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Organic producers have new opportunities to supply their products to the markets as the demand for safe product is increasing in Asia and in the world. The high cost and paperwork associated with the third-party certification hamper smallholder farmers to benefit from this trend. At the same time, consumers are faced with difficulties to trust organic or safe products in the market. In response, a pilot project in Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Cambodia addressed the certification and marketing issues through the promoting of Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS). Through a training of trainers (ToT) 13 participants (46 percent women) from [...]

The result of this online consultation will feed on-going FAO projects with ideas on how to attract migrants to invest their remittances into the agricultural sector and to improve their families’ nutrition, advocate sustainable modules with the governments for increased food security and help inform recommendations of the FAO regional plans in the future.

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.

For the third year in a row, hunger is on the rise again and affects 821 million people in the world. In addition, one third of the global population suffers from malnutrition. Eradicating hunger and malnutrition by 2030 requires strategies, public policies, national laws and programs that guarantee the right to adequate food for everyone, contribute to reducing poverty and improve people’s diets according to each country’s specific context. This publication presents the structural causes of hunger and malnutrition and introduces FAO’s framework of action to achieve a solid political commitment and design long-term legal strategies to achieve Zero Hunger. [...]

A technical brief on the sustainable food systems concept and framework, this document reflects the three first-day modules of the FAO food systems/value chains training program. Colleagues and trainees using the training materials to explore the implementation of trainings wish to refer to the training materials (e.g., the food system wheel), but as these have yet no published documents related to them, they cannot do so. Also, various trainees are using the training materials to explore the implementation of trainings of a similar format in their countries/projects, and are looking for some publication to share with partners. Finally, the course [...]

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 [...]

Political disputes and the deterioration of the economic and security situation in Libya continue to threaten the agricultural sector and its infrastructure. The cereal sector and, above all, wheat production, the most important crop for food security, are particularly affected. To improve food security conditions, farmers need to have access to improved seed, especially wheat seed. The wheat seed assistant programme was implemented to help small farmers in selected governorates to increase wheat production and productivity by distributing improved seed to producer households affected by the political situation, and by providing training and extension. Find more Project Highlights here.  

Institutional food procurement programme (IFPPs) refers to initiatives that are designed to link demand for food from institutions such as school, hospitals and school feeding programmes to broader development objectives. In developing countries, IFPPs are increasingly viewed as approaches that facilitate the integration of small farmers into formal food systems. This publication shares lessons from the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) Purchase for Progress pilot initiative (P4P) and Brazil’s National School Feeding Programme (PNAE) and the Public Food Procurement Programme (PAA), with insights on the policy and institutional reforms required for developing and implementing institutional food procurement programmes. In [...]

During the period 2007–2017, the government’s main policies for the agricultural sector aimed at reinforcing support to farmers, strengthening disaster risk management and rehabilitating degraded pastures. The government increased non-contributory social assistance expenditure for categorically targeted programmes from 1.3 percent of GDP in 2008 to 2.2 percent in 2014 (higher than levels in Europe and Central Asia). Nevertheless, the performance of the social assistance system in terms of coverage, targeting accuracy and adequacy, remains a challenge. See all FAPDA country fact sheets.

The government of Haiti has attempted in recent years to increase the efficiency in agricultural support measures, partly reforming the input subsidy programme, and modernising land registration systems and zoo-phytosanitary measures. Extreme poverty has fallen from 31 to 24 percent over the last decade, especially in urban areas. However, vulnerable sectors of the population continue to have limited access to public support. Main social protection programmes reviewed were cash transfers and school feeding, sustainability, targeting, and coverage remain as challenges See all FAPDA country fact sheets.