Rural radio and agricultural development: linking farmers, extension workers and reserarchers
Broadcast media play a big role in disseminating information about innovations in agricultural technologies and practices while seeking to engage farmers and stakeholders in interactive discussions. John Cheburet, Kenyan journalist-producer of 'The Organic Farmer' and award winner of an Africa-wide scriptwriting competition on smallholder farmer innovation invites Forum members to discuss the nature of the relationship between broadcast media (in particular radio), extension workers and farmers.
Improving food safety and quality along the chain to protect public health, support fair food trade and contribute to food security and economic development
Ensuring food safety is a public health priority, and an essential step to achieving food security. Effective food safety and quality management systems are key not only to safeguarding the health and well-being of people but also to fostering economic development and improving livelihoods by...
The contribution of insects to food security, livelihoods and the environment
Entomophagy is the consumption of insects by humans. Entomophagy is practised in many countries around the world but predominantly in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Insects supplement the diets of approximately 2 billion people and have always been a part of human diets. However, it is...
Street food and urban and periurban agriculture and horticulture: perspectives for a strategic coalition towards food security
The aim of this discussion is to share perspectives on actual and potential links between street food vending and urban and periurban agriculture and horticulture, analyzing if and in which way such links may represent the basis for possible strategies to enhance food security in urban areas.
The State of Food and Agriculture 2014 (SOFA)
Innovation in family farming More than 500 million family farms manage the majority of the world's agricultural land and produce most of the world's food . We need family farms to ensure global food security, to care for and protect the natural environment and to end poverty, undernourishment and...
State of the World's Forests 2014 (SOFO)
Enhancing the socioeconomic benefits from forests Across the world, forests, trees on farms, and agroforestry systems play a crucial role in the livelihoods of rural people by providing employment, energy, nutritious foods and a wide range of other goods and ecosystem services. They have tremendous...
How to develop the hydro-agricultural resources in West Africa?
It is clear that the development of irrigated agriculture is a key factor for food security and nutrtion in West Africa and in the Sahel. In this context, mobilisation of groundwater offers great opportunities. But how can we better understand, exploit and manage water resources in the region? And how can we coordinate and unify different approaches to development of irrigation?
What Future for Irrigated Agriculture in Central Asia?
Welcome to the online discussion “What Future for Irrigated Agriculture in Central Asia?”. This three-week online discussion is initiated by the Global Food Security and Nutrition Forum (FSN Forum) in close collaboration with Investment Centre Division, both based in Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO).
What do we really know about the number and distribution of farms and family farms in the world?
The agricultural economics literature provides various estimates of the number of farms and small farms in the world. This paper is an effort to provide a more complete and up to date as well as carefully documented estimate of the total number of farms in the world, as well as by region and level...
A Vegetable Garden for All
A practical guide for setting up family gardens for the production of nutritious, safe food crops, that would contribute to the diets of populations affected by food insecurity.