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This brochure presents the key findings and recommendations of the study entitled “the Regional Outlook on Gender and Agri-food Systems,” which was jointly conducted by the FAO and the African Union Commission. The brochure describes gender gaps in (i) access to and control over productive resources and opportunities, (ii) influence and collective capacity, and (iii) agricultural policies, investment and rural context. Additional analysis on progress and good practices across countries in Africa informed the brochure further to provide recommendations and next steps to move from commitments to collective actions. Also available in French. 

Institutional food procurement programme (IFPPs) refers to initiatives that are designed to link demand for food from institutions such as school, hospitals and school feeding programmes to broader development objectives. In developing countries, IFPPs are increasingly viewed as approaches that facilitate the integration of small farmers into formal food systems. This publication shares lessons from the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) Purchase for Progress pilot initiative (P4P) and Brazil’s National School Feeding Programme (PNAE) and the Public Food Procurement Programme (PAA), with insights on the policy and institutional reforms required for developing and implementing institutional food procurement programmes. In [...]

This policy brief highlights FAO's role in supporting government of Uganda to formulate, regulate and support implementation of agricultural related policies to address key gaps in the sector.

Increase the use of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure among CSOs and Grassroots Organizations – Senegal is a country factsheet that provides information on the project “Increase the use of the VGGT among CSOs and Grassroots Organizations”, a general overview of governance of natural resources in the country, and information on activities undertaken in the country in collaboration with local CSOs and grassroots organizations. Only available in French.

This document summarizes the online discussion Sustaining the impact of capacity development initiatives for African youth in agriculture, which was held on the FAO Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition in Africa (FSN Forum Africa) from 25 October to 17 November 2017. The aim was to solicit opinions on capacity development sustainability initiatives for young agripreneurs in Africa, and to contribute to identifying challenges and opportunities related to sustaining the impact of all interventions (existing and future ones) aimed at developing capacities and engaging youth in agriculture. See all ongoing and past discussion on the Global Forum on Food Security and [...]

Aligned with the GEF cross-cutting corporate strategy on capacity development (CD) FAO believes that robust and systemwide CD approaches are essential to enhance the impact, sustainability and scale of GEF projects through deepening country ownership, commitment and mutual accountability for results. Supporting countries through system-wide CD interdependently empowers people, strengthens organizations and enhances the enabling policy and institutional framework based on assessed needs. For GEF, 15 country projects have benefited from incorporating a step-by-step CD approach with innovative methodologies2 during project formulation and implementation. Findings reveal that the project quality increased substantially through complementing the biophysical with socio-economic and institutional elements, more effective and needs-based CD interventions across [...]

These guidelines are primarily directed towards decision-makers responsible for integrating the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development into national policies and programmes. They will be of value to public and private actors, including investors, researchers and technical practitioners, involved in the broad area of food and agriculture, and rural development. Complementing FAO’s Common Vision for Sustainable Food and Agriculture and its five principles, this publication presents 20 practical and interconnected actions with the aim of transforming food and agriculture and driving achievement across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

HELPING SMALLHOLDER PRODUCERS TO ACCESS MARKETS IN MARGINALIZED AREAS OF KENYA AND SOUTH SUDAN Low agricultural production and low household incomes mean that food security in the northwest of Kenya and the southeastern part of South Sudan continues to be a challenge. With smallholder producers and small and medium-sized entrepreneurs often marginalized and excluded from access to markets at national and regional levels, there was an urgent need to devise innovative approaches to developing and reinforcing efficient business linkages between value chain actors. Project duration: July 2013 –June 2017 Download Project Highlight pdf  

REDUCING FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY RISKS IN SIERRA LEONE The production and productivity of most staple crops in Sierra Leone is affected by several factors, including floods, pest and disease infestation, rainfall fluctuations and post-harvest losses, resulting in lower food availability. Against this background, it was necessary to establish a well structured food security and nutrition National Early Warning System (NEWS) to ensure the timely prediction of food availability and access by the population, and facilitate a concerted response when access to food fell below the recommended levels, with high risk of acute and chronic malnutrition. It was also necessary to [...]

ENHANCING SAFETY IN FOOD PROCESSING ENTERPRISES IN KYRGYZSTAN AND TAJIKISTAN In order to realize the considerable potential of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in the production and export of processed food (milk, dairy and meat products, fruit and vegetables), it is necessary to improve the compliance with hygiene and sanitary requirements in these countries’ food processing enterprises, and enhance food safety management processes. This involves increasing government awareness on modern food safety management systems and strengthening capacity for food safety at the food enterprise level. Therefore, the project aimed to enable the target countries to comply with international requirements for hygiene and manufacturing [...]