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At the request of the Ecuadorian Government, FAO undertook a technical assistance to generate an integrated assessment climate impacts on the banana value chain in support of the Ecuador initiatives towards sustainable and climate-adapted strategies. Both biophysical and socio-economic analyses were carried out using a team of FAO and international experts. Evidence was generated on: (i) banana suitability under climate change in Ecuador and other banana producing countries; (ii) climate impacts on yields and potential diseases incidence for bananas in Ecuador; (iii) carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions from production to consumption, including transportation and waste disposal. Policy analysis focused on the [...]

This policy brief demonstrates that Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) can enhance agricultural productivity, support food security and rural development, and at the same time reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. NAMAs can function as a mechanism for the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the achievement of a number of sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The pilot projects of the Mitigation of Climate Change in Agriculture (MICCA) Programme of FAO in Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania have promoted climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and have been integrated into ongoing development programmes. The objective of the pilot projects was to show that smallholder farmers can improve their livelihoods and increase their productivity and contribute to climate change mitigation at the same time. The approach was to develop packages of climate-smart agricultural practices based on participatory assessments and expert consultations, implement the selected practices using a variety of extension methods and evaluate their effects on yield, food security and their potential to reduce greenhouse [...]

Five hundred millions farms worldwide provide most of the food consumed in the developing world. However, farmers, in particular smallholders, are frequently marginalized from decision-making processes, depend on agriculture and lack access to markets, services, technologies and economic opportunities. This hinders their economic potential, perpetrating low productivity, poverty and hunger. Farmer to farmer exchanges can improve small producers’ organizational and technical capacities, increasing their productivity and reducing rural poverty. Farmer to farmer exchange is an example of South-South Cooperation, which provides opportunities for mutual learning among countries through sharing experience and field visits. This is an important component of the [...]

There are still 2.1 billion poor people and other 900 million living in extreme poverty, most of which live in rural areas. Most of the poor live in rural areas and 95% per cent of the rural poor live in East Asia, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Most of the rural poor are smallholders and family farmers, who depend on agriculture for their food and income. FAO works through a multi-dimensional approach to address the challenges that poor family farmers face in their daily lives and increase their income generating capacity. At the policy level, FAO helps countries shape poverty [...]

The SSF Guidelines are based on internationally accepted human rights standards and are to be interpreted and implemented in accordance with those standards. Their objectives are to be met through the promotion of a human rights-based approach (HRBA). This approach seeks to ensure the participation of small-scale fishing communities in nondiscriminatory, transparent and accountable decision-making processes by putting particular emphasis on the needs of vulnerable and marginalized groups and developing countries. While the HRBA has been recognized by FAO as a principle that informs the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes and projects, there is still limited experience in its practical application in the context of small-scale [...]

The Expert Workshop on gender-equitable small-scale fisheries in the context of the implementation of the SSF Guidelines was held on 28-30 November 2016 in FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy. In keeping with the need expressed by various stakeholders during capacity development on the SSF Guidelines, it was considered important to develop gender guidance to support the application of the SSF Guidelines. It was therefore decided that a Gender Implementation Guide be developed to enhance the understanding of the gender dimensions of small-scale fisheries and support gender equitable small-scale fisheries. Within this context, the Expert Workshop aimed at presenting and discussing a [...]

Households living in rural areas of developing countries rely on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihoods and, as such, are highly dependent on climatic conditions. This paper aims at presenting empirical evidence from Zambia to better understand the linkages between climatic shocks, livelihood diversification and welfare outcomes with the goal of highlighting potential policy entry points to incentivize the types of diversification aimed at improving food security and resilience to climate shocks. We also investigate the role of different institutions in shaping diversification decisions to shed some light into potential policy levers at institutional level. We analyze diversification of crops, livestock and income using nationally representative household data from [...]

The following recommendations have been elaborated building upon the main findings of the CFS High Level Panel of Expert’s report on Sustainable agricultural development for food security and nutrition: what roles for livestock? The sustainable development of agriculture, including livestock, is essential for poverty reduction and the achievement of food security and nutrition. The recommendations aim to strengthen the contribution of the livestock sector1 to sustainable agricultural development for food security and nutrition (FSN) and contribute to the progressive realization of the right to adequate food, in the overall context of achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, recognizing the [...]

This report addresses the economic, environmental and social dimensions of agricultural development, with the objective of ensuring food and nutrition security, in terms of availability, access, utilization and stability. It focuses on the livestock component of agricultural systems, given the role of livestock as an engine for the development of the agriculture and food sector, and as a driver of major economic, social and environmental changes in food systems worldwide. The report identifies challenges to the achievement of sustainability in livestock systems and possible pathways towards sustainable agricultural development that contribute to current and future food security and nutrition. The report concludes with recommendations for appropriate [...]