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Market information can play an extremely important role in promoting agricultural development, especially among small-scale producers. Sound market information can help to enhance transparency, competitiveness and the more equitable sharing of benefits among key players in the marketing system. An effective Market Information System or Service (MIS) can increase competitiveness, reduce information asymmetries and improve market efficiency. This Literature Review seeks to review all features relating to MIS development, with a particular focus on information on market prices and on the use of new technologies for price data collection and dissemination. It aims to identify the majority of the relevant [...]

Collective agreements aim to define the contractual employment relationship between the union and the employer in a given economic sector . They involve the participation of workers' representatives and employer’s representatives . The state can also be an important actor involved in the negotiations. Collective bargaining agreements can be of two types : 1. To replace multiple agreements signed at a company level without negatively affecting previous agreements. 2. To establish a minimum level of conditions that must be taken into account in all individual negotiations of the company, both for unionized workers and for those who are not part [...]

This country case study on Uruguay is one in a series that describes the steps taken to formulate and implement National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), with a particular emphasis on adaptation in agriculture (incl. forestry, livestock and fisheries). This series aims to provide national policy makers with valuable information from colleagues and counterparts in Asia, Africa and Latin America who are on the same NAP journey to address the multiple challenges posed by climate change.

This country case study on Kenya is one in a series that describes the steps taken to formulate and implement National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), with a particular emphasis on adaptation in agriculture (incl. forestry, livestock and fisheries). This series aims to provide national policy makers with valuable information from colleagues and counterparts in Asia, Africa and Latin America who are on the same NAP journey to address the multiple challenges posed by climate change.

Trade in agricultural products is expected to continue to increase over the coming decades and will therefore influence the extent and nature of food security and nutrition across all regions of the world. The challenge is how to ensure that the expansion of agricultural trade works for, and not against, the elimination of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. Trade policies affect levels of agricultural trade, which in turn affect availability of food in domestic markets, food prices and incomes, along with other important variables that ultimately affect food security and nutrition outcomes. The impact of trade policies on various aspects of food security and nutrition has given rise to [...]

The relationship between trade and food security is attracting increased attention on both the trade and development agendas, with trade recognized as one of the means for achieving the SDGs. The linkages between these concepts are highly complex and have been subject to intense debates. While on the one hand, agricultural trade is considered to balance food deficits and surpluses and broaden consumer choice, on the other, it is also implicated in exposing small-scale value chain actors to greater competition, and speeding up a nutrition transition.   This course seeks to strengthen capacities of agricultural and trade sector stakeholders to: Assess the challenges [...]

To respond to the diverse effects of climate change on food systems requires close dialogue and interaction between the research community and policy-makers. Strengthening this relationship will ensure that research findings are relevant to policy debates, and that policies are informed by up to date and rigorous analysis. This brief summarizes key findings from a multidisciplinary team of agronomists, livestock scientists, climatologists and economists for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) working in Malawi and Zambia. The findings presented here seek to spark a fruitful continued discussions on how policies can make use of these findings, [...]

GLEAM-i is an online, Tier 2, greenhouse gas (GHG) calculator specific to the livestock sector. It brings the core functionalities of the FAO Global Livestock Environmental Assessment Model (GLEAM) to the public in a web application. The current version of GLEAM-i allows the direct comparison between Baseline and Scenario conditions and includes the 2010 background data from GLEAM 2.0 as default. GLEAM-i is designed to support governments, project planners, producers, industry and civil society organizations. It can be used in the preparation of national GHG inventories, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and in ex-ante project evaluation for estimating the climate co-benefits [...]

GLEAM-interactive (GLEAM-i) brings the core functionalities of the FAO Global Livestock Environmental Assessment Model to the public in a single Excel file. The current version of GLEAM-i allows the direct comparison between Baseline and Scenario conditions, includes feedlot systems for cattle and incorporates the 2010 background data from GLEAM. GLEAM-i is the first open, user-friendly and livestock specific tool designed to support governments, project planners, producers, industry and civil society organizations to calculate emissions using Tier 2 methods. GLEAM-i can be used in the preparation of national inventories and in ex-ante project evaluation for the assessment of intervention scenarios in [...]

This video tells the story of Mehaou, an inspiring Nigerien farmer and grandmother who has overcome many challenges to provide for her family - including rearing, breeding and selling goats.  FAO and the ASTF fund are supporting small farmers to invest and diversity their incomes to create decent employment opportunities.