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This report reveals that some 486 million people remain undernourished in the region, highlighting that the reduction in the number of hungry and malnourished people – including children – has come to a virtual standstill. It also calls for greater resolve from governments to end hunger.

In many developing and least-developed countries (LDCs), the transformation of the agriculture sector is key for improving domestic food security and nutrition and for promoting economic development. However, efforts to raise agricultural productivity and develop inclusive and competitive agricultural value chains are often hampered by market- and trade-related bottlenecks, while initiatives promoting agricultural commercialisation, diversification and trade are often curbed by bottlenecks at farm or post-harvest levels. In this context, FAO, in collaboration with the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) and European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM), carried out a Multi-partner Programme Support Mechanism (FMM) Project on Trade related capacity development [...]

This document summarizes the online discussion Eradicating extreme poverty: What is the role of agriculture? which was held on the FAO Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum) from 3 to 24 April 2018. The discussion was facilitated by Ana Paula de la O Campos and Maya Takagi of FAO. This online discussion was part of a broader reflection on the part of FAO towards refining and improving its approach to the eradication of extreme poverty, by using its experience in supporting the development of agriculture and the livelihoods of rural dwellers towards the realization of SDG1. Over [...]

Global and regional agreements set out the rules for countries trade policies .and define the policy space available within agriculture for reaching food security objectives. Therefore, balancing the achievement of national policy objectives with the obligations under trade agreements is critical. This course informs the treatment of agriculture in several World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements and regional trade agreements (RTAs) and aims to support policy makers to develop and implement appropriate agricultural development and food security strategies. By the end of the course, participants will be better able to: •understand and identify the main provisions of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA); •understand and [...]

This document summarizes the online consultation Mainstreaming biodiversity in agriculture, fisheries and forestry for improved food security and better nutrition held on the FAO Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum) from 7 May to 1 June 2018. The online consultation aimed at gathering experiences and examples from practitioners to define further the objectives and partnerships of the FAO Biodiversity Mainstreaming Platform and to advance the development of its work programme. Technical facilitation was provided by the following FAO staff: Irene Hoffmann, Secretary of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and Paulo Augusto Lourenço Dias Nunes, Natural Resources Officer in the Climate, [...]

Crop diversification is an important policy objective to promote climate change adaptation, yet the drivers and impacts of crop diversification vary considerably depending on the specific combinations of crops a farmer grows. This paper examines adoption determinants of seven different cropping systems in Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique, and the impact of their adoption on maize productivity and income volatility – using a multinomial endogenous treatment effect model. These cropping systems consist in different combinations of four categories of crops: dominate staple (maize), alternative staples, legumes, and cash-crops. The study finds that relative to maize mono-cropping systems, the vast majority of [...]

This report analyses the impacts of violent conflicts on food security, including on coping and consumption patterns, long-term consequences of early-life exposure to conflict, and the linkages between food insecurity and anti-social behaviours.  

This document summarizes the online discussion Youth employment in agriculture as a solid solution to ending hunger and poverty in Africa, which was held on the FAO Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum) from 16 July to 10 August 2018. The discussion was organized to gather views in advance of the 20-21 August regional conference “Youth Employment in Agriculture as a Solid Solution to Ending Hunger and Poverty in Africa: Engaging through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Entrepreneurship” in Kigali, Rwanda. The major thematic areas of the conference focused on youth and entrepreneurship, digital innovation, and [...]

Migration is an expanding global reality, one that allows millions of people to seek new opportunities. But it also involves challenges for migrants and for societies, both in areas of origin and of destination. This report analyses migratory flows – internal and international – and how they are linked to processes of economic development, demographic change, and natural-resource pressure. The focus is on rural migration, the many forms it takes and the important role it plays in both developing and developed countries. The report investigates the drivers and impacts of rural migration and highlights how related policy priorities depend on [...]

Ethiopia is vulnerable to many natural hazards, and years of below-average rainfall, coupled with the 2015 El Niño-induced drought, resulted in deteriorating food security in 2016. In some regions crop losses, mainly cereals, were between 30 and 95 percent. Many households had to eat their seed reserves, leaving them without means of production in future seasons. This project –part of the largest emergency seed response in Ethiopia’s history –focused on providing seed aid to vulnerable smallholders: 13 875 households were helped, over a third more than the 10 223 initially targeted, to resume their agricultural livelihoods. Find more Project Highlights here.