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This introduction frames the entire series of guidance notes "Improving food security and nutrition in protracted crises – guidance to implement the CFS-FFA", providing background on protracted crises and the Framework for Action for Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Crises (CFS-FFA) and also presenting the objectives of the series. Protracted crises are situations in which a significant proportion of the population is acutely vulnerable to death, disease, and disruption of livelihoods o ver a prolonged period of time. Available in French.

This publication aims to inform the debate on the status of food security in Arab countries, and provide policy options for enhancing food security in the future, in line with the overarching directions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Given the heterogeneity of the Arab region, both in terms of natural endowment, particularly in water resources, and economic capabilities, the report’s analysis divides the region into four subregions, each consisting of a more homogeneous group of countries. This report provides a broad overview of food security in the Arab region, including the availability, access and utilization of food. Elements of [...]

The 2017 Near East and North Africa (NENA) edition of the Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition comes under the theme of “building resilience for food security and nutrition in times of conflict and crisis”. The report establishes a baseline against which to measure future progress towards achieving SDG 2 on ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in NENA by monitoring the latest indicators for the SDG targets on hunger and food insecurity (SDG Target 2.1) and malnutrition (SDG Target 2.2). Beyond numbers, the report focuses on the fundamental factors that have driven improvements in food security and malnutrition: poverty reduction, [...]

FAO recognizes that crop improvement through innovative technologies, including both conventional breeding and modern biotechnologies, is an essential approach to achieving sustainable increases in crop productivity and thus contributes to food security. Scientific evidence has shown that modern biotechnologies offer potential options to improving such aspects as the yield and quality, resource use efficiency, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and the nutrition value of the crops. FAO is also aware of the public perception and concerns about the potential risks to human health and the environment associated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). FAO underlines the need to carefully evaluate [...]

Effective organizations are critical for sustainable development, particularly for food security and agriculture. This course explains how to carry out effective analysis and development of state and non-state organizations in member countries. It also provides illustrations of organizational change, including in government ministries, producer organizations and research institutes. Users will learn:  The importance of analysing organizations’ strengths and weaknesses How to carry out comprehensive analyses of organizations How to design and implement organizational change How to engage in effective multi-stakeholder processes How to monitor progress in organizational development

This sourcebook provides an overview of the second, digital edition of the Climate-Smart Agriculture Sourcebook. The new edition includes new findings, case studies and lessons learned. It also takes into account the changes in the landscape of international climate action since the original edition was published in 2013. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – which encompasses the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda – provides an international framework for strong national actions and collective efforts to achieve sustainable development. Climate-smart agriculture, as an approach to achieve sustainable food and agriculture, [...]

This manual explains how to use the EX-Ante Carbon-balance Tool for Value Chain (EX-ACT VC) and how to address a multi-impact appraisal in terms of socio-economic and environmental performance of value chains. These guidelines justify the development of the tool, and introduce its goals for value chain analysis and the step-by-step approach of its modules. Specifically, Chapter 1 discusses the importance of incorporating climate change mitigation and resilience into agricultural production systems. Chapter 2 explains the development of the FAO EX-ACT Value Chain tool, along with its logic and methodology, while Chapter 3 provides a concise overview of its structure. Chapters [...]

FAO supports member countries to meet the challenges of an urbanizing world by promoting the integration of Urban and Peri-urban Horticulture (UPH) into national and local agricultural development strategies, food and nutrition programmes and urban planning. UPH is the cultivation of a wide range of crops – including fruit, vegetables, roots, tubers and ornamental plants – within cities and towns and in their surrounding areas. It is a key component of robust and resilient urban food systems whi ch empower the urban poor. UPH is already widely practised in developing countries, accounting for more than half of the fruit and [...]

FAO encourages sustainable crop production intensification farming practices and technologies that support the development of resilient crop production systems. The approach is founded on a set of science based environmental, institutional and social principles.  

This publication provides an overview and analysis of the trends in agricultural trade and trade policies in the post-Soviet countries. The annual review serves to enhance transparency in agricultural trade policy measures, contributing to more stable and effective trade in the Europe and Central Asia region.