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“Food Systems for an Urbanizing World” is the outcome of a collaborative effort between the World Bank (WB) Global Practice for Food and Agriculture and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). it addresses a growing global concern regarding food availability and consumption patterns in an ever increasing urbanized world. Our increasingly urbanizing world carries tremendous implications for food systems and for their evolution, management and performance. Urban food issues are a critical dimension of an integrated urban-rural development agenda, contributing to multiple outcomes that are key to meeting the World Bank Group’s twin goals of boosting shared [...]

This publication explores agricultural investment funds as a vehicle for financing agricultural businesses and projects. It looks at the capital needs of the different agricultural actors along the agricultural value chain and taking into consideration investment funds involving all kinds of investors (private, public as well as joint initiatives) and investment objectives. The publication draws heavily from the FAO 2010 publication “Agricultural Investment Funds for Developing Countries”, which was developed from an FAO-ConCAP research study that identified a broad range of investment funds that target agriculture in developing and transitioning countries. The identified funds were classified according to various criteria [...]

FAO’s Investment Centre provides a wide range of investment support services to developing and transition countries. This first annual review shines a light on the work of the Investment Centre and its partners – the international financing institutions - carried out in 2017 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 153 projects in 68 countries. It increasingly linked both its policy work with investment support [...]

Natural disasters have cost billions of dollars in lost agricultural production. The human food chain is under continuous threat from an alarming increase in the number of outbreaks of transboundary animal and plant pests and diseases. Conflict and protracted crises are putting more and more people in conditions of poverty, food insecurity and displacement. This has become the "new normal" and the impact of climate change will further exacerbate these threats and challenges.  Agriculture often bears a disproportionate share of disaster impacts, many of which are borne directly by smallholders. As resources become increasingly scarce, objective evidence is needed to effectively [...]

FAO’s cash-based programming provides assistance to smallholder farmers, rural communities and other vulnerable men and women, who are particularly exposed to the impacts of climate change, natural hazards, economic shocks, conflicts and protracted crises.  FAO uses cash-based transfers for a broad range of complementary purposes: to provide immediate relief to farmers; to strengthen livelihood resilience to future shocks; to increase agricultural production and productivity; and to support transition from humanitarian assistance to development. Cash-based programming can also enhance linkages with national social protection systems, to make them more shock-responsive.  The publication will presentthe key reasons and figures about FAO increasing use of [...]

After decades of progress, hunger is on the rise again. The figures from The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2017 report show an increase in the absolute number of people affected by chronic hunger and a rise in the global prevalence of undernourishment. Globally, the number of chronically malnourished people is estimated to have increased to 815 million from 777 million in 2015. In 2017, four countries faced a very real threat of famine and many more saw increasing numbers of people facing severe hunger. Protecting livelihoods by providing emergency agricultural assistance from the onset of a [...]

Social protection is the set of policies and programmes aimed at preventing or protecting all people against poverty, vulnerability, and social exclusion throughout their lifecycles, particularly the most vulnerable groups. This poster will serve to demonstrate the efforts - and advancements made - in reducing rural poverty and increasing resilience through FAO strategic programmes, such as SP3 and SP5 in recent years. It aims to provide to donors, partners, and policy-makers with the information they need to gain awareness of the impacts of social protection initiatives, and to invest in social protection as a valid pathway out of poverty and [...]

Social protection is the set of policies and programmes aimed at preventing or protecting all people against poverty, vulnerability, and social exclusion throughout their lifecycles, particularly the most vulnerable groups. This poster will serve to demonstrate the efforts - and advancements made - in reducing rural poverty and increasing resilience through FAO strategic programmes, such as SP3 and SP5 in recent years. It aims to provide to donors, partners, and policy-makers with the information they need to gain awareness of the impacts of social protection initiatives, and to invest in social protection as a valid pathway out of poverty and [...]

Social protection is the set of policies and programmes aimed at preventing or protecting all people against poverty, vulnerability, and social exclusion throughout their lifecycles, particularly the most vulnerable groups. This poster will serve to demonstrate the efforts - and advancements made - in reducing rural poverty and increasing resilience through FAO strategic programmes, such as SP3 and SP5 in recent years. It aims to provide to donors, partners, and policy-makers with the information they need to gain awareness of the impacts of social protection initiatives, and to invest in social protection as a valid pathway out of poverty and [...]

Social protection is the set of policies and programmes aimed at preventing or protecting all people against poverty, vulnerability, and social exclusion throughout their lifecycles, particularly the most vulnerable groups. This poster will serve to demonstrate the efforts - and advancements made - in reducing rural poverty and increasing resilience through FAO strategic programmes, such as SP3 and SP5 in recent years. It aims to provide to donors, partners, and policy-makers with the information they need to gain awareness of the impacts of social protection initiatives, and to invest in social protection as a valid pathway out of poverty and [...]