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A tool has been developed to support agroecological transitions, at different scales and in different locations, through informed policy-making processes. It consolidates information on the impact of agroecological approaches, and aims to produce evidence on the performance of agroecological systems across the environmental, social and cultural, economic, health and nutrition, and governance dimensions of sustainability. It is complemented by a guidance framework for reviewing policy options for agroecology and to assist policymakers in assessing the multidimensional impacts of agroecological production systems. See also:  Tool for agroecology performance evaluation (TAPE) − Process of development and guidelines for application: Test version

The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture presents the first global assessment of biodiversity for food and agriculture worldwide. Biodiversity for food and agriculture is the diversity of plants, animals and micro-organisms at genetic, species and ecosystem levels, present in and around crop, livestock, forest and aquatic production systems. It is essential to the structure, functions and processes of these systems, to livelihoods and food security, and to the supply of a wide range of ecosystem services. It has been managed or influenced by farmers, livestock keepers, forest dwellers, fish farmers and fisherfolk for hundreds of generations. Prepared [...]

Forests and woodlands in the United Republic of Tanzania play an important role in the economy and in nature conservation, with forests ensuring a beneficial environment for community livelihoods by providing a variety of products and services. However, forest degradation and deforestation are among the challenges faced by the national forest sector. In response to this, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania sought technical and financial support from FAO to support a review of forest policy.

Inland waterway management is complex and faces unique challenges as inland waterways have a variety of users. The mixture and overlap of local, regional, national and at times international regulations exacerbate the problem of managing inland waterways. In this context, the regional conference ‘River habitat restoration for inland fisheries in the Danube River basin and adjacent Black Sea areas’ was held on 13-15 November 2018 in Bucharest, Romania. This event was organised by the FAO Regional office for Europe and Central Asia in partnership with the International Organisation for the Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Europe (EUROFISH) and EIFAAC [...]

At the time of project formulation, Eritrea had undertaken a significant amount of preparatory work to characterize the hazards posed by pesticides, and to develop a communication strategy and legislative framework to address these. In 2008, an FAO project identified 400 tonnes of obsolete and unknown pesticides, around 1 400 m3of contaminated soil, 12 000 empty containers and 5 400 contaminated sprayers. The current project was conceived to safeguard and soundly dispose of the stockpile of obsolete pesticides and highly contaminated materials, held in 294 stores scattered across the country. In addition to the environmentally sustainable disposal of the inventoried [...]

Agriculture is the most important sector for the economy of Ghana, and for its continued growth, the use and management of agricultural inputs, such as pesticides, had to be improved. Since 2009, obsolete pesticides have been stored in the temporary storage facility at the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate office, close to a water body that provides water for the surrounding communities. The poor storage of stockpiles posed a severe risk to people's health and the environment. Therefore, this project was implemented to dispose of the hazardous chemicals and build the institutional capacity to manage them in the future, [...]

The Ex-Ante Carbon-balance Tool (EX-ACT) is an appraisal system developed by FAO providing estimates of the impact of agriculture and forestry development projects, programmes and policies on the carbon-balance. The carbon-balance is defined as the net balance from all greenhouse gases (GHGs) expressed in CO2 equivalent that were emitted or sequestered due to project implementation as compared to a business-as-usual scenario. EX-ACT is a land-based accounting system, estimating C stock changes (i.e. emissions or sinks of CO2) as well as GHG emissions per unit of land, expressed in equivalent tonnes of CO2 per hectare and year. The tool helps project designers [...]

This publication contributes directly to SO1 and under Regional Initiative on Zero Hunger Challenge. Eradication of hunger and malnutrition is a major challenge in Asia. Dietary and production diversity are recognized factors in strategies to improve food security and nutrition. Currently, agriculture has an over-reliance on a handful of major staple crops. Agrobiodiversity offers huge potentials in addressing malnutrition and agricultural sustainability. Future Smart Food (FSF), often referred to as Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS), are rich in Asia. They represent a promising abundance of food resources and constitute the bedrock of the food system diversity. FSF have enormous benefits [...]

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 [...]

The joint UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Integrating Agriculture in National Adaptation Plans Programme  (NAP-Ag) is a multi-year initiative (2015-2018) funded by the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB). The NAP-Ag is supporting countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to identify and integrate climate change adaptation measures in to relevant national planning and budgeting processes. This integration will help to enhance institutional capacities and processes for operationalizing climate response strategies in the agriculture sectors and facilitate greater partnerships, [...]