Major Programme 2.5: Contributions to Sustainable Development
and Special Programme Thrusts

350. The Major Programme continued to provide leadership in FAO's work on sustainable development including associated conventions on natural resource management and conservation. Significant progress was made in the mainstreaming of gender within the Organization with endorsement of the FAO Plan of Action on Gender and Development 2002-2007¹² by the Conference in 2001. New initiatives involved raising awareness of the multisectoral nature of HIV/AIDS and its critical linkages to agriculture, rural development and food security. The Special Programme on Food Security (SPFS) continued to evolve and expand with coverage extended to 66 LIFDCs and other developing countries and 25 South-South Cooperation (SSC) agreements involving nearly 1,400 experts and field technicians.

351. Priority was given to:

• equitable and sustainable livelihoods and food security in rural areas, based upon access to resources and effective community and civil society organizations (CSOs);
• knowledge generation and adaptation of technologies relevant to national policies;
• information observing systems, database development and data analysis for food security and sustainable development using Geographical Information System (GIS) and remote sensing;
• follow-up to UN conventions, conferences and international agreements on sustainable development, including those concerning biological diversity, climate change and desertification;
• strengthening of national and regional capacities to carry out agricultural research, gender sensitivity analysis, communications, and dissemination and promotion of appropriate technologies; and
• integrated and sustainable development of national food production and supply through the SPFS.

Programme 2.5.1: Research, Natural Resources Management and Technology Transfer

Achievements

352. The programme provided central coordination in the effective application of new developments in research, technology, education, extension and communication as well as environmental monitoring and sustainable management of natural resources. It facilitated and promoted the generation of knowledge and technology transfer. Particular attention was given to environmental information management, including the development of policies, policy tools and information systems relating to natural resources management and the implementation of Agenda 21. Underspending mainly resulted from the reduction of expenditure related to staff cost variance.

353. Research and technology development. Assistance was provided to National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) on research planning and skills acquisition to address sustainable development issues. Partnerships and information sharing across ecopolitical boundaries were promoted. Six electronic conferences for policy-makers and managers were conducted on biotechnology and the outcome reported in Agricultural biotechnology for developing countries: results of an electronic forum. A Glossary of biotechnology for food and agriculture was published and an inventory of biotechnologies in use or being considered for application in developing countries was prepared.

354. A review paper on the status of biotechnology in the Near East Region was produced and reviews initiated for West Africa, the Balkans and the Caucasus. The document Potential impacts of Genetic Use Restriction Technologies (GURTs) on agricultural biodiversity and agricultural production systems was produced for the consideration of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA). A consultation to support harmonization of biosafety regulations and review the status of biotechnology and biosafety in the Near East Region was held in Aleppo in collaboration with both the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and regulatory personnel in Paraguay were trained in the detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

355. In collaboration with the University of Georgia and the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), an electronic conference on food issues in agricultural research was organized and the outcome published as Integrating food security issues into agricultural research. A directory of agricultural research institutions in the Near East was completed and directories initiated for Africa and Asia and the Pacific.

356. Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems for Rural Development (AKIS/RD) country case studies were conducted by the Research, Extension and Training Division (SDR) in Malaysia and Uganda and initiated for Cameroon, Chile, Lithuania and Morocco to identify best practices and lessons learned on research, extension, education and communication linkages.

357. Proposals for the long-term development and strengthening of agricultural research systems were elaborated for Botswana, Eritrea, Mali, Viet Nam and Zimbabwe. A Virtual Extension, Research and Communication Network (VERCON) was established in Egypt to improve linkages between researchers and extension workers. The secretariat for the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) was established in the FAO Regional Office for Africa (RAF).

358. Agricultural extension, education and communication. Priority was given to raising policy- and decision-maker awareness as to the important role young people can play in helping to reach national goals to reduce hunger. Seminars were held in Saint Lucia, Sri Lanka and Namibia to develop national networks and partnerships for training and education of young people in rural areas. Results of research conducted in Cameroon and Mali provided the basis for rural radio programmes to inform young rural people about agriculture, rural development and topics such as HIV/AIDS. Capacity-building efforts in Cameroon, Honduras, Namibia and the United Republic of Tanzania resulted in draft training guides on adolescent reproductive health including HIV/AIDS, vegetable gardening, small-scale poultry production and foods/nutrition.

