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FAO and UNEP are both custodians of the indicators to measure the Sustainable Development Target 12.3. “By 2030, to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.” Given that the existing measurement methods differ greatly for the production and consumption stages, the custodian agencies, FAO and UNEP, recommend that an additional sub-indicator 12.3.1.b on Food Waste be formally considered for the 2020 comprehensive review of the Global Indicator Framework. By acknowledging that an additional sub-indicator can only be approved in 2020, FAO and UNEP [...]

The operation of agricultural and food systems is key to the transition from subsistence to commercially-oriented food production, which will underpin rural poverty reduction and eradication of hunger. Sustainable food systems can also address the burgeoning challenges of malnutrition and obesity, working to deliver diets that promote and sustain optimal health for the world’s growing population.

This methodology, developed by FAO in the framework of the SAVE FOOD global initiative on food loss and waste reduction, is at the basis of many reports undertaken to analyze critical loss points along the different food value chains and identify feasible food loss reduction solutions and strategies.   

FAO’s Investment Centre provides a wide range of investment support services to developing and transition countries. This second annual review shines a light on the work of the Investment Centre and its partners –the international financing institutions - carried out in 2018 to increase the volume and quality of investments in food security, nutrition, agriculture and rural development. During that year, the Centre supported investment-related policy studies and processes to increase policy dialogue and contributed to the design, technical assistance, supervision or evaluation of investment projects in 116 countries. It increasingly linked both its policy work with investment support to [...]

Smoked fish is an important animal protein source in Ghana. However, the traditional method by which the commodity is produced leads to high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH, a food safety hazard) in the commodity. This predisposes consumers to potential health challenges linked to PAH exposure in food. The extent to which that is the case in Ghana was evaluated by screening smoked fish on informal markets in the country for the hazard. Since the FAO-Thiaroye fish processing technique (FTT) has been demonstrated to address the PAH problem, it was further evaluated against traditional kilns in that respect. Consumer [...]

The IGAD member states are situated in a region exposed to recurrent natural shocks, political instability and characterized by internal and cross-border population displacement. Conflict is the root cause of food insecurity in South Sudan where about 6 million people were estimated to be severely food insecure in September 2017. Internal and cross-border displacement prevents households from engaging in typical livelihood activities, inhibits economic growth and disrupts markets and trade routes. Consequently, income-earning opportunities are limited, and the Government’s earnings in United States dollars are very low, which has led to hyperinflation. The European Union funded “Strengthening the Livelihoods Resilience [...]

Agricultural production more than tripled between 1960 and 2015, owing in part to productivity-enhancing technologies and a significant expansion in the use of land, water, and other natural resources for agricultural purposes. Today, more than ever, agriculture faces multiple and complex challenges. It has to provide sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet boosting demand by a growing and progressively more prosperous population, and ensure food security for all.  Prepared to support the G20 Presidency of Japan and the G20 Agriculture Deputies, these three background notes provide an overview on the following interlinked issues: (i) the policy challenges for strengthening [...]

Cette brochure se concentre sur l'analyse et la présentation de la première évaluation de la mise en œuvre, de l’opérationnalisation et des résultats obtenus par les plateformes locales multi-acteurs sur la gouvernance foncière, créées avec le soutien du programme des Directives volontaires dans la vallée du fleuve Sénégal. Available in French only  

This policy brief analyses Ecuador’s trade, productive and price policies for maize and their effect on farmers’ level of protection. The minimum support price enacted until 2017, turned out to be a non-operative policy due to a higher market price, which created incentives for speculative investments by traders. To counteract speculative investments the Ministry enacted a price range for maize, the price ceiling is expected to counteract future speculations. Productive and trade policies aiming to protect small farmers seem to achieve their objective. The effective rate of protection increased for all farm production systems from 2016 to 2017 with the [...]

Today, about 783 million people live in extreme poverty. Extreme poverty is primarily a rural phenomenon, with 80 percent of the extreme poor living in rural areas, across greatly diverse rural landscapes. Despite great progress in poverty reduction, the standard of living of the poorest of the poor has remained almost unchanged in the past 35 years, signaling that a huge gap in policy making and programmatic approaches are leaving them behind.  FAO has established a Corporate Framework on Rural Extreme Poverty to orient and bring to bear the relevant work of the Organization towards reaching Target 1.1 of the SDGs. [...]