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Significant potential exists in Malawi for agricultural production and productivity gains, which could be tapped for value creation and the improvement if living conditions of the broader population. Diversification and business orientation in a market and private sector-led environment can lead to higher and stabilized farm incomes. In order to design and implement this pathway in an inclusive manner, small and medium-sized farmers/processors need a strong institutional support structure that empowers them to link up with more formalized and higher-value market channels, helping them to realize new income opportunities.

In the Mediterranean, particularly in Albania, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia, small-scale fisheries play a crucial role in sustaining economic activity and ensuring food security within coastal communities. However, their remuneration tends to be lower when compared to larger scale fisheries. Likewise, they face environmental, economic, social and political risks, and at times, they are unable to cope with the adverse effects of shocks.  Social protection can address these vulnerabilities in small-scale fisheries communities, through policies and programmes. However, there is limited availability of data on the sector, greatly due to the high levels of informality, irregularity and seasonal nature [...]

Countries in Africa have made renewed commitments to end hunger, such as in the Malabo Declaration of 2014, the SDGs of 2016 and other international and regional declarations. If these are supported by effective legislation, including constitutional protection, the future economic, social and cultural benefit to the continent is evident.

Large numbers of people in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region suffer from hunger and malnutrition, with recent estimates indicating that 14.9 percent of the people in the region suffer from hunger or undernourishment. There is also a continued high incidence of malnutrition. In the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, new strategies are required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG2) of eliminating hunger and malnutrition by 2030. It was realized that a SAARC-level regional framework and plan of action would help to enhance and complement national-level efforts in this field. A new regional [...]

The Government of The Gambia faced many difficulties controlling spiralling whitefly infestation in the country, because of insufficient capacity at both public and private sector levels to control the pest. Whitefly is found in the western part of The Gambia, but if it is not adequately controlled it could spread to the rest of the country. In view of these challenges, the Government requested technical support to build the capacities of public and private sector stakeholders in whitefly management, and to develop and implement a sustainable pest management strategy.

The 2018 compendium offers an overview of salient government policies and related private sector measures concerning global and national markets for oilcrops and derived products. Its purpose is to facilitate the work of policy makers, market experts, analysts and other interested stakeholders by providing a short, concise, overview of policy developments relevant to the sector. Detailed news items are presented in tabular form (in English only), preceeded by a breief discussion of ten key policy trends observed in the year under review.

This policy brief highlights the recommendations on "Investing in Smallholder Agriculture for Food Security and Nutrition", endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), 40th Session 2013. 

A regional strategy developed by technical officers from Ministries of Agriculture of CELAC countries and its PPT in El Salvador with technical assistance from FAO and UNISDR to improve disaster risk management in agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean through a a collaborative approach between countries. It was approved during CELAC’s IV Ministerial Meeting on Family Farming and Rural Development, held on 12 and 13 December 2017 in San Salvador, El Salvador. The Strategy seeks to contribute to the CELAC Plan for Food and Nutrition Security and the Eradication of Hunger 2025 (FNS-CELAC Plan). Specifically, to its fourth pillar on [...]

In the majority of developing countries, pesticides are widely used for the control of pests and diseases in agriculture. Unsound chemical management, the use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs), the presence of unsafeguarded obsolete stocks of pesticides and the overall poor management of pesticide products pose significant and often unacceptable risks to human health and the environment. The project(of which this was the second phase) was part of the European Commission programme on “Capacity Building related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements(MEAs) in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries”. The second phase of this project aimed to support and strengthen institutional and national [...]

Widespread maize monocropping in Malawi exposes farmers to significant livelihood risk in the context of increasing climate variability. 36 percent of rural households grow maize in monocrop. These farmers are often poor and land constrained, and experience low levels of productivity and high production volatility. The effects of crop diversification on farm productivity and income volatility in Malawi varies across cropping systems. Maize in combination with legumes is the only crop system in Malawi that is significantly associated with an increase in productivity and a reduction in crop income volatility. Contrary to expectations, crop systems with 3 or more [...]