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This policy guidance note is part of a series that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and partners are producing to support policy makers address the food security and nutrition situation in their country. Each note provides guidance on how to sharpen the focus of sector policies in order to achieve sustainable food security and nutrition outcomes. By supporting countries to formulate and adopt policies and programmes to eradicate hunger and attain food security, FAO contributes towards its Strategic Programme 1: help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.  This guidance note gives guidance on how to use [...]

Through the Purchase from Africans for Africa programme (PAA Africa), the FAO has been engaging in providing technical support to African Governments for building adapted and operational public food procurement methods from smallholder farmers for school feeding. The methods of public procurement fostered by PAA Africa were developed in complex contexts of food insecurity and malnutrition, presenting occasional food deficit and / or chronic food insecurity, low agricultural productivity, institutional fragility and lack of governance, with population relying on food aid to overcome food insecurity. The publication aims at presenting best practices and lessons learned along of five years of [...]

This publication contributes to SO1 and under Regional Initiative on Zero Hunger Challenge. Eradication of hunger and malnutrition as well as climate change are major challenges in Asia and the Pacific. Dietary and production diversity are recognized factors in strategies to improve food security and nutrition.  Currently, agriculture has an over-reliance on a handful of major staple crops. In this regard, Future Smart Food (FSF), often referred to as Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS) represent a promising abundance of food resources and constitute the bedrock of the food system diversity. FSF have enormous benefits which are nutrition-density, climate-resilience and economic viability.  To [...]

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, [...]

There is a growing awareness to the role that natural resources, such as water, land, forests and environmental amenities, play in our lives. There are many competing uses for natural resources, and society is challenged to manage them for improving social well-being. Furthermore, there may be dire consequences to natural resources mismanagement. Renewable resources, such as water, land and the environment are linked, and decisions made with regard to one may affect the others. Policy and management of natural resources now require interdisciplinary approaches including natural and social sciences to correctly address our society preferences.  This series provides a collection of works containing most recent findings on economics, [...]

This policy guidance note is part of a series that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and partners are producing to support policy makers address the food security and nutrition situation in their country. Each note provides guidance on how to sharpen the focus of sector policies in order to achieve sustainable food security and nutrition outcomes. By supporting countries to formulate and adopt policies and programmes to eradicate hunger and attain food security, FAO contributes towards its Strategic Programme 1: help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.  Public procurement has been commonly used as a tool [...]

The resource guide is part of the follow-up to the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) that was held in November 2014 in Rome, Italy. It aims at guiding countries to translate the 60 recommended policy options and actions of the ICN2 Framework of Action into country-specific commitments for action. This process is done according to the national needs and conditions, and builds on existing policies, strategies, programmes, plans and investments in order to achieve the 10 commitments of the Rome Declaration on Nutrition.

This booklet provides a comprehensive overview of the longer Future of Food and Agriculture publication. Shorter, more easily readable for the general public, this version sets out the key trends and challenges to be addressed in order to achieve sustainable agriculture and meet the SDGs, in particular ending hunger by 2030. This report presents a summary of the challenges that agriculture and food systems are currently facing and will face into the 21st century. Analysis of 15 global trends provides insight into what is at stake and what needs to be done.  Most of the trends are strongly interdependent and combine to [...]

This brief describes what parliamentarians need to know about the current nutrition situation in the world and how our food systems are  haping food environments that steer people towards unhealthy diets which are one of the causal factors of malnutrition. Parliamentarians are well placed to facilitate action to transform the world’s current food systems. This brief gives concrete examples of measures through which policymakers can influence food systems so as to promote healthy diets and prevent malnutrition in all its forms, including undernourishment, stunting, wasting, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight and obesity, as well as dietrelated non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Agrifood systems in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are still adjusting to the political and economic effects of globalization and deepening trade integration, both within the region and worldwide. The region is more engaged in global agri-food trade and increasingly supplies agricultural commodities and food products to international markets. However, most countries are yet to reach their full trade potential. To benefit from trade, the countries are stepping up their efforts to implement trade agreements, align their regulation with international standards and diversify exports.  The project benefits stakeholders in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, with specific activities in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and [...]