Agricultural production systems encompassing crop, forestry, livestock, aquaculture and fisheries production, play an essential role in meeting the increasing demands for food, feed, fibre and fuel. By 2050, food production will have to increase by over 50 percent to meet the projected demands from a growing population, diet shifts, and an increasing demand for non-food agricultural products. It is a global challenge to achieve an environmentally sustainable increase of production and access to affordable healthy diets, while protecting and enhancing the livelihoods of the world’s small-scale agricultural producers and other agrifood system actors.

In this context, FAO has initiated a Global Action on Green Development of Special Agricultural Products: One Country One Priority Product (OCOP), focused on the agricultural products that have unique qualities and special characteristics. A green development of special agricultural products aligns closely with FAO’s mandate and comparative advantage, by promoting socially inclusive, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable food systems.

Focusing on smallholders and family farms, “One Country One Priority Product” promotes sustainable value-chain approaches for achieving efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems. Ultimately, the initiative seeks to make a substantial contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.