Ethiopia is facing a massive drought and food insecurity crisis. The impact of failed rains and droughts have been worsened by the 2015 El Niño, which itself has been supercharged by climate change. Urgent humanitarian action is needed to support millions of people who have lost food, water and livelihoods....

The Regional Conference on “Building a future for sustainable small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea” (7-9 March 2016, Algiers, Algeria) enjoyed the robust attendance of over 200 participants, which included policy-makers, scientists, practitioners, fishers representatives, fish workers, civil society organizations, NGOs, research institutions, international organizations and more....

The Karianet network, in collaboration with the FAO Regional Initiative on small-scale agriculture for inclusive development in the NENA region and the FAO Communication for Development team, is inviting specialists and practitioners to contribute to mapping applications of ICTs and RCS for family farming and rural development in the NENA region. The survey aims at determining the way Rural...

In adopting the goals of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the international community took responsibility for building a sustainable future. But meeting the goals of eradicating hunger and poverty by 2030, while addressing the threat of climate change, will require a profound...

Access to information by rural farming communities is one of the major constraints to agricultural development in Uganda because of inadequate extension service delivery. The use of information communications technologies (ICTs) can potentially address this blockage. Although the application of ICTs in rural development is not new, its application in...

The TheruBeedi Seed Bank and Producer Group facilitate informal benefit sharing mechanisms that can be very effective in protecting biodiversity and encouraging farmers to contribute to the genetic pool. The approaches include offering family farmers incentives to cultivate traditional or rare varieties, providing assistance in the marketing of their products,...

Ainda que no meio rural o trabalho seja feito majoritariamente por homens, a Empresa de Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural de Rondônia (Emater/RO) investiu em um projeto de Ater só para mulheres. Uma ação que revolucionou a vida de agricultoras dos municípios de Ouro Preto do Oeste, Teixeirópolis, Nova União,...

This document provides a summary of the presentations, discussions, conclusions and recommendations of the Near East and North Africa Regional Consultation Workshop on the Implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication, held in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, on...

This publication is a collection of articles written by economists, sociologists, and gender specialists and practitioners from twelve post-Soviet countries in Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia. It is unique in its effort to review and analyze the issues that are at the intersection of gender equality, social protection...

This guide is based on information from the Food Plants International (FPI) database developed by Tasmanian agricultural scientist Bruce French.  The source material and guidance for the preparation of the book has been made possible through the support of Food Plants International, the Rotary Clubs of District 9830, particularly the...

What is successful access and benefit sharing’ for smallholder family farmers? This contribution argues it is not about legal contracts or mechanisms that regulate the international transfer of plant genetic resources. It is about farmers’ access to seed diversity and the ability to share in the benefits of the continuing...

Ethiopia’s economy is rapidly transforming. However, the extent to which this is affecting off-farm income and labor markets in rural areas is not well understood. Based on a large-scale household survey in high potential agricultural areas, we find that total off-farm income (defined as wage and enterprise income) makes up...

To commemorate the International Year of Family Farming, the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nation (FAO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, organised an Asia-Pacific Regional Consultation at Chennai in August 2014. Several background papers were prepared for...

Este número de Mundo Rural incluye artículos sobre: alcances de la nueva institucionalidad indígena, vigencia y futuro de las organizaciones campesinas, INDAP abre primera tienda Mundo Rural, 2016 año internacional de las legumbres, entre otros artículos de interés.  

Addressing gender equality is a fundamental part of FAO’s mandate. Social and economic inequalities between women and men undermine food security and restrict economic growth and advances in agriculture. The problems of hunger, malnutrition and rural poverty cannot be solved unless and until women and men are treated equally and...

This special issue of Farming Matters magazine has explored the ways in which access and benefit sharing of plant genetic resources can work for family farmers. On one hand it presents cases that demonstrate the limited extent to which family farmers have been able to benefit from the ‘formal’ ABS...

Despite many agricultural and socio-economic studies conducted in other parts of Indonesia, there is a scientific gap among researches focused on small scale farmers in North Sumatra. The article presented is based on the Sustainable livelihoods framework established in the 1990’s by the Department for International Development (DFID) with special...

The Global Food Policy Report is IFPRI’s flagship publication. This year’s annual report examines major food policy issues, global and regional developments, and commitments made in 2015, and presents data on key food policy indicators. The report also proposes key policy options for 2016 and beyond to achieve the Sustainable...

A farmers' community in India learned, through the FAO Community Animal Health Workers training programme, how to rear poultry and face the poultry diseases problems.

Con motivo de las actividades y debates promovidos por el Gobierno Federal en el Mes de la Mujer, el MDA llevó a cabo un mini documental. El video muestra el resultado de las políticas públicas para las mujeres rurales. En el interior del Río Grande del Norte, por ejemplo, los...