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This document is the report of the FAO Expert Consultation Workshop on the “Development of methodologies for the global assessment of fish stock status” held in Rome, Italy, from the 4th to the 6th of February 2019. The workshop is an FAO initiative aimed at improving its ability to understand global stock status by means of a stock assessment tool that can be used to assess currently unassessed stocks. This report summarizes the presentations and main discussions of the workshop and provides recommendations. 

The key drivers in food value chain development are the entrepreneurs. They create firms that are profitable and competitive, create many jobs, link in many smallholders and producer organizations as suppliers, generate tax revenues, improve the food supply to consumers (lower price, higher quality), and have a positive impact on the wider environment in which they operate (e.g., reduce rural poverty). Applied to Africa, the approach is to develop a publication that synthesizes a combination of literature review and 12 carefully selected cases of particularly successful entrepreneurs. The document will be organized around four sub-themes (scaling up, youth, women, challenging BEEs). [...]

E-Agriculture is a global community of practice that facilitates dialogue, information exchange and sharing of ideas related to the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for sustainable agriculture and rural development.

The International System for Agricultural Science and Technology (AGRIS) is a multilingual bibliographic database that connects users directly to a rich collection of research and worldwide technical information on food and agriculture. Maintained by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), AGRIS has been serving users from developed and developing countries through facilitating access to knowledge in agriculture, science and technology since 1975.  It offers 9,978,296 bibliographic records produced by more than 400 data providers (research centers, academic institutions, publishers, governmental bodies, development programmes, international and national organizations) from 144 countries. More than 400,000 agricultural and research professionals [...]

Using a storytelling approach, this special series of short stories communicates the impact of FAO's work on prevention and response to transboundary threats, told through the voice of the individuals affected.

Advocacy on FAO’s emergency prevention activities along the food chain, in addition to providing information. This series presents FCC-EMPRES core activities through successful programs and initiatives illustrating FAO’s role in supporting member countries to prevent, prepare and respond to transboundary, high impact animal and plant pests and diseases and food safety threats. See more information sheets here.

During the period April to June 2019, Food Chain Crisis (FCC) threats are expected to occur in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe, where they may persist within a country, spread to neighbouring countries, remain latent, or re-emerge or amplify. The dynamics and likelihood of occurrence of FCC threats depend on a number of risk factors or drivers. These include agro-ecological factors (intensive farming systems, deforestation, overgrazing, etc.), climate change (droughts, extreme weather events, flooding, heavy rains, heat waves, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation – ENSO –, changes in vegetation cover, water temperature, etc.), human behaviour (cultural practices, conflicts and civil insecurity, [...]

Using rural economy-wide impact simulation methods and cost-benefit analysis, this study examines the impacts of individual and combined social protection and agricultural interventions in Malawi on incomes, poverty and production. The goal of this analysis is to provide evidence on policy options to increase coordination and coherence between social protection and agricultural programmes, with the objective of reducing poverty, increasing incomes and enhancing agricultural production and productivity.    Research shows that significant income gains in rural areas can extend beyond the direct beneficiary households, as a result of consumption and other local linkages. Given the income gained by these vulnerable households, [...]

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.