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The document presents a description of the structure of the rural environment, demography, the supply of goods and services, the main inequalities, levels of poverty, importance and role of family agriculture and other economic activities (diversification), the main features of rural society and the presence of the private sector. It will also discuss trends in migration and other social or economic processes relevant to the description of the rural situation. The text also discusses the importance of rural development in achieving the SDGs by identifying the current situation and the extent of change required to meet the SDGs.  

In 2018 FAO approved its Corporate Framework to Support Sustainable Peace in the Context of Agenda 2030, committing FAO to a more deliberate and transformative impact on sustaining peace, within the scope of its mandate. The foundational element for FAO supported interventions to - at a minimum - do no harm, or to identify where they may contribute to sustaining peace, is to understand contextual dynamics and how they could interact with a proposed intervention. This is essential to effective conflict-sensitive programming. The Guide to Context Analysis is a key step in operationalising this, being an accessible and practical learning tool [...]

This brochure highlights the important role that social protection has to play in addressing many of the barriers poor rural households face in building resilient and sustainable livelihoods. Despite progress in recent decades, 736 million people worldwide still live in extreme poverty. Most are in rural areas, possess few or no assets and depend on agriculture and the use of natural resources for their livelihoods. A number of programmes have demonstrated not only that social protection can have significant impacts on poverty, but also that even low-income countries can afford to provide it for their citizens, if they commit to [...]

Meeting the global food demand in 2050 requires increasing the global food production by 50 percent. This intensification will need to be achieved in alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.   

The cultivation of diverse farmers’ varieties/landraces, which tend to be well-adapted and suited to local production systems, confers increased resilience for crop production. Farmers’ varieties/landraces are also potential sources of traits for crop improvement, especially for developing varieties tolerant to biotic and abiotic stresses and for incorporating farmer-preferred traits. Unfortunately, many of these genetic resources have been replaced by modern cultivars in recent decades, resulting in a reduction in the total number of different varieties grown and/or loss of heterogeneity. Such losses make farming systems less resilient, especially to shocks from abiotic and biotic stresses. These guidelines, intended as reference [...]

The focus of this one-lesson e-learning course is on forced migration due to protracted crisis situations, including both natural or human-made disasters, and conflict. Forced migration is a sub-category or type of migration. It is distinguished by the presence of coercion or a lack of voluntariness. Users will be able to learn about:  Key concepts and characteristics of migration, forced migration and protracted crisis, categories of migrants The drivers and impacts of forced migration in situations of protracted crisis How forced migration is relevant to FAO’s mandate and strategic objectives, and how FAO works programmatically through the forced migration cycle How forced migration considerations [...]

This course illustrates how to identify capacity development needs on child labour for agricultural stakeholders. It provides guidance on how to design tailored capacity development activities on child labour in agriculture for a target group. It also explains how to communicate effectively in order to raise awareness on the issue of child labour in agriculture among various types of audiences.  

This course demonstrates how strong monitoring systems of agricultural programmes can incorporate child labour indicators, suggesting useful strategies. It also provides methodologies to consider when evaluating and reporting on evidence that suggests child labour may have been impacted by an agricultural initiative. The course consists of 2 lessons, ranging from approximately 40 to 45 minutes duration each: Lesson 1  Monitoring progress to address child labour in agriculture Lesson 2  Evidence of impact

This course illustrates how agricultural programmes can help to prevent and reduce child labour in agriculture. It provides guidance at each stage of the programme cycle when integrating child labour concerns in agricultural programmes. While the course is tailored to the information needs of these stakeholders, much of the content will also be highly relevant to others such as agricultural workers, employers and their organizations. The course consists of 2 lessons, ranging from approximately 45 to 60 minutes duration each: Lesson 1  Identify entry points in agricultural programmesLesson 2  Integrating child labour concerns in design and implementation

This course explains national and international legislation aimed at preventing and reducing child labour. It provides suggestions on how to assess whether a policy adequately addresses child labour in agriculture in your country. It also suggests opportunities within the development and implementation of a national rural development or agricultural policy where consideration of child labour concerns could make a difference. The course consists of 2 lessons, ranging from approximately 45 to 50 minutes duration each:     Lesson 1  Assessing policy against national child labour obligations Lesson 2  Identifying opportunities in agricultural policies