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Smallholders and traders are key stakeholders in fruit and vegetable supply chains supplying local mass markets across South Asian countries. Training these stakeholders and introducing simple technical innovations into these supply chains can dramatically improve the quality and shelf-life of fresh produce and reduce losses, thereby generating economic benefits for producers, supply chain stakeholders and consumers as well as improving nutrition. Consequently, greater support is called for to a ddress the challenges faced in traditional supply chains. This policy brief aims to provide information on applying the principles of post-harvest management of fruit and vegetable supply chains for quality and [...]

FAO has prepared this Programme for Action to help support Sustainable Management of FAW in Africa. FAO works closely with its development and resource partners to maximize coordinated results and minimize duplications.  FAO proposes a five-year programme of action to help farmers, their organizations, their public institutions, national governments and development partners quickly respond the challenges of FAW infestation in smallholder farmers’ fields across Africa.

This note focuses on the topic of forced migration in protracted crises, presenting the challenges and some possible approaches to address root causes of forced migration and support displaced and host populations, illustrated by case studies from FAO’s interventions in such contexts. Improved food security, sustainable agricultural practices, access to and management of natural resources, employment and social protection benefits are key in supporting populations affected by displacement and to  ease the strain on host communities. Although forced migration poses many challenges, the long-lasting presence of forcibly displaced can create opportunities for local economies and bring skills, capital and connectivity [...]

This brief summarizes FAO’s analysis of NDCs and provides an overview of how the Organization, through policy processes, capacity development and technical interventions on the ground, supports the implementation of NDCs in the agriculture sectors. 

The main objective of this report is to provide a regional synthesis of the current climate change mitigation and adaptation commitments in the agriculture sectors of the Southern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia (SEECA) region, as set forth in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and to identify opportunities for enhancing mitigation and adaptation ambitions, capturing their synergies and leveraging climate finance and international support options in the region. This analysis builds on FAO’s previous regional analysis and enhances its methodology and findings. It aims to guide FAO – and policy makers and practitioners in the region – committed to [...]

This report aims to guide FAO – and other international actors – committed to providing developing countries with the support required for implementing their NDCs and ensuring future commitments are transparent, quantifiable, comparable, verifiable and ambitious. The agriculture sectors in Eastern Africa represent a pivotal opportunity for simultaneously leveraging the mitigation potential of the region, while enhancing adaptive capacity and food security outcomes through a transition to more sustainable agriculture and land use. However, change will only come about if supported by appropriate policies, institutional arrangements, capacity development and finance mechanisms. By highlighting the gaps in the coverage of mitigation [...]

Tracking adaptation processes and outcomes is a continuous process which also encompasses monitoring and evaluation – one of the important elements of the climate change adaptation. A detailed review of existing literature on adaptation tracking tools showed a number of challenges and limitations related to their application in agricultural sectors. Though some of the tools are technically sound, practical use is constrained by non-availability of adequate baseline data and information. In addit ion, several of these frameworks are individual project specific, complex and thus seldom contribute to better informed policy level decisions and adaptation planning.  This paper outlines the importance [...]

Together with its partners, FAO works to increase the resilience of agricultural livelihoods at risk of disasters and crises. People with resilient livelihoods are better able to withstand damage, recover and adapt when disasters cannot be avoided. The increasing frequency and intensity of disasters caused by climate change reinforces the urgency to build the resilience of agricultural livelihoods of vulnerable communities. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is conducting a comprehensive study across regions to assess the benefit from applying disaster risk reduction (DRR) good practices in agriculture. The study identify practices that help to reduce the vulnerability of households and communities to natural hazards. The study uses a systematic approach to quantify, on a case-by-case basis, how much damage and loss can be reduced in the agriculture sector through the implementation o f DRR good practices at farm level, compared with usual practices. The approach compares the performance under hazard and non-hazard conditions, including various types [...]

This note focuses on the important role that agricultural stakeholders can play in the fight against child labour, in the aftermath of the newly released global data on child labour. The publication addresses basic concepts through the following four sections: 1) why addressing child labour in agriculture requires particular attention; 2) what is the role of government and agricultural-related ministries; 3) what are agricultural extension agents; and 4) what do they do and what is the role of produce organizations.