting improvements in their food practices and outlooks; build the capacity to change and to adapt to external change; and pass on their learning to others. SFNE has also an important role in complementing efforts that are being made globally to improve food environments, and in empowering children and adolescents to become active participants in shaping the food system to be better able to deliver healthy and sustainable diets. Despite increasing interest for SFNE, the evidence that supports it and its potential, much of traditional SFNE, particularly in LMICs, is largely underfunded, not delivering results, and disconnected from other key interventions that aim to support the food, nutrition, environment, and education nexus. SFNE is under-resourced, with capacity development opportunities lacking throughout the school system.This White Paper is the first document of its kind, and it is based on the evidence, professional expertise, and field experience, lessons learned, and documented challenges of SFNE work in a variety of contexts. It presents the case for raising the profile and transforming the vision and learning model of SFNE. This document is directed firstly to a technical audience working in governmental organizations that deal with schoolchildren and adolescents and is also of interest to researchers, technical advisors, decision-makers, donors and investors, civil society, and UN organizations.
Since 2004, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) have cooperated in the Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs) to reduce the threat from transboundary animal diseases (TADs) to food security, livelihoods and safe trade. The GF-TADs is a coordination mechanism established to safeguard its Members from repeated incursions of infectious animal disease epidemics, to enhance safe trade in animals and animal products, and to improve food and nutrition security by reducing the damaging effects of TADs. To reach these long-term goals, the GF-TADs Strategy for 2021?2025 aims to enhance the control of TADs through the establishment of priority TADs strategies at the regional and sub-regional level, by developing the capacity to prevent and control TADs, and by improving the sustainability of priority TADs strategies through multi-disciplinary partnerships. The ultimate goals of the global strategy are to improve food security and nutrition, to reduce poverty and to enhance safe trade in livestock and animal products by reducing repeated incursions and the further spread of infectious disease epidemics. The GF-TADs Strategy was developed through a ‘Theory of Change’ model and is described as a series of objectives. Chapters describe the management of the GF-TADs Strategy, resource mobilization and a framework for monitoring and evaluation, with clear indicators. In addition, the strategy provides an overview of the GF-TADs governance model and its global priority diseases.
The right to water emerged in the Nineties primarily as the right to domestic water for drinking, washing and cooking, and was closely related to the right to sanitation, both of which are seen as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living. This study examines the question of the right to water for food and agriculture and asks whether such a right can be found in the right to water, or whether it is more appropriate to examine the right to adequate food for that purpose. Seeking inspiration from the right to adequate food and from other fields of international law, the study explores the content of the right to water for food and agriculture and then considers its implications for water law. Recognizing a human right to water – for drinking and household needs as well as for growing food – has implications for water allocation and sets limits to the extent that water can be allocated for other uses. In addition, it entails the respect for procedural rights and attention to important principles, such as the principle of non-discrimination and the rights of indigenous peoples.
Governments have turned to FAO for support in identifying and assessing options for reforming policies on food and agriculture through the “Monitoring and Analysing Food and Agricultural Policies” (MAFAP) programme. While the first phase of FAO’s efforts concentrated more on conducting policy analysis and measuring public expenditures, this second phase built on the first phase’s outcomes to support policy reforms across Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. MAFAP has been found to be an effective and well-positioned influencer of policy reforms in the agricultural sector. However, there are areas of improvement for this programme, including: i) increased resources to better address increasing policy support demand; ii) more strategic planning; iii) more formal institutionalization and more engagement with civil society and the private sector; iv) more coherence at country level in conducting preliminary analysis; and v) improvement to its knowledge management system in order not to lose its institutional memory.
The objective of this guidance is to provide direction to decision-makers on how to start ranking the public health risk posed by foodborne hazards and/or foods in their countries. The primary focus is microbial and chemical hazards in foods, but the overall approach could be used for any hazard. This guidance was developed with a wide audience in mind, including but not limited to microbiologists, toxicologists, chemists, environmental health scientists, public health epidemiologists, risk analysts, risk managers, and policy makers. Political will and a strong commitment to modernize food safety are key to the successful development and implementation of any risk ranking effort at the country level.
Many national legal frameworks still do not include laws and measures specifically intended to tackle climate change in the agriculture sectors. However, national laws and institutional frameworks are necessary for good governance and can operate to support the implementation of national policy and international commitments, including on climate change. Indeed, Target 16.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals calls for the promotion of the rule of law, and the assurance of equal access to justice for all. This is both an important stand-alone goal and an enabling goal for the realization of the transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Furthermore, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) sees appropriately designed, informed and responsive national legal and institutional frameworks as key to supporting the implementation of countries’ commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement, as well as their Nationally Determined Contribution in the food, agriculture and natural resources sectors. Climate change presents multiple challenges and it cannot be addressed effectively in silos. Attention must be paid not only to specific agriculture sectors, but also to governance areas that are interconnected with agriculture, such as public spending and investment, social protection and rural development. Efforts should be coordinated with the engagement of civil society, including the legal profession, vulnerable groups and the private sector.This Study addresses the principal expressions of the food and agriculture sector (crops and livestock agriculture, forestry and fisheries), looking at the critical cross-cutting issues and their integration into agriculture law. It provides a comprehensive overview of the legal and institutional issues to consider when working towards preparing the agriculture sector for the challenges of climate change.
The Arab region needs a new generation of policies and investments in agricultural water. Agricultural water management has always posed challenges and opportunities in the Arab world. However, unprecedented and accelerating drivers such as climate change, population growth, and land degradation make agricultural water management a more urgent priority than ever before. In addition, as part of the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development, Arab countries have committed to work towards an ambitious set of development targets, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Unless the right policies and investments are put in place, it will be difficult to achieve the SDGs, including ending hunger and providing clean water and sanitation for all. This paper is part of an ongoing collaboration between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Water Management Institute to foster dialogue on agricultural water policies and investments in the context of the FAO led Regional Water Scarcity initiative. The purpose of the paper is to frame the key challenges and opportunities in the sector – including emerging innovations in digital agriculture, water accounting, water supply and wastewater reuse – and to lay out broad strategic directions for action.
Worldwide, food safety incidents can have a significant impact on public health, economies, agrifood trade, food security, and public confidence in the food supply. The prevention, mitigation, and management of food safety incidents globally can be enhanced through more effective early warning systems for food safety. Early warning systems help countries to better anticipate food safety threats and respond quicker through appropriate risk management actions. This publication provides a resource for countries to enhance their early warning capabilities and capacities. It emphasizes the need to build and connect links between existing food safety infrastructure (e.g. surveillance and food control) and to improve collaborative relationships among all of the different food chain stakeholders in order to protect public health and the food supply.
Investing in One Health – cross-sectoral, multidisciplinary coordination and collaboration across the human health, animal health, and environmental health sectors – is crucial for maintaining healthy agricultural and food systems and addressing global health security risks. Such action can reduce the threat of future pandemics through upstream preventive actions, early detection, and agile responses to zoonotic and emerging infectious diseases outbreaks, coupled with measures for promoting food safety, including anti-microbial resistance. This regional review, conducted jointly by the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, assesses the socioeconomic impacts of zoonotic diseases and epidemics across the East Asia and Pacific region, providing a background on why emerging infectious diseases are occurring more frequently in this region. This review looks at the benefits of using a risk-based approach, assesses the management of animal and wildlife health and the ability to identify and respond to emerging threats and protect the health, agricultural production, and ecosystem services. It provides recommendations on priority activities to be undertaken, and offers governments and their development partners the evidence and analysis needed to make more and better investments in wildlife systems and animal health to improve global health security.
This study reviews the available information on the contribution of biodiversity for food and agriculture to the resilience of crop, livestock, forest, fishery and aquaculture production systems to environmental change and uncertainty.
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