FAO.org

FAO  urges  governments,  academia,  NGOs,  international  community  and  indigenous  peoples authorities to take specific measures that ensure the respect to indigenous peoples’ rights during the pandemic and that includes an intercultural approach when dealing with the emergency, safety and health aspects of the response. Also available in Spanish and French

The Addressing Fisheries and Aquaculture in National Adaptation Plans Supplement provides technical guidance on the integration of fisheries and aquaculture in the formulation and implementation of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and complements FAO’s Addressing agriculture, forestry and fisheries in National AdaptationPlans – Supplementary guidelines (referred to as NAP-Ag Guidelines, FAO 2017a). It aims to draw the attention of policy makers and government officers responsible for NAP planning and processes generally, as well as fisheries and aquaculture officers at country level, specifically. It collates and analyses relevant information from fisheries and aquaculture to support the sector’s ability to take part in [...]

The Ecosystem approach to aquaculture mangament handbook aims to provide skills and tools to develop in stakeholders and facilitators the necessary know-how to develop an Ecosystem approach to aquaculture managment plans targeting sustainable and climate change resilient aquaculture. The handbook will provide the necessary knowledge on how to:- manage aquaculture under holistic approaches;- address aquaculture issues and challenges;- apply Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management strategies- reduce user group conflicts;- work cooperatively with other stakeholders;- empower communities towards political changes- help unlock financial resources to implement plantThe handbook also provides the information to understand the principles of EAAM, how [...]

Measures that empower young agri-entrepreneurs should be a key component of a sustainable development-centred investment promotion strategy. The very realization of future generations’ food security, the sustainable transformation of food systems and the combat against unemployment and distress migration all depend upon the successful implementation of strategies that make the agri-food sector more attractive for the youth. This, in turn, requires smart policy responses that will help young investors overcome the numerous barriers they face – access to finance, land, information and technical services, to name but the most crucial ones.Since 2017, FAO has provided support to African and South-East [...]

Unlike any other crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted food value chains at all levels (production, processing, logistics and even consumer behaviour to name a few). The impacts vary across countries and are constantly changing with the spread of the pandemic as governments, stakeholders and other actors in value chains adopt and implement a broad spectrum of measures to manage the spread of the virus and mitigate its impacts on food insecurity and poverty. The present brief reviews secondary information pertinent to the impacts of COVID-19 on dairy producing/processing cooperatives, and their coping strategies, with a view to developing policy recommendations [...]

This report presents insights and emerging lessons on food systems governance from the experience of nine cities that have developed urban food interventions – Baltimore, Belo Horizonte, Lima, Medellín, Nairobi, Quito, Seoul, Shanghai and Toronto – and draws on diverse sources of secondary information regarding the experiences of other cities throughout the world. It highlights entry points for the governance of urban food systems issues; common procedural and content-related considerations when addressing those issues; predominant governance models; and operational opportunities for future investment. Successful examples can encourage other local governments to adapt new approaches and innovate within their own context. Every [...]

This is a practical tool to help beekeepers, veterinarians and beekeeping advisory services to properly identify main honeybee diseases and to take the most appropriate actions in the apiary to control and/or prevent disease outbreaks. This publication follows the TECA publication Main bee diseases: good beekeeping practices (2018) which provided a more general overview of good beekeeping practices for bee diseases.This manual is a unique publication because, through its presentation of practical information, simple visuals, and understandable content, it helps beekeepers to correctly identify main honeybee diseases in a timely manner. More specifically, the manual creatively illustrates actions which facilitate [...]

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) originated from an animal source, as have an estimated 60 percent of human infectious diseases. The pandemic emphasizes the need to prepare for, prevent, detect and respond to such diseases in areas where the next pandemic is likely to take hold. The risk is highest where there is close interaction between wildlife and intensifying livestock or agricultural production, and is often exacerbated where agriculture has encroached upon or put pressure on natural ecosystems. Particularly risky “spillover settings” include live animal markets and regions where there is a rise in wild meat consumption. The general overuse [...]

This study, prepared within the ambit of The State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources, reviews issues related to the development of indicators for tree genetic diversity. It includes a historical account of the development of science-based indicators for tree genetic diversity that embrace ecological surrogates for genetic diversity, the genealogical approach, genetic monitoring of management units, the use of molecular markers, as well as relevant experience from other organisms and policy processes. It also includes a section on relevant data, data sources, and databases. Finally, the study proposes a set of four operational indicators for monitoring tree genetic diversity. The [...]

This document summarizes the online discussion 'Improving communications for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Africa: How should we move forward?' held on the FAO Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum) from 2 to 30 June 2020. The discussion was facilitated by Scott Newman of FAO’s Regional Office for Africa in Accra, Ghana.The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through the misuse of antimicrobial drugs is complicating the management of many infectious diseases, thus endangering animal health and welfare as well as food production. The complexity of the AMR crisis and antimicrobial pollution requires a coordinated and integrated [...]