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This introduction frames the entire series of guidance notes "Improving food security and nutrition in protracted crises – guidance to implement the CFS-FFA", providing background on protracted crises and the Framework for Action for Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Crises (CFS-FFA) and also presenting the objectives of the series. Protracted crises are situations in which a significant proportion of the population is acutely vulnerable to death, disease, and disruption of livelihoods o ver a prolonged period of time. Available in French.

The 2017 Near East and North Africa (NENA) edition of the Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition comes under the theme of “building resilience for food security and nutrition in times of conflict and crisis”. The report establishes a baseline against which to measure future progress towards achieving SDG 2 on ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in NENA by monitoring the latest indicators for the SDG targets on hunger and food insecurity (SDG Target 2.1) and malnutrition (SDG Target 2.2). Beyond numbers, the report focuses on the fundamental factors that have driven improvements in food security and malnutrition: poverty reduction, [...]

It is generally assumed that there are strong links between conflict, food security and peace. However, the precise underlying causes and channels that determine these links are often not well understood. More research and data are required to generate the evidence base that helps guide both national and international responses. The present study aims to add to this knowledge. It comes at a time of enhanced risk of famine and severe food crisis in several parts of the world, with conflict as the common denominator. It also comes at a time when the total number of hungry people in the [...]

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.

Despite government efforts to reduce poverty and food insecurity, Ethiopia remains one of the world’s poorest countries, with around 25 million people living in extreme poverty. The country is exposed to a wide range of natural hazards, especially recurrent drought, such as that induced by El Niño in Amhara and Tigray Regions in 2014/15. The aim of the project was to provide emergency assistance in these regions for vulnerable smallholder households affected by the 2014/15 drought, many of whom  had consumed their seed reserves. It would do this by distributing cereal, potato and vegetable seed, and hand tools to assist [...]

This study report, developed in collaboration with the Bright Futures of Burkina Faso, is based on the case study in Burkina Faso. It, through a survey of 183 women and 6 men including 36 leaders of shea groups, provides quantitative analysis on the economic resilience derived from shea nuts in terms of income, assets and savings; on the social indicators of wellbeing, education, health and living standards; and on the political implications, especially with regard to women’s decision making at home and at work, participation in the shea value chain and personal aspirations.

By 2050, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in urban areas. Should we thus be more concerned with urban development? On the contrary, we should still focus on rural development, as this will remain critical to ensuring food security and eliminating poverty. With the ongoing demographic change, however, successful rural development will need to heavily rely on strong linkages between rural and urban economies. See the complete series here.

Achieving the SDGs to end hunger and extreme poverty by 2030 will depend crucially on developing rural areas in the poorest nations of the world. More resources need to be allocated for investment in rural areas, not just because that is where most of the poor live, but also because these areas have great potential for economic development. The FAO report The State of Food and Agriculture 2017 (SOFA) shows that, across all regions, rural-based economic activity can be just as effective for poverty reduction as that of urban sectors. See the complete series here.

The international community is committed to ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition worldwide by 2030. While much progress has been made, conflict and human-induced and natural disasters are causing setbacks. This year’s The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World warns that the long-term declining trend in undernourishment seems to have come to a halt and may have reversed, largely on account of the above-mentioned factors. Meanwhile, though progress continues to be made in reducing child malnutrition, rising overweight and obesity are a concern in most parts of the world. These and other findings are detailed in the 2017 edition of The State of [...]

These Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication have been developed as a complement to the 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (the Code). They were developed to provide complementary guidance with respect to small-scale fisheries in support of the overall principles and provisions of the Code. Accordingly, the Guidelines are intended to support the visibility, recognition and enhancement of the already important role of small-scale fisheries and to contribute to global and national efforts towards the eradication of hunger and poverty. The Guidelines support responsible fisheries and sustainable social and economic development for the benefit of [...]