FAO's Mission
Food security and rural development
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was founded in 1945 with the mandate to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living, to improve agriculture productivity and to better the condition of rural populations. In the area of climate change, the Organization contributes to the debate by assessing the available scientific evidence, participating in observing and monitoring systems, collecting unique global datasets, promoting adaptation and mitigation practices and by providing a neutral forum for negotiations and technical discussions on climate change and agriculture.
Collaborating with member countries and partners
FAO’s role is to assist member countries, in particular developing countries, which are vulnerable to climate change, to enhance their capacities to confront the negative impacts of climate variability and change on agriculture. In order to make best use of synergies, FAO collaborates on technical matters with the secretariat and subsidiary bodies of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), sister agencies such as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Secretariats and subsidiary bodies of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) and the Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD), as well as regional organizations. Beyond, FAO has its feet on the ground by field projects working closely together with governments, farmers organisations, NGOs and private sector.
FAO as an mediator between various actors
The Organization has had a long-standing interest and involvement in climate matters in all areas of agricultural planning, combined with weather monitoring for food security assessments. As such, FAO can act as a neutral mediator between the agricultural community and international agencies and institutions in the international negotiations process, thereby contributing to the effective implementation of the agreements and helping to ensure the fair and balanced participation of all nations.
Working cross-sectoral within the Organisation
FAO closely monitors the state of climate change science to develop the position of the Organization and to participate in the international discussions, particularly after the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, 1992) and the Kyoto Protocol (1997). The formalization of the Interdepartmental Working Group (IDWG) on Climate Change and the formulation of an Integrated Climate Change Programme in 2001 strengthened the cross-sectoral coordination between all technical departments and effective implementation of the climate change related activtities. The Organization is experienced in the analysis of multi-faceted agricultural and environmental issues across-sectoral borders. This gives the Organization the capacity, for instance, to carry out a CO2 analysis and economic optimization along the whole food chain from land use to agricultural production to processing and marketing. Activities in the climate change programme include:
- the promotion of practices for climate change mitigation,
- the adaptation of agricultural systems to climate change,
- the reduction of emissions from the agricultural sector considering the major objective of ensuring food security,
- the development of practices which increase the resilience of agricultural production systems to the vagaries of weather and climate change,
- national and regional observing systems, as well as data and information collection and dissemination.
In order to account for the uncertainties related to climate change FAO has adopted a "no regrets" approach, emphasizing measures that should be taken in any case - even in the absence of climate change - because they improve the efficiency of present practices in agriculture as well as in forestry or in fishery. At the same time, they put farmers, the foresters or the fishermen in a better position to adapt to or mitigate climate change.