FAO.org

Strategic investments in the agriculture sector are a catalyst for sustainable, economic growth and poverty reduction. Through their partnership, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have produced this comprehensive study on the State of Agriculture in the Caribbean, drawing upon decades of research on the many drivers of change affecting the CDB’s Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs), including international trade, institutional policies, and climate change. This report follows forty years of structural change in the agriculture sector of BMCs, and can support the development of an updated Agriculture Sector Strategy, by identifying [...]

Although migratory flows from rural areas are a common phenomenon in most developing countries, we possess little information on their dynamics and determinants. In this context, in September 2017, in the framework of the project “Fostering productive investments to create decent farm and non-farm jobs for rural youth in migration-prone areas in Senegal”, FAO and the Senegalese National Agency of Statistics and Demography (ANSD) conducted a household survey with the aim of generating information on migration phenomena in rural areas. The survey results described in this study contribute to broadening the available knowledge base on the causes and dynamics of [...]

These guidelines are intended to provide guidance on pesticide risk reduction through reduced exposure by effective personal protection with special attention to the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). First, they provide technical information on personal protection and on the selection and use of PPE. Second, in line with the FAO/WHO International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management, they address policy issues and recommend measures to improve personal protection and specifically the use and availability of adequate quality and affordable PPE. They are primarily aimed at government authorities in charge of pesticide management and risk reduction, but are also considered useful [...]

The purpose of these insurance guidelines is fourfold, i.e.:  to increase awareness about the needs of small-scale fishers for better risk management, disaster preparedness and insurance services;  to guide policy and decision makers to help introduce insurance services to small-scale fishers, with the ultimate objective to strengthen the sustainability and ecological and economic viability of these fisheries;  to build capacity among insurance providers, fisherfolk organizations, NGOs, and concerned government agencies, to design and implement insurance programmes that suit the needs of small-scale fishing communities and enhance social protection;  to promote insurance services that incentivize and reward a responsible and sustainable conduct of fishing operations [...]

The purpose of these guidelines is fourfold: (i) Increase awareness about the financial service needs of small-scale fishers (SSF) for more sustainable and inclusive access to finance; (ii) Guide policy and decision makers in the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere, to help introduce and incentivize financial services to small-scale fishers, with the ultimate objective to encourage investment in the industry and by doing so influence and strengthen sustainability, ecological and economic viability of these fisheries; (iii) Build capacity among financial service providers, fisherfolk organizations, NGOs, and concerned government agencies, to design and implement financial service products and programmes that suit the [...]

The People’s Republic of China (China) has been one of FAO’s main partners in the promotion of South-South and triangular cooperation. In terms of cooperation among developing countries, China upholds the principles of equality and mutual trust, building equal partnerships with parity of ownership and responsibility, mutual benefit and win–win cooperation, which are highly valued by FAO. Together, FAO and China offer considerable development knowledge and solutions that are relevant to South-South exchanges. After more than two decades of increasing collaboration in supporting flows of technical assistance between developing countries, FAO and China established in 2009 the FAO-China South-South Cooperation [...]

Considering the detrimental environmental impact of current food systems, and the concerns raised about their sustainability, there is an urgent need to promote diets that are healthy and have low environmental impacts. These diets also need to be socio-culturally acceptable and economically accessible for all.Acknowledging the existence of diverging views on the concepts of sustainable diets and healthy diets, countries have requested guidance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on what constitutes sustainable healthy diets.These guiding principles take a holistic approach to diets; they consider international nutrition recommendations; the [...]

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 essentially what conflict-sensitive programming means. The Programme Clinic Facilitation Guide is a key step in operationalising this, being a structured participatory analysis designed to [...]

The FAO Migration Framework guides the Organization in carrying out its work on migration at global, regional and country levels. It aims to ensure greater coordination between technical units and decentralized offices, and strengthen coherence and synergies across the Organization. It presents FAO definition, vision and mission on migration and spells out the rational for FAO engagement in this area. It presents what FAO does on migration, identifying the four main thematic areas of work along the migration cycle. Finally, it describes how FAO works on migration along its core functions. Also available in Arabic, French and Spanish. In brief available [...]

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 will also discuss the importance of rural development in achieving the SDGs by identifying the current situation and the extent of change required to meet the SDGs.