Each year, as part of its regular programme of work and budget, FAO undertakes an analysis of selected food and agricultural issues as determined by its governing bodies and in response to requests by Member Nations. The Organization has been able to provide this normative service through its ability to draw on the best experience of national research centres and institutions belonging to the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) as well as on research results from the leading universities of Member Nations.
Of FAO's many major analytical assessments in the field of agriculture, particular mention should be made of:
· The State of Food and Agriculture;· World agriculture: towards 2010;
· Medium-term Prospects for Agricultural Commodities;
· the World Food Surveys;
· FAO Economic and Social Development Papers;
· Food, Nutrition and Agriculture;
· FAO Food and Nutrition Papers;
· Commodity Market Review;
· Impact of the Uruguay Round on agriculture;
· assessments of the world food situation, including Food Outlook.
Other important examples are:
· the universally recognized Digital soil map of the world and derived soil properties, on CD-ROM;· a global inventory of successful indigenous or improved soil and water conservation practices in Africa, South and Southeast Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean;
· Current World Fertilizer Situation and Outlook a joint annual publication by FAO, the World Bank and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO);
· a study of irrigation potential for Africa;
· the World Information and Early Warning System on Plant Genetic Resources;
· Seed Review, containing information on periodic assessments of member countries' plant-breeding and seed production and distribution sectors;
· Atlas of Desert Locust Breeding Habitats;
· a multidonor study on livestock and the environment;
· Nuclear techniques in soil-plant studies for sustainable agriculture and environment protection.
Flagship products on the status of aquatic resources and various aspects of fisheries and aquaculture include:
· The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA), a biennial review of recent developments, major issues and prospects for world fisheries and aquaculture production, utilization and trade;· the Fisheries Digital Interactive Atlas;
· detailed reviews of the state of world fishery resources for marine and inland fisheries and aquaculture.
FAO is a major source of analysis of the world's forest resources and the forestry sector. Two broad types of information are available: global or regional analytical studies/assessments; and states of art on practices and methodologies. Examples of publications include:
· State of the World's Forests, a biennial review of. the world forestry situation containing statistical data interpreted in a policy-relevant form;· Global Forest Resources Assessments, which are issued every ten years and highlight forest cover, deforestation and forest degradation;
· forestry outlook studies, which elaborate forestry sector analyses from statistics on wood products, trade, fibre supply and production capacities, with strategic regional and global projections;
· Unasylva, a professional forestry quarterly;
· technical newsletters issued regularly on non-wood forest products, forest genetic resources, forest harvesting, community forestry, etc.
In addition, a series of specific initiatives have been directed to the design of innovative concepts and methodologies for the promotion of sustainable agricultural and rural development and coordination of the follow-up to UNCED Agenda 21 and related conventions and conferences. Examples of activities and outputs are:
· Socio-Economic and Gender Analysis (SEAGA): a joint activity of FAO, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and UNDP. SEAGA is now being tested and applied in more than 20 countries worldwide;· K2, software that allows users to test environmental, social and economic indicators against a set of critical threshold values;
· ECOZONE 2, software that FAO is upgrading so it can be used for full-scale environmental impact assessment, training and planning in agricultural development projects;
· rural land market studies, which have contributed to the recent formation of the Negotiated Land Reform Network (NELAREN), linking FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank;
· comparative analyses and studies on decentralization policies and programmes, based on a joint effort between FAO, the World Bank, IFAD, the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) and various bilateral agencies;
· Strategic Extension Campaign - a participatory-oriented method of agricultural extension, describing the methodology elaborated to achieve extension cost effectiveness in a relatively short period;
· agrometeorological monitoring, including development of software for remote sensing application and standardization of formats in, for example, yield forecasting methodologies.
FAO produces a series of legislative studies designed to disseminate legal information in the most appropriately usable form and to analyse recent trends in national legislation for the information of national lawmakers. Subjects covered by recent publications include:
· international watercourses agreements;
· pesticides registration legislation;
· evaluation of impacts on the environment in support of sustainable development;
· legislation governing food control and quality certification;
· coastal state requirements for foreign fishing;
· African customary water law;
· food security;
· integrated coastal area management;
· aquaculture and inland fisheries legislation.
