Regular Programme |
|
US$000 |
|
Programme of Work |
48,767 |
||
Adjustments to Programme of Work arising out of Budgetary Transfers |
1,050 |
||
Final Programme of Work |
49,817 |
||
Expenditure against Final Programme of Work |
49,816 |
||
Variance of Expenditure (Over)/Under Final Programme of Work |
1 |
||
Budgetary Transfers as percent of Programme of Work |
2.2% |
||
Field Programme |
|
US$000 |
|
Extrabudgetary TF and UNDP delivery |
50,844 |
||
Extrabudgetary emergency project delivery |
4,992 |
||
TCP delivery |
17,828 |
||
Total Field Programme delivery |
73,665 |
||
Ratio of Field to Regular Programme delivery |
1.5 |
||
Technical Support Services, professional staff cost |
6,739 |
470. During the period under review, the Major Programme continued to give strong emphasis to promoting, coordinating and providing leadership in the formulation of concepts, policies, strategies and methodologies to assist member countries and FAO technical departments in integrating sustainability issues into their programmes, including those arising from the conventions on biodiversity, desertification and climate change. Significant progress was made in facilitating FAO-wide coordinated activities in important cross-sectoral areas, including poverty reduction and sustainable livelihoods in rural areas, the advancement of rural women and gender equality in agriculture and rural development, and more participatory, inclusive and gender-sensitive approaches to policy/decision-making and programme development and implementation. The Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) evolved as a people-driven and comprehensive programme which expanded its coverage to 75 countries and 28 South-South Cooperation (SSC) agreements.
471. To address these issues and to foster the environmental, social and economic well-being of rural people, the Major Programme has forged effective alliances and partnerships centred on people, promoting the strengthening of rural institutions, while safeguarding the environment. Priority was given to:
472. Resource shifts have however restricted somewhat the delivery performance in term of biennial outputs, particularly for Programmes 2.5.1.
Regular Programme |
|
US$000 |
|
Programme of Work |
17,765 |
||
Adjustments to Programme of Work arising out of Budgetary Transfers |
(870) |
||
Final Programme of Work |
16,895 |
||
Expenditure against Final Programme of Work |
16,936 |
||
Variance of Expenditure (Over)/Under Final Programme of Work |
(41) |
||
Budgetary Transfers as percent of Programme of Work |
(4.9%) |
||
Field Programme |
|
US$000 |
|
Extrabudgetary TF and UNDP delivery |
15,262 |
||
Extrabudgetary emergency project delivery |
4,992 |
||
TCP delivery |
4,141 |
||
Total Field Programme delivery |
24,395 |
||
Ratio of Field to Regular Programme delivery |
1.4 |
||
Technical Support Services, professional staff cost |
2,843 |
473. The programme's main achievements in several areas of work were as follows:
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)
FAO's preparation for WSSD emphasized the important role that agriculture plays for sustainable development and poverty alleviation. The consistent messages sent to WSSD were:
agriculture and the environment are intimately linked and depend on each other for sustainable development; sustainable agriculture, forestry and fisheries are key to poverty alleviation; a renewed political will is needed to redirect the flows of investments towards agriculture and rural areas; and the World Food Summit Plan of Action provides an appropriate framework for many WSSD initiatives. Their implementation needs to be accelerated by working in a wide range of alliances and partnerships.
Linkages between agriculture and the environment were taken into consideration in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation by, for example, highlighting the role of earth observations for both sectors. FAO followed up during its Co-chairmanship of the Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership (IGOS-P) by providing inputs into the 10-year implementation plan developed by the ad-hoc Group on Earth Observation (GEO).
Another interface also emerged from WSSD; that is, between education and sustainable development. This led to the launching of the “Education for Rural People” international flagship initiative led by FAO and UNESCO to improve access to quality education for rural people.
474. Integrated Use of Information for Sustainable Development. Significant progress was made in improving the availability of environmental databases, information systems and related tools to countries and intergovernmental bodies. This includes development of the GeoNetwork spatial data information system, upgrading of the Dynamic Atlas, development and dissemination of LocClim, upgrading of the Agromet shell software, and definition of the Rapid Disaster Assessment Routine. For some of the activities mentioned, significant emphasis was put on training. Particular efforts were made on the integration of ground data and satellite observations in the ambit of Global land cover network (Glcn) as well as AfriCover and AsiaCover. COAG 17 endorsed a paper on agri-environmental decision support tools. Updated Agenda 21 indicators and OECD agri-environmental indicators were made available to countries, and national exercises were initiated. Training materials in gender-disaggregated data were developed, translated into several languages and tested in national and regional workshops.
475. Youth in Agriculture, Food Security and Sustainable Livelihood. Work concentrated on providing young people with life skills and knowledge in agriculture and related areas that empower them to become active partners in food security through networking, advocacy, policy development and elements of strategic planning. This included national seminars on rural youth and food security and background studies to identify needs, interests and aspirations of young people living in rural areas. Communications were addressed through the newsletter YouthWorks and the FAO Rural Youth Web site. Other aspects covered included the design and testing of innovative non-formal education curriculum development, youth leadership development, and youth and rural radio methodologies.
476. Partnerships for Improving Application of Biotechnology in Agriculture. Research gaps, needs and opportunities of relevance to developing countries were identified and strategies defined to improve the application of biotechnology. Particular emphasis has been placed on national capacity building for development, harmonisation and implementation of regulations for biosafety of genetically modified organisms. The assistance included identification of needs, priorities and development of appropriate tools. Activities were devoted to a wider and more accessible knowledge base for decision-making on policies and applications of biotechnology products, including the FAO Biotech Web site, the BioDeC database, the electronic newsletter FAO BiotechNews, the Glossary of Biotechnology for Food and Agriculture and the Electronic Conferences hosted by the FAO Biotechnology E-Forum.
477. Integrated Development and Dissemination of Agricultural Knowledge and Technology for Food Security and Sustainable Development. Work contributed to meet countries' needs in four key technical areas: extension, education, communication for development and research and technology development. Four studies were completed on extension and training needs of physically disabled farmers as well as farmers working in HIV/AIDS affected areas, living in mountain zones or in small island states. Guidelines were published in four official languages on decentralization and privatization of extension support services. Fourteen studies were conducted worldwide on access to quality education by rural populations and shared during workshops organized for policy makers from Ministries of Agriculture and Ministries of Education in Asia and Latin America. A training programme for rural radio broadcasters was implemented in Africa to develop capacity to disseminate food security messages. Three guidelines were published on participatory rural community radios, indigenous knowledge and Natural Resources Management (NRM). A prototype database on technology for agriculture was developed and two studies were conducted on funding sources for agricultural research and the impact of foreign assistance on institutