Examples of SL related activities in FAO

SL thinking has been adopted widely by FAO staff and projects as a way to reinforce and re-invigorate pre-existing FAO approaches. Whether a project is labelled or not as SL, many of the flagship FAO programmes and projects are adopting SL-type approaches, methods, principles and strategic thinking.

Please find below an incomplete list of activities of the Technical Departments in FAO which apply in one way or the other a Sustainable Livelihoods Perspective. Please contact us if you would like to suggest an additional FAO activity to be mentioned here!

Agriculture Department

Economic and Social Department

General Affairs and Information Department

Fisheries Department

Forestry Department

Sustainable Development Department

Agriculture Department

• Alternative Crops and Cultivators for New Opportunities
• Strategies and Technologies for Sustainable Crop and Grassland Production Systems
• Support to Strategy Formulation and Promotion of Specific Action for Rice Development in Member Countries of the International Rice Commission (IRC)
• Contribution of Livestock to Poverty Alleviation
• Enhancing Small Farmer Livelihoods
• Meeting Urban Food Needs
• Sustainable Commercial Provision of Input Supply, Mechanisation, Investment Support and Marketing Services
• Agribusiness Development
• Approaches and Experiences in Livelihoods Diversification

Link to departmental Website

Economic and Social Department

• Community Action for Improved Household Food Security and Nutrition
• Food and Nutrition Education, Communications and Training
• Nutrition and Household Food Security in Emergencies
• Technical Support Services to Member Nations and the Field Programme

Link to departmental Website

General Affairs and Information Department

• Assistance to Countries in Capacity Building for Agriculture and Food Information through WAICENT

Link to departmental Website

Fisheries Department

• Increased Contribution of Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries to Food Security
• Sustainable Development of Small-scale Fisheries
• Coordination and Monitoring of the Implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries
• Promotion of Coastal Fisheries Management

Link to departmental Website

Forestry Department

• Appropriate Utilisation of Forest Products
• Participatory Forestry
• Formulation of National Forestry Programmes

Link to departmental Website

Sustainable Development Department 

The Sustainable Development Department and the interdepartmental Livelihood Support Programme which is hosted by the Department’s Rural Institutions and Participation Service (SDAR), have been actively researching, reviewing and facilitating the use of SL in a number of areas:

• Action research comparing different SL-“type” approaches adopted in the house, with their strengths, weaknesses and added-value, exploring new directions and innovations in development thinking and practice
• Facilitating exchange of experience, information and learning among different programmes
• Lead role in mainstreaming SL lessons and critiques through workshops at headquarters and regional offices as well as to governing bodies
• Coordination of analysis of impact on policy-making and learning processes by past and ongoing projects
• Action-research and consultations on interface issues and livelihoods perspectives in technical fields (e.g. land and water, access to plant genetic resources, livestock, micro-finance, livelihoods diversification, conflict management and others)
• Applied research on broadening the livelihood base in the non-farm sector to absorb excess rural labour and reduce pressures degrading the natural resources base.
• Using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework to develop analytical thinking on HIV/AIDS, gender, food security and rural livelihoods since 2001.
• Documenting the added value of SL in project design to address vulnerability and poverty outcomes for feeding back into a learning cycle
• Assessing impact of SL use in project implementation in terms of poverty reduction and development outcomes
  
  More departmental activities:
  
  
  
• Access 21: Land Tenure Institution Building for Food Security and Sustainable Rural Development
• Improved Rural Institutions and Services to Promote Sustainable Rural Livelihoods
• Participatory Approaches and Methods to Support Sustainable Livelihoods and Food Security
• Management and Support to the ACC Network on Rural Development and Food Security
• Integrated Use of Information for Sustainable Development
• Youth in Agriculture, Food Security and Sustainable Livelihoods
• Integrated Development and Dissemination of Agricultural Knowledge and Technology for Food Security and Sustainable Development
• Information and Communication Technologies in Support of Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Systems
• Gender and Natural Resources Management
• Promotion of Gender and Population in Policies, Legislation and Civil Institutions

Link to departmental Website