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The COVID-19 pandemic is a health and human crisis threatening the food security and nutrition of millions of people around the world. Hundreds of millions of people were already suffering from hunger and malnutrition before the virus hit and, unless immediate action is taken, we could see a global food emergency. In the longer term, the combined effects of COVID-19 itself, as well as corresponding mitigation measures and the emerging global recession could, without large-scale coordinated action, disrupt the functioning of food systems. Such disruption can result in consequences for health and nutrition of a severity and scale unseen for [...]

Even if roots and tubers are generally tolerant to poor soils and droughts, they can be affected by climate variability and change. In order to address climate risks, value chains’ actors require timely and accurate information systems, including data on market prices, and a set of crop-specific climate risk management strategies. This policy brief indicates four main interventions to reduce risks and mitigate their impact on roots and tubers: (i) integrating climate risk management into agricultural development policies and planning; (ii) develop an inclusive strategy for the provision of climate related services; (iii) facilitate contract farming arrangements to promote climatic [...]

The report summarizes country achievements in the Asia and Pacific region in advancing towards the 2030 SDG deadlines. These success stories involve FAO offices working with governments and partners in some 21 countries in Asia and a complitation of success stories from the Pacific. It was initially published for presentation at the 35th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC-35) in Thimphu, Bhutan (17-20 February 2020), but these achievements will be of interest to member countries and other development partners for several years to come.

While the immediate impact of COVID19 in most parts of the world has been primarily urban, the economic impact of COVID19 spread quickly to rural areas. In most cases, the contagion will eventually follow. Most of the world’s poor and food insecure live in rural areas, and although physical distance, relative isolation, lower population density and their own production of food play in favour for rural areas, they are particularly vulnerable to suffering severe impact from the pandemic and the ensuing economic contraction. Rural areas, particularly in the developing world, are much less prepared to deal with the direct and [...]

The background for conducting country study on the challenges, needs and constraints of smallholders and family farms in the Republic of Serbia has been a wish to further strengthen the Regional Initiative on Empowering Smallholders and Family Farms and develop it towards a stronger programmatic approach at both the regional and the country level. In order to provide support to smallholders and family farms, there has been a need to develop a better understanding and knowledge platform of the main challenges, needs and constraints of smallholders and family farms in the specific country context. The objective of the country study is [...]

This policy brief analyses institutional challenges faced by Guyana’s agricultural sector to promote diversification and development. Agricultural development in Guyana is strongly correlated with agricultural diversification, hence diversification strategies can be used to promote growth in this sector. The identified challenges in the analysis that currently hamper diversification and trade of Guyana’s agricultural products include high tariff and non-tariff barriers, low level of direct investment, and a lack of physical infrastructure. Furthermore, missing quality and quantity capacities of farmers as well as the lack of a working sanitary and phytosanitary regime hinders intra-regional trade and import substitution. It is recommended [...]

The brief outlines FLAGPH's and the Philippines Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) collaborative efforts to undertake knowledge exchange sessions that can provide relevant inputs to the preparation of a legislative agenda towards sustained rural development and agricultural growth.

Countries have acknowledged the inter-dependency of land and water management and the multiple benefits of reversing land degradation for sustainable development, water security and resilience to natural hazards such as drought. Achieving LDN contributes towards the achievement of several SDGs, particularly SDG 6 on water. To ensure that countries reach their LDN objectives, improve synergies between LDN, water security and drought mitigation and achieve the SDGs through LDN approaches, this brifing note presents recommendations for countries, with the support of their national and international partners.

In the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition, FAO reported that the prevalence of undernourishment was rising in the region. The latest data shows that the deterioration has slowed, but there remain 256 million hungry people in Africa today. The report further documents that although many African countries are making progress towards reducing malnutrition, progress is too slow to meet six key nutrition targets, which form part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) monitoring framework and the World Health Assembly global nutrition targets. Food insecurity has been rising in Africa in recent [...]

This case study documents insights on gender mainstreaming practices implemented in a large-scale agriculture development project with a climate change adaptation component in Western Province, Zambia. It describes the key gender issues in the project context, as well as the gender mainstreaming practices that are in place and have potential for scaling up. Recommendations for policymakers indicate a way forward to enhance the promotion of gender equality in the context of adaptation to climate change impacts on agriculture