FAO Knowledge Repository BETA

The FAO Knowledge Repository is FAO's official open repository, providing access to all of its publications. Through its open access policy, FAO seeks to increase the dissemination of its knowledge and to contribute to the scientific and technical impact of the Organization. 

 

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Featured publications

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Action Plan for the implementation of the FAO Strategy on Mainstreaming Biodiversity Across Agricultural Sectors 2024–2027
The Action Plan for the implementation of the FAO Strategy on Mainstreaming Biodiversity across Agricultural Sectors 2024–2027 reflects experiences gained from the implementation of the 2021–2023 Action Plan. It takes into account the Framework for Action on Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture, endorsed by the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) and by the Council in 2021. It is aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), adopted by the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in December 2022.In alignment with the FAO Strategy on Mainstreaming Biodiversity across Agricultural Sectors, FAO implements the Action Plan based on the principles of effective governance, partnerships, a knowledge-based approach, inclusiveness, and gender equality and women’s empowerment.
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FAO publications catalogue 2023
This catalogue aims to improve the dissemination and outreach of FAO’s knowledge products and overall publishing programme. By providing information on its key publications in every area of FAO’s work, and catering to a range of audiences, it thereby contributes to all organizational outcomes. From statistical analysis to specialized manuals to children’s books, FAO publications cater to a diverse range of audiences. This catalogue presents a selection of FAO’s main publications, produced in 2023 or earlier, ranging from its global reports and general interest publications to numerous specialized titles. In addition to the major themes of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, it also includes thematic sections on climate change, economic and social development, and food safety and nutrition.
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The Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security 2023
Disasters are resulting in unprecedented levels of destruction across the world. These shocks and disruptions affect the functioning and sustainability of agricultural production and threaten the livelihoods of millions of people reliant on agrifood systems.Reducing the impact of disasters in agriculture requires a better understanding of the extent to which these events produce negative impacts in agriculture and necessitates an investigation into the underlying risks that make agriculture vulnerable to the effects of disasters.The FAO flagship report on ‘The Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security’ provides a timely and comprehensive overview of how disasters are affecting agriculture and food security around the world.Building on previous work of the FAO on this topic, the report estimates losses caused by disasters on agricultural production over the past three decades and delves into the diverse threats and impacts affecting the crops, livestock, forestry, and fisheries and aquaculture subsectors. It analyzes the complex interplay of underlying risks, such as climate change, pandemics, epidemics and armed conflicts, and how they drive disaster risk in agriculture and agrifood systems at large.The report provides examples of actions and strategies for investing in resilience and proactively addressing risks in agriculture. It demonstrates ways to mainstream disaster risk into agricultural practices and policies and calls for a deeper understanding of the context in which these solutions are implemented.
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Agrifood solutions to climate change
Amid a worsening climate crisis and slow progress in cutting greenhouse gases, sustainable agrifood systems practices can help countries and communities to adapt, build resilience and mitigate emissions, ensuring food security and nutrition for a growing global population. FAO is working with countries and partners from government to community level to simultaneously address the challenges of food security, climate change and biodiversity loss.But none of this will ultimately succeed unless the world commits to a significant increase in the quality and quantity of climate finance.

Trending publications

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    Book (series)
    Respecting free, prior and informed consent
    Practical guidance for governments, companies, NGOs, indigenous peoples and local communities in relation to land acquisition
    2014
    Improving governance of tenure is the objective of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (Guidelines), which serve as a reference and set out principles and internationally accepted standards for responsible practices. The Guidelines state that responsible investments should do no harm, safeguard against dispossession of legitimate tenure right holders and environmental damage, and should respect human rights. This technical guide on Respecting free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) sets out practical actions for government agencies to respect and protect FPIC and for civil society organizations, land users and private investors globally to comply with their responsibilities in relation to FPIC, as endorsed by the Guidelines.
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    Book (series)
    Compulsory acquisition of land and compensation 2008
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    Compulsory acquisition is the power of government to acquire private rights in land without the willing consent of the owner or occupant in order to benefit society and is often necessary for social and economic development and the protection of the natural environment. The exercise of these powers is frequently contentious and problematic. The guide explains what compulsory acquisition and compensation are, and what constitutes good practice in this area, examining the consequences of poor legi slation, procedures and implementation. It is likely to be of most use in countries that are seeking to understand good practice in this area and to improve their own legislation, procedures and implementation in compulsory purchase and compensation in the interests of society as a whole.
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    Book (stand-alone)
    Free Prior and Informed Consent: An indigenous peoples’ right and a good practice for local communities 2016

    This Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) Manual is designed as a tool for project practitioners of a broad range of projects and programmes of any development organization, by providing information about the right to FPIC and how it can be implemented in six steps.

    In an FPIC process, the “how”, “when” and “with and by whom”, are as important as “what” is being proposed. For an FPIC process to be effective and result in consent or lack of it, the way in which the process is conducted is paramount. The time allocated for the discussions among the indigenous peoples, the cultural appropriateness of the way the information is conveyed, and the involvement of the whole community, including key groups like women, the elderly and the youth in the process, are all essential. A thorough and well carried FPIC process helps guarantee everyone’s right to self-determination, allowing them to participate in decisions that affect their lives.

    This FPIC Manual will ena ble field practitioners to incorporate FPIC into project and programmes’ design and implementation, ensuring that indigenous peoples’ rights are duly respected. FPIC can be considered the “gold standard” because it allows for the highest form of participation of local stakeholders in development projects.

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    Book (series)
    The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022
    Towards Blue Transformation
    2022
    The 2022 edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture coincides with the launch of the Decade of Action to deliver the Global Goals, the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. It presents how these and other equally important United Nations events, such as the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022), are being integrated and supported through Blue Transformation, a priority area of FAO’s new Strategic Framework 2022–2031 designed to accelerate achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in food and agriculture. The concept of Blue Transformation emerged from the Thirty-fourth Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries in February 2021, and in particular the Declaration for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture, which was negotiated and endorsed by all FAO Members. The Declaration calls for support for “an evolving and positive vision for fisheries and aquaculture in the twenty first century, where the sector is fully recognized for its contribution to fighting poverty, hunger and malnutrition.” In this context, Part 1 of this edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture reviews the world status of fisheries and aquaculture, while Parts 2 and 3 are devoted to Blue Transformation and its pillars on intensifying and expanding aquaculture, improving fisheries management and innovating fisheries and aquaculture value chains. Blue Transformation emphasizes the need for forward-looking and bold actions to be launched or accelerated in coming years to achieve the objectives of the Declaration and in support of the 2030 Agenda. Part 4 covers current and high-impact emerging issues – COVID-19, climate change and gender equality – that require thorough consideration for transformative steps and preparedness to secure sustainable, efficient and equitable fisheries and aquaculture.
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    Book (series)
    World Food and Agriculture – Statistical Yearbook 2023 2023
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    This publication offers a synthesis of the major factors at play in the global food and agricultural landscape. Statistics are presented in four thematic chapters, covering the economic importance of agricultural activities, inputs, outputs and factors of production, their implications for food security and nutrition and their impacts on the environment. The Yearbook is meant to constitute a primary tool for policymakers, researchers and analysts, as well as the general public interested in the past, present and future path of food and agriculture.

Recently added

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    Book (series)
    Evaluation of FAO's cash and voucher assistance 2024
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    This evaluation assesses FAO's Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) portfolio and offers lessons to improve programming. Provided for immediate relief and to strengthen resilience and livelihoods, CVA modalities include unconditional cash transfers (UCTs), conditional cash transfers (CCTs), cash for work (CFW), vouchers, and input trade fairs (ITF). The evaluation examines the relevance, partnerships and coordination arrangements, effectiveness and efficiency, gender equality and inclusion, and enabling environment for delivering CVA.The assessment is based on an extensive review of internal documents and external literature, an analysis of 50 FAO CVA projects and 170 FAO evaluations, interviews with 69 key stakeholders, an online survey of FAO’s 85 Country Offices, eight country case studies and three case studies of comparable UN agencies.Its main recommendation was for FAO management to develop a vision and strategy specific to CVA so as to enable their more impactful and more efficient delivery.
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    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Afghanistan: DIEM – Data in Emergencies Monitoring brief, round 8
    Results and recommendations, June 2024
    2024
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    This Data in Emergencies Monitoring (DIEM-Monitoring) brief shares the results of an eighth-round assessment conducted in January and February 2024 in Afghanistan. It presents key findings and recommendations for humanitarian actors to utilize in planning and implementing data-driven programming to sustain farmers’ livelihoods and build their resilience to future shocks protecting the food security of rural people in Afghanistan.  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) established the DIEM-Monitoring System to collect, analyse and disseminate data on shocks and livelihoods in countries prone to multiple shocks. DIEM-Monitoring aims to inform decision-making by providing regularly updated information on how different shocks are affecting the livelihoods and food security of agricultural populations. Information is collected from primary sources in the production process: producers, traders or marketers, input suppliers, extension officers, and other key informants.
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    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Haiti: Addressing the increased needs of vulnerable populations affected by escalating violence
    Urgent call for assistance
    2024
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    Haiti is one of nine countries in the world facing the risk of famine and one of five countries with more than 10 percent of the population in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). With the recent surge of violence, food insecurity levels have further deteriorated – nearly half of its population is acutely food insecure. In response, FAO is urgently requesting additional funding to provide emergency agricultural support to crisis-affected people until the end of the year, to quickly improve their access to and availability of food.
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    Book (stand-alone)
    Safety evaluation of certain food additives and contaminants: Prepared by the eightieth meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA. Supplement 2: Pyrrolizidine alkaloids
    WHO Food Additives Series, No. 71-S2
    2020
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    This volume contains monographs prepared at the eightieth meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), which met inRome, Italy, from 16 to 25 June 2015. The toxicological and dietary exposure monograph in this volume summarizes the safety and dietary exposure data on a contaminant group (pyrrolizidine alkaloids) discussed at the eightieth meeting. Monographs on seven food additives discussed at that meeting have been previously published in the WHO Food Additives series (FAS 71), and a monograph on a second contaminant group (non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls) has been published as a separate supplement in the WHO Food Additives series. This volume and others in the WHO Food Additives series contain information that is useful to those who produce and use food additives and veterinary drugs and those involved with controlling contaminants in food, government and food regulatory officers, industrial testing laboratories, toxicological laboratories and universities.
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    Book (stand-alone)
    Safety evaluation of certain food additives: Prepared by the ninety-sixth meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
    WHO Food Additives Series, No. 87
    2024
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    The monographs contained in this volume were prepared at the ninety-sixth meeting of the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), which met at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on 27 June–6 July 2023. These monographs summarize the data on specific food additives, including flavouring agents, reviewed by the Committee.