359. Under SDR leadership, a Strategic vision and guiding principles for AKIS/RD was published in cooperation with the World Bank. Case studies on best practices in AKIS/RD were implemented in Malaysia and Uganda and initiated for Cameroon, Chile and Morocco. Training on AKIS methodology to address farmers' information and technology needs was carried out in Eritrea.

360. Action plans to monitor and implement extension services at country level were prepared in Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago. Studies on the impact of HIV/AIDS on agricultural extension services were conducted in Malawi, Uganda and Zambia and national workshops held to develop action plans. Technical documents were prepared on the extension needs of physically disabled farmers (Iran), women group extension (Pakistan), pluralistic extension (Zimbabwe) and constraints in wider adoption of hybrid rice cultivation by farmers (India, Viet Nam). A multilingual issue of Human resources in agricultural and rural development was published.

361. A position paper on Education and food for all and a strategy on Distance education and distance learning: a framework for FAO were developed in collaboration with the WAICENT/FAOSTAT Data Management Branch (GILF). An international workshop on Food Security and the World Food Summit was held in collaboration with the Global Consortium of Higher Education and Research for Agriculture (GCHERA).

362. Support was provided to Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and the Niger on the development of national communication policies. An article "Participatory communication and adult learning for rural development - FAO's experience" was published in a special issue of the Journal of International Communication (Vol. 7, No. 2, 2001). A workshop was held in Mali with national, donor and technical assistance agencies to present FAO's proposal for linking rural radio to the Internet as a means of closing the digital divide (see Box).

363. Guidelines and a brochure were prepared on the development of VERCONs. A handbook on information and communication technologies (ICT) was prepared jointly with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Cornell University, and a paper drawn up for the G-8 Digital Opportunity Task Force Consultation on experiences of local communities in applying ICTs to improve rural livelihoods. The Internet and rural development was prepared in three languages.

364. Advice and project backstopping were provided in extension, education, rural youth and communication for development to countries such as Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Indonesia, Mali, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa and Viet Nam.

365. Natural resources management, environmental monitoring and coordination for sustainable development and food security. Priority was given to development of environmental information infrastructure and to the integrated use of environmental information and decision support tools towards implementation of Agenda 21 and environmental conventions. Support was also given to analysis, management and policy formulation for natural resources management and environmental monitoring.

366. Development of geospatial information and agricultural environmental databases continued using remote sensing, the GIS and information management systems, supported by appropriate decision support tools and methodologies. Progress was made in development of a prototype Geo-Network to create an Intranet/Internet-based system for integrated access, display, query and use of dynamically generated maps, images, tables and text, including metadata. The Geo-Network capitalized on FAO's other corporate capacities for handling and serving spatial data.

367. The Advanced Real-Time Environmental Monitoring Information System (ARTEMIS) provided services to GIEWS, the Emergency Centre for Locust Operations (ECLO), six national desert locust control organizations, early warning/disaster mitigation activities in Kosovo and Bangladesh and the regional and national early warning systems in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. New ARTEMIS products were produced for desert locust and water resources monitoring.

368. Regular agrometeorological monitoring of crops in Africa continued and new software tools were developed for crop monitoring and forecasting and for estimating average agroclimatic conditions. A tool on the Rapid Agricultural Disaster Assessment Routine (RADAR) was developed and the methodology improved.

369. Acquisition of spatial information for the corporate GIS database continued. A project on food insecurity and poverty mapping using GIS was launched. GIS support was provided in producing studies on farming systems and maps related to soils and agro-ecological zones, poverty and country nutrition profiles.

370. The second phase of the Land Cover Map and Geodatabase for Africa Project (AFRICOVER) was launched. The project covers 10 eastern African nations and was successfully implemented with four major achievements: a multipurpose digital environmental and natural resources database covering some 8.3 million km²; an FAO Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) standard, widely accepted by international programmes/initiatives; training of 50 national experts on natural resource mapping using remote sensing techniques; and a subregional collaboration network.

371. Activities on Terrestrial Carbon Observations unless it is used again continued under the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS). Workshops were organized on requirements for ground and satellite observations, assessment formation gaps and development of reliable regional estimates of carbon stocks and fluxes. The Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring Sites (TEMS) metadatabase was reprogrammed and more than 500 sites re-registered. Regional GTOS programmes were launched in southern Africa and Central and Eastern Europe to strengthen the capacity of countries to make systematic observations and contributions to regional and global environmental change studies.

372. Case studies on the ecosystem approach were commissioned in Africa, Asia and Latin America. A study on the energy implications of conservation agriculture was finalized. Studies were initiated on the Clean Development Mechanism - implications for sustainable development projects; the impact of the food production chain and energy policies on rural energy infrastructure development in Latin America; and on an Integrated Bio-energy Technical Cooperation Programme.

373. Subregional workshops were organized on remote sensing applications to land cover mapping and on dynamic mapping. Three workshops were held on database development and use for regional and global environmental change under GTOS.

374. Support was provided to the Convention Secretariats on Climate Change, Desertification and Biodiversity and their Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), such as assessment of agricultural biodiversity activities and recommendations on the implementation of the conventions in the area of agriculture. Support was also provided to several global environmental initiatives including the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) and the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). SDR continued to support the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and to review sustainable agriculture and rural development (SARD) issues, including the preparation of a specific study on energy and agriculture nexus.

375. Secretariat services continued to the IDWGs on Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification and Organic Agriculture. A methodological framework for Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands (LADA) was prepared, a project proposal accepted by GEF and framework guidelines for synergizing the three conventions were developed.

376. Web sites on Biodiversity, Desertification, Organic Agriculture, SIDS, METART (the ARTEMIS Web site) and GTOS were updated.

377. Technical backstopping to regional projects continued, including AFRICOVER II, FIVIMS/ GIS mapping and ASIACOVER. Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) projects on agrometeorology, remote sensing and GIS applications were initiated and implemented in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Lebanon, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and the Syrian Arab Republic. GEF proposals related to energy and agriculture were formulated and a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) energy policy project implemented in the Niger.

378. The programme benefited from over ten volunteers, Associate Professional Officers (APOs), visiting professors and young professionals from developing countries. Over US$3 million was mobilized annually to support both normative and operational activities. Memoranda of Understanding were signed with UNEP, GEF, WFP, the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) and several national agencies. Partnership with international organizations, government agencies and NGOs assisted the successful implementation of the programme.

379. Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Secretariat. Independent scientific advice continued to be provided to the TAC of the CGIAR and the TAC Secretariat was converted into the interim Science Council Secretariat (iSCS), as a first step towards the final conversion of CGIAR into the Science Council (see Box). Studies on poverty reduction were completed and initiatives undertaken to promote a regional approach to research in Latin America and Africa. TAC completed external programme and management reviews of ICARDA, the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), CIAT and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). The system-wide review of plant breeding methodologies in CGIAR was completed and a joint International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)-TAC commissioned external review of system-wide livestock programmes was undertaken. A major crop germplasm study was completed and a workshop organized on the future of impact assessment needs and opportunities. TAC held a total of eight meetings, reports of which were shared with CGIAR members. Information and documentation generated through TAC activities were posted on the CGIAR Web site and made available on CD-ROM.

Programme 2.5.2: Women and Population

380. The programme addresses the cross-sectoral issues of gender and population related to sustainable rural development and food security. It is the corporate focal point for follow-up to the 1994 Cairo Plan of Action on Population and Development, the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action on Women and related FAO policy frameworks. It develops tools, methodologies, policy guidelines and training materials for integrating socio-economic, demographic and gender issues into national policies and programmes for agricultural and rural development. Advisory services and training are provided to member countries and FAO technical units to build skills and capacity for mainstreaming these issues. Overspending was offset by lower expenditures elsewhere in the Major Programme and benefited priority work on the Plan of Action on Gender and Development and HIV/AIDS.

Achievements

381. The programme focused on developing the new corporate FAO Gender and Development Plan of Action (2002-2007) in consultation with other divisions. The Plan was endorsed by the 31st Session of the FAO Conference as the main policy framework for institutionalizing the integration of a gender perspective in FAO's Regular Programme and as an appropriate mechanism for effective mainstreaming of gender throughout the Organization.

382. The programme contributed towards raising awareness within FAO and its constituency of the multisectoral nature of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and its critical linkages to agriculture, rural development and food security. An international technical meeting was organized in December 2001 focusing on the mitigation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic through agricultural policies and programmes. As the result of outreach activities, population concerns were incorporated or strengthened in various programmes of the Organization.

383. New initiatives were launched concerning research on natural resource management, gender training and gender data collection. Participation in identification/formulation missions generated several projects relating to the agricultural census supported by the UNDP/UN System Support for Policy and Programme Development (SPPD), TCP and the SPFS.

384. Interrelations between gender, population and food security. Policy assistance was provided to member countries on the linkages between population factors (particularly HIV/AIDS and ageing) and agriculture, food security and rural development. FAO units were supported in incorporating population concerns into their programmes and in strengthening attention given to population-related issues. National studies were undertaken on the impact of HIV/AIDS and other population factors on agriculture and rural development. The programme helped to raise awareness of the significance of population factors for rural development; contributed to the strengthening of national population programmes; supported national capacity building on population issues; provided member countries with information and tools to address population and agriculture linkages more effectively; and contributed to building partnerships and networks with stakeholders.

385. Gender and conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Linkages were developed between gender, population and environmental sustainability. A new initiative on Research and Information on Gender and Land (Tenure and Use) strengthened the institutional capacity of member countries to improve women's access to and control over land. Country case studies documented specific constraints and opportunities women face in access to and control over agricultural land and other natural resources in different economic, social and institutional contexts. In cooperation with the UN Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), field studies were undertaken on agrarian changes, gender and land rights in South Africa and Uzbekistan.

386. Country case studies were prepared on marriage systems, access to land and social protection for women in Burkina Faso and Senegal. Support was given to ongoing research on the gender-differentiated impact of the agrarian reform programme in Brazil; field studies on women's access to land in Nicaragua; and a review of the legal framework for women's access to land in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua. Publications included thematic and country fact sheets on gender and land rights, an article on agrarian changes and women's access to land in Nicaragua and Gender and sustainable development in drylands: an analysis of field experiences.

387. Natural resource studies were completed in Asia and the Pacific on the role of women in crop diversity management in the Philippines; rural and tribal women in agrobiodiversity conservation for India, in collaboration with the Swaminathan Research Foundation; and rural-urban food system linkages in Thailand mediated by women. Studies relating to environment and sociocultural aspects were carried out in Morocco and Egypt. A field study was completed on the role of women in the conservation of genetic resources of maize in Guatemala.

388. Promotion of gender and population in policies, legislation and civil institutions. Member countries were provided with technical assistance to improve their planning and decision-making capacity to address gender inequality by using gender analysis methodologies and tools. Attention focused on the Socio-Economic and Gender Analysis Programme (SEAGA) as the main instrument for capacity building and gender mainstreaming. SEAGA training of trainers and technical workshops took place in Benin, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Chile, Ghana, Iran, Italy, Kosovo, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Zambia and Zimbabwe. SEAGA training handbooks and guides were translated into English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese and Russian. A guide on socio-economic and gender analysis for emergency programmes was prepared in cooperation with TCOR and WFP.

389. An Internet-based distance-learning programme was organized in cooperation with the Network of Institutions Dedicated to Teaching Agricultural and Rural Development Policies for Latin America and the Caribbean (REDCAPA); 75 professionals from 12 countries participated.

390. Collaborative partnership with other UN agencies included participation in the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the UN Special Session in Beijing+5 and providing reports and technical inputs on gender activities to the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). As a member of the UN Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE), contributions were made to UN-wide initiatives, including the study on gender mainstreaming in the programme budgeting process of the UN system. The inter-agency partnership also extended to SDW participation in the UN Inter-Agency Committee on Women and Gender Equality (IACWGE) Task Force on Gender and ICTs and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) regional working group on gender and ICTs. In the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP), partnership activities included collaboration with CIP-UPWARD (the network of farmer development linked to the International Potato Center [CIP]) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

391. Gender-sensitive indicators were developed to improve the monitoring and evaluation of FAO gender mainstreaming activities and to assist in measuring the outputs of the Gender Plan of Action. Following a literature review, a fact sheet on Land Gender Sensitive Indicators was developed and field tested in the Philippines and Nepal on natural resource management. Indicators were developed in consultation with ESN for the identification of women's and men's roles in achieving food security, and the development of community-based nutrition improvement initiatives.

392. SEAGA-based training materials were developed in the production and use of gender-disaggregated data and indicators (GDD). An Expert Consultation on Gender and Participatory Research Methods was organized for Central and Eastern European countries to evaluate the methods for gender-disaggregated data collection to be used in follow-up studies throughout the subregion. Training activities on gender-disaggregated data in Namibia resulted in the retabulation by gender of existing data.

393. Dimitra, the FAO information and communication project funded by the Belgian Development Cooperation and hosted by the King Baudouin Foundation continued to expand its activities. Through partnership with eight organizations in Africa and the Near East, it collected information on a variety of development projects and publications concerning rural women. Biannual newsletters were produced in French and English and distributed to some 4,000 mailing addresses throughout the world, and guidebooks providing information on NGOs, research institutes and networks working with and for rural women in developing countries were published. A database on organizations, projects and publications concerned with rural women was maintained on the FAO Web site.

394. Substantive presentations were made to meetings and events of NGOs accredited to FAO, including the World Congresses of the International Federation of Home Economists (Ghana, July 2000) and the Associated Country Women of the World (Canada, June 2001), respectively.

395. Technical support to Member Nations and the Field Programme. An assessment of credit and agricultural support through community-based organizations with a gender integration perspective was undertaken in Myanmar. In Cambodia, a TCP project for assisting Cambodian women to improve household food security and family economy was launched and in Thailand a UNDP-SPPD project was initiated on gender-responsive technology for poverty alleviation, with emphasis on policy advice. Technical support was also provided for gender integration in projects formulated for agricultural rehabilitation in Afghanistan.

396. The Local Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LinKS) project continued to provide capacity building, research, communication and advocacy support to improve rural people's food security and promote sustainable management of agrobiodiversity in four countries in southern Africa.

397. Technical support was provided to member countries in the Agricultural Census 2000 to incorporate a gender dimension into their systems of agricultural statistical data collection. Assistance to agricultural censuses, focused on supporting national statisticians in developing gender-sensitive data collection tools, supervision manuals, sensitization campaigns and interviewer training, was provided to Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, the Gambia, Guinea and Senegal. A workshop on Analysis of the First Chinese Agricultural Census Results on Land Tenure, Gender and Population Issues was also organized.

398. The progressive withdrawal of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) funds adversely affected programme implementation, especially technical assistance to population programmes and production of papers on sociocultural aspects of rural population change. Implementation of the gender mainstreaming concept and practice by technical divisions was less than desired, resulting in lack of communication and effective integration of gender issues both in normative and operational activities, and requiring continuous follow-up and outreach by SDW. Resources limitations at regional level also made it difficult to fulfil the new tasks assigned in the decentralization process and address emerging issues adequately.

Programme 2.5.3: Rural Development

399. The main thrusts of the programme were improved access to productive assets; establishment or strengthening of institutions at all levels; and formation of partnerships supporting food security and knowledge sharing. National efforts in decentralization were supported, enhancing utilization of products, exchanges and alliances in institutional reform and the capacity of chambers of agriculture and farmers' organizations. International partnerships were promoted through the ACC Network on Rural Development and Food Security, later renamed the UN System Network on Rural Development and Food Security. Underspending in this programme was used to help counterbalance overspending elsewhere within the Major Programme.

Achievements

400. Land tenure. The development of a land tenure database was supported by research studies that provided a framework for regional implementation and addressed the socio-economic dimensions and the practical data issues to be resolved for implementation of detailed region-based approaches. Assistance was provided in implementing land tenure policies and their administration in all regions.

401. Research was undertaken in Africa, Latin America and the South Pacific on the management of land tenure conflicts and a framework paper prepared. An analytical paper was prepared on land conflict management. Studies on strengthening indigenous land tenure arrangements were conducted. Project work and guidelines supporting common property regimes in the Lusophone countries of Africa provided important findings that were widely shared through a workshop held in Rome. Land tenure and gender, and the impact of HIV/AIDS, were the subject of detailed research work in southern and eastern Africa, where studies were also conducted on tenure security in peri-urban areas. Research on emerging land tenure policy issues was undertaken in the Near East.

402. Studies were carried out on land fragmentation and consolidation in Central and Eastern Europe as the basis for development of guidelines. Field research was conducted on agricultural land rental markets in Latin America and in Central and Eastern Europe. Draft guidelines for introducing rural land taxes in Central and Eastern Europe were prepared and presented at a seminar in Bulgaria. Policy advice was provided to Namibia on the implementation of a rural land tax in support of land reform. A training seminar was organized for land registration and cadastre officials from Central and Eastern Europe, and capacity building and training for land administration in southern and eastern Africa was analysed.

403. The Good practices guidelines for agricultural leasing arrangements was revised and translated into the five official languages. The Multilingual Thesaurus on Land Tenure was further developed with the first drafts of parallel versions being prepared in Spanish and English. The long-standing multilingual journal Land reform, land settlement and cooperatives, covering land tenure related issues and experience around the world, continued to be published.

404. Rural institutions and participation. Assistance and policy advice were provided on the decentralization and restructuring of rural public institutions and on strengthening the capacities of farmer organizations and local government units to deliver services more efficiently so as to improve the sustainable livelihoods of the rural poor.

405. Guidelines for the functional analysis of rural public institutional performance and methodologies for redeployment of human resources to support decentralization were developed. Studies on the restructuring of the Ministries of Agriculture in ten African countries were conducted and typologies of decentralization processes developed; the results were discussed at a subregional workshop in Mali. Joint studies were undertaken in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa in cooperation with Michigan State University and other research institutions on local-level partnership building among government units, farmer organizations, private sector and CSOs aimed at improving delivery of decentralized services The results of these studies were compared in subregional workshops held in Venezuela and Kenya.

406. Training manuals for strengthening the capacities of farmer groups and agricultural cooperatives were developed, field tested and published in multiple languages. They included The Intergroup resource book and Agricultural cooperative development: a manual for trainers. Studies on farmer organization development in Central and Eastern Europe were conducted. Research was undertaken with Wageningen Agricultural University on individual and group rural savings in Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe and discussed at an international conference on rural savings held in Wageningen.

407. An interactive Web site on participation in development was expanded and made accessible from the FAO home page in four official languages. The Web site on the rural disabled was expanded and a video prepared highlighting the successful TCP project on Mushroom Training of the Disabled in Thailand. Manuals and guidelines were prepared and field tested on participatory methods and approaches for natural resource management in the Near East and on risk management in Central Asia.

408. Partnerships and alliances for food security. The UN System Network on Rural Development and Food Security was strengthened and its Web site enhanced. Missions were undertaken to selected network countries and a case-study booklet on country-level use of the network was prepared. Formulation and technical backstopping of participatory rural development projects continued.

409. An Inter-agency Forum on Operationalizing Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches was organized in collaboration with the FAO Informal Working Group on Participatory Approaches and Methods in Support of Sustainable Livelihoods and Food Security, in which 72 representatives from IFAD, WFP, UNDP, DFID, Care International and FAO technical officers participated. In addition to the Proceedings, two booklets: Inter-agency experiences and lessons and Sustainable livelihoods - current thinking and practice were published in four official languages. A practical method for a stakeholder appraisal of field projects was developed and the interdepartmental Livelihoods Support Programme (GCP/INT/803/UK) was approved for DFID funding.

410. A long-term food security strategy for the Horn of Africa was developed by the Inter-agency Task Force on the UN Horn of Africa Initiative, in which the Rural Development Division (SDA) is an active participant. Contributions were made to the Multistakeholder Dialogue planned for the WFS:fyl and, in the capacity as Task Manager for Chapter 14 of SARD, Agenda 21, to preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in August to September 2002.

411. Preparation of the Farming Systems Study for the World Bank was coordinated in close cooperation with the Agricultural Support Systems Division (AGS) and the Investment Centre Division (TCI) and funding of a Multidonor SARD project was approved by Japan and France (GCP/INT/819/MUL).

Programme 2.5.6: Food Production in Support of Food Security in LIFDCs

Achievements

412. The SPFS continued to assist LIFDCs in improving their national and household food security. Multidisciplinary participatory approaches, national ownership and development partnerships were emphasized. Improving farm income, rural employment, social equity and gender sensitivity were core features of the SPFS. During the biennium, the SPFS expanded its coverage to a total of 66 LIFDCs and other developing countries.

413. Regular Programme funds, amounting to US$9.65 million, were used to finance programme formulation missions and projects, and US$438 000 were used to reimburse divisions for technical services provided to the SPFS. In addition, a significant portion of the staff time of the Special Programme Management Service (TCOS) was spent on project formulation and monitoring activities. The programme benefited from additional resources of about US$ 1.2 million above those foreseen in the Programme of Work and Budget 2000-01.

414. Phase I of the programme (microeconomics), planned and implemented by national governments and communities, fostered participatory approaches enabling farmers to assess their needs and set their own priorities for increased production and farm income. This phase concentrated on improved water control; crop intensification through improved cultural practices; diversification into short-cycle animal production, aquaculture and artisanal fisheries; constraints analysis; and resolution of socio-economic factors impeding production and productivity.

415. A conceptual framework for the extension of Phase I was developed and the Oversight Panel endorsed the proposed steps and broad guidelines for its implementation. The extension consolidates enhanced levels of production through expansion of the programme over a wider range of agro-ecological and socio-economic conditions and contributes to building institutional capacity for successful implementation. It addresses socio-economic, institutional and policy constraints in particular, together with marketing, financing, credit and input supply problems that may arise through the widespread application of new technologies and increased production.

416. The successful implementation of the extension of Phase I is expected to lay the groundwork for Phase II which will tackle these issues at the national level. Its objective is to ensure the development of a macroeconomic, institutional and policy framework that is favourable for agricultural production, processing, marketing and access to food; supportive of increased private and public sector investments in agricultural activities and services; and conducive to increasing rural incomes.

417. In 2000-01 SPFS was operational in 66 countries including 38 in Africa, 14 in Asia, two in Europe, nine in Latin America and three in the South Pacific. In addition, SPFS was formulated in the Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia and Samoa and under formulation in 13 other countries: three in Africa, five in Asia, four in Latin America and one in Europe. Table 2.5-1 lists these countries.

TABLE 2.5-1. SPFS IMPLEMENTATION, DECEMBER 2001

TABLE 2.5-1. SPFS IMPLEMENTATION, DECEMBER 2001 (CONT'D)

418. Assessment of the results achieved confirmed a rapid increase in number of sites, hectares covered, farmers reached and the importance of water control. Demonstrations combining low-cost water management with high-value crops obtained the best results in terms of yield and sustainability of production. Crop intensification focusing on rice and maize, sorghum, wheat, millet, cassava, yams and horticulture also enhanced production, particularly in rainfed areas. Diversification targeted at women and small farmers generated skills in short-cycle animal production, apiculture, fish farming and artisanal fisheries.

419. Results of constraints analyses provided evidence of untapped potential for increasing yields of staples and identifying priorities and interventions to achieve sustainable results. Constraints analysis raised awareness and understanding of constraints faced by farmers, including soil and water management, infrastructure, inputs, services, culture, economics and policy.

420. The SPFS gave increased emphasis to urban/peri-urban agriculture (UPA) in response to increasing urbanization; to training of trainers and promotion of community-led people-oriented approaches, such as farmer field schools; and to promotion of credit and saving schemes through strengthening of rural-based financial services.

421. SSC under SPFS expanded rapidly with over 20 developing countries expressing interest and the implementation of 25 SSC agreements involving 1,370 experts and field technicians, 340 of whom were fielded. Cooperating and recipient countries are listed in Table 2.5-2.

TABLE 2.5-2. LIST OF OPERATIONAL SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION
TRIPARTITE AGREEMENTS, DECEMBER 2001

422. There was growing interest from developing countries not classified as LIFDCs in providing funds for the SPFS under Unilateral Trust Fund (UTF) arrangements. UTF projects have been formulated in Mexico and Colombia and agreements signed in Venezuela, the Congo and the Dominican Republic. In addition, a UTF became operational in Nigeria for the extension of the SPFS to 109 sites in 36 states.

423. Extrabudgetary resources mobilized in support of the SPFS increased threefold to US$240 million. Donor and recipient countries are shown in Table 2.5-3. Bilateral and multilateral contributors included Belgium, France, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Monaco, Morocco, Spain and the Netherlands. Financial institutions supporting the SPFS included the AfDB, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), the West African Development Bank (BOAD), UNDP, the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships (UNFIP) and the World Bank.

424. Assistance was provided in preparing Regional Programmes for Food Security for a number of Regional Economic Groupings including:

• Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA);
• Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM);
• South Pacific Forum (SPF);
• Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC).

425. Within the framework of the SPFS, UEMOA approved a US$1.8 million UTF to support projects in its eight member countries.

TABLE 2.5-3. INDICATIVE DONOR SUPPORT TO THE SPFS

¹⁰ Metadata = information on information used for classification and management.

¹¹ Includes table of contents service, Outlook shared public folder titles and other e-mail delivery titles.

¹² C 2001/9