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This paper presents current approaches to building proactive policies that support drought-stricken populations and activities, reduce vulnerability, and strengthen resilience to droughts. The paper analyses challenges and options for countries to adopt proactive drought preparedness policies, and addresses opportunities for enhancing the role of international organizations. The first section presents an overview of the regions and countries that are most affected by drought. The following sections present the context for drought, the main approaches to drought management, and the process to build a proactive drought policy that was started by the High-Level Meeting on National Drought Policies (HMNDP), including some [...]

This new edition of the report focuses on food losses and waste, providing new estimates of the world’s food post-harvest up to, but excluding, the retail level. Addressing policy makers, the report also offers a comprehensive analysis of the critical loss points in specific supply chains, thus providing examples on appropriate measures for an effective reduction.

Along the border of Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia, many communities are ethnically and politically divided. Land is at the heart of social, political and economic life, which makes land disputes and other related issues even more challenging. Tensions and conflict in Liberia, as well as the civil war, created an unstable scenario, where marginalized people increasingly take to demonstrating in cities, and roadblocks and even violence are becoming more common. Within this context, FAO, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) developed this project to promote the stabilization and cohesion of 10 communities along [...]

In August 2017, 61 cases of aflatoxin and 17 deaths were reported from five districts in the Dodoma and Manyara regions. The Government took immediate action to investigate the outbreak. Out of the 115 maize samples tested, 52 showed high levels of aflatoxin poisoning that exceeded the World Health Organization’s (WHO) threshold of 5 micrograms per kilogram of cereal and the Tanzania Bureau of Standards’ maximum acceptable limits for maize and groundnut. Maize is the United Republic of Tanzania’s staple food and is also prone to the development of mycotoxins, produced by fungi (e.g. Aspergillus). Aflatoxins can cause acute or [...]

The sustainable management of forest and tree resources requires adequate and reliable information about the extent and state of the existing resources and their changes over time. The last countrywide forest inventory in Uzbekistan was conducted in 1978. The lack of data on forest and tree resources hampered the development of the forestry sector and international reporting obligations. Thus, the project addressed capacity building to establish a forest-monitoring system to supply the lacking data. Once established, the forest monitoring system will contribute to sustainable rural development with improved livelihoods of local communities and mitigate climate change. 

The recognition of rice as a profitable smallholder cash crop and a major contributor to food security compelled the Governmentof Zambia to develop the National Rice Development Strategy(NRDS; 2011-2015). The NRDS identified inadequate availability of quality seed, outdated production technologies, poor agronomic practices and uncoordinated markets at farmers’ level as the main constraints to rice production in the country. The project aimed to address these constraints through interventions such as the purification of existing rice varieties and the development of improved ones, and the provision of capacity building in rice production for farmers in three target districts, namely Kasama and [...]

This publication gathers the scientific and policy information and outcomes of the regional conference for wider distribution. The long abstracts were written by the invited speakers. These proceedings are intended as a useful collection of information focusing on river habitat restoration and inland fisheries of the European continent, with specific examples from the Danube river basin. It makes a significant contribution to existing knowledge of these issues. This document has been prepared by the International Organisation for the Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Europe (EUROFISH) for the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the FAO Regional [...]

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.

The implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda is just at the onset. Pursuing the wide and ambitious Sustainable Development Objectives (SDGs) poses major challenges at all levels, from the sub-national, to the regional and the international level, and calls for a timely decision of effective policy actions in a quickly-evolving world of scarce resources. In this context, the ability to design sound policies and monitor their outcomes is a key requirement. Measuring progress towards international goals and their national and subnational specifications is of paramount importance. This pocketbook presents, at a glance, selected key indicators on agriculture and food security, [...]

Since 2004, the Right to Food Guidelines have introduced an approach that has influenced the global agenda to eradicate hunger and malnutrition and is relevant to today’s global efforts towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, grounded in human rights and hence recalling the importance of the progressive realization of the right to adequate food. This publication highlights efforts of a number of countries, organizations, groups, at the global, regional and national level, in taking legislative actions, designing policies and strategies, setting up accountable institutions and bodies, to respect, protect and fulfil this human right. [...]