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Rice has been cultivated for many decades in Fiji, and is a major source of food for its population. However, the country’s rice industry has increasingly weakened over these years, as the rice area and production has declined, while rice yield growth has been stagnant or marginal. As a result, the country has had to import more than 80 percent of the total rice demanded annually. Against this background, the Government of Fiji has committed to revitalizing the rice industry and ensuring the reduction of rice imports by 2020. The project aimed to strengthen the capacity of related government departments, [...]

This paper is an accompaniment to the FAO study, The Agricultural Sectors in the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs): Analysis. Building on the results of that study, this paper outlines key types of support developing countries will require to effectively implement and report on their agricultural sector commitments, and ultimately scale up ambition in the coming years. 

This policy brief highlights the recommendations on "Investing in Smallholder Agriculture for Food Security and Nutrition", endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), 40th Session 2013. 

Farmers in Mozambique are diversified, but subsistence-oriented. Thirty-seven percent of farmers in Mozambique grow a three crop system based on maize, a legume, and an alternative staple, such as cassava or sorghum. This system is an effective adaption strategy, as it reduces crop income volatility compared to less diverse systems, but it is also associated with low levels of productivity, input use, and incomes. Adoption of cash cropping system improves farmers’ welfare. Farmers who adopt cash crops have higher average incomes and higher productivity levels. However, only 19 percent of farmers grow cash crops. Limited household resources and isolation from [...]

This publication provides an in-depth analysis of the applications of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies in the agriculture sector. It aims to facilitate a better understanding of the opportunities and benefits of blockchain in agriculture, as well as the technical and institutional barriers to its adoption. The paper analyses how blockchain and smart contracts can increase efficiency, transparency and traceability in agricultural supply chains and improve rural development interventions; as well as be an impetus to achieve the SDGs. Blockchain-based technologies have the potential to promote more sustainable agriculture supply chains, better facilitate trade and provide a more inclusive trading [...]

There is growing interest in water accounting, why it is needed, what benefits it brings, and equally important, how it can be put into practice. Water accounting is about quantifying water resources and uses of water, much like financial accounts provide information on income and expenditure. Interest in water accounting is based on the premise that ‘We cannot plan and manage what we do not measure’ – a statement that few would disagree with.Society needs more accurate information and answers to the key questions about water supply and demand. More data are needed but simply doing water measurements and assessments [...]

This document provides guidance to support the utilization of the “Rapid Capacity Assessment Tool: Empowering youth to engage in responsible investment in agriculture and food systems”.  The guidance document contains two distinctive, yet interrelated parts: • Guidance notes for organizers of the capacity assessment, which provide relevant information on planning, designing and conducting the capacity assessment; and • Guidance notes for facilitators, which contain concrete suggestions on how to prepare and facilitate multi-stakeholder discussions on the questions outlined in the tool.

This rapid capacity assessment tool aims to help practitioners (such as government agencies, youth organizations, or development partners) to carry out a multi-stakeholder assessment of existing and needed capacities to engage and empower youth to carry out and benefit from responsible investment in agriculture and food systems. It is designed to support the application of the CFS Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS-RAI), with a particular focus on principle four (“Engage and Empower Youth”). The tool addresses the different systemic dimensions of capacity development and focuses on: the institutional set-up for agricultural investment related policy processes; policies, [...]

The WTO has objectives such as lowering and elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers in international trade, improvement of trade transparency and predictability, trade facilitation, discouraging of unfair trade practices. For this purpose, the WTO member’s governments apply various trade policy instruments in accordance with WTO rules. The WTO member’s business can greatly benefit from application by government of the WTO instruments that facilitate trade and protect from unfair competition. Moreover, the business itself can directly use some of these instruments for better market access, in particular transparency instruments, or in cooperation with government get support or protection provided in [...]

This review focuses on the various aspects of post-Soviet countries' policies in support of agri-food products export. The report contains an analysis of agricultural exports of these countries in recent years.   This includes the latest initiatives in the field of stimulating food supplies to the foreign market are considered, and the national legislation promoting exports is described. Moreover, the review consolidates information in relation to the export support systems within post-Soviet countries, including governmental institutions, state export support agencies and non-governmental institutions. The report also evaluates the key instruments and measures for agricultural exports promotion in countries of the region, [...]