FAO.org

This policy brief analyses Ecuador’s trade, productive and price policies for maize and their effect on farmers’ level of protection. The minimum support price enacted until 2017, turned out to be a non-operative policy due to a higher market price, which created incentives for speculative investments by traders. To counteract speculative investments the Ministry enacted a price range for maize, the price ceiling is expected to counteract future speculations. Productive and trade policies aiming to protect small farmers seem to achieve their objective. The effective rate of protection increased for all farm production systems from 2016 to 2017 with the [...]

Today, about 783 million people live in extreme poverty. Extreme poverty is primarily a rural phenomenon, with 80 percent of the extreme poor living in rural areas, across greatly diverse rural landscapes. Despite great progress in poverty reduction, the standard of living of the poorest of the poor has remained almost unchanged in the past 35 years, signaling that a huge gap in policy making and programmatic approaches are leaving them behind.  FAO has established a Corporate Framework on Rural Extreme Poverty to orient and bring to bear the relevant work of the Organization towards reaching Target 1.1 of the SDGs. [...]

Les exploitations agricoles font l’objet d’analyses statutaires et structurelles classiques qui ne permettent pas de rendre compte de la diversité de ces systèmes de production, encore moins de leurs spécificités et des disparités régionales. Au Sénégal comme en Tunisie, les institutions chargées de la collecte des données, de la formulation et de l’analyse des politiques ne disposent pas encore d’une connaissance fine et de référentiels de la diversité des exploitations agricoles et de leurs transformations. Le projet devait permettre de développer et de tester une proposition de système d’information de type «Observatoire». Available only in French

This paper identifies potential “climate action-sustainable development pathways” spanning 17 major agricultural climate action categories and the 17 SDG targets. The aim of this mapping exercise is to explore the extent to which the two agendas are aligned for the prioritization of those climate actions that have the potential to co-deliver on the Paris Agreement and 2030 Agenda. As the window of opportunity is closing to bridge the emission gap and adapt to climate change before it is too late, the inter-linked and mutually reinforcing climate and sustainable development agendas present a natural framework for designing policies that leverage synergies [...]

This course is the first in the Rural Poverty Reduction series, and provides an overview of rural poverty, and why it is so important to overcome it in rural contexts. The course describes the key concepts and definitions of rural poverty and how it can be measured, its drivers and cross-cutting themes. Finally, it considers the connection with gender issues and the way that gender shapes the way poverty is experienced by rural people.

This report aims to identify the different scenarios where the process of digital transformation is taking place in agriculture. This identifies those aspects of basic conditions, such as those of infrastructure and networks, affordability, education and institutional support. In addition, enablers are identified, which are the factors that allow adopting and integrating changes in the production and decision-making processes. Finally identify through cases, existing literature and reports how substantive changes are taking place in the adoption of digital technologies in agriculture. Available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish.

Azerbaijan wishes to promote organic farming, as demand for organic products is growing every year on both the domestic and export markets. The natural soil and climatic conditions are favourable for organic farming in the country, while the existence of scientific and educational institutions in the agrarian sector and experienced farmers in the regions may provide a suitable environment for promoting organic agriculture in the country. Despite the country’s significant agricultural potential, agricultural productivity and its profitability vary widely across the regions. Although the country’s agricultural sector contributes around 6 percent to GDP, the lack of modernization means that productivity [...]

Beekeeping is a tradition for a large segment of the rural population in Azerbaijan. Prior to independence in 1991, apiculture was an intensive agricultural activity. Following independence, when agricultural reforms were carried out in the country for transition to a market economy, all beekeeping farms were privatized, and the beehives were divided among small farms. While the number of private farms and hives in each private farm increased, honey production dropped. The project aimed to increase the productivity of the local Caucasian honey bees, and to improve the capacity of beekeepers to produce more honey from each beehive.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston was one of the strongest tropical cyclones to make landfall in Fiji. The loss of food crops, livestock, fisheries and related infrastructures caused by the cyclone was extensive and a State of Natural Disaster was declared by the Government of Fiji on 20 February 2016. The objective of this emergency project was the rapid re-establishment of agricultural and fisheries production in the most affected households. The project aimed to provide the inputs and technical support needed to revive livelihoods and restore food security to households and communities in the most affected areas.

The États généraux, gathering more than 300 participants from all sectors and regions of the country, was one of the largest platforms for exchange between actors ever mobilized in the sub-region. It provided a forum to openly discuss the Rural Code in Niger, its implementation over thelast 25 years and its contribution to food and nutrition security and agricultural development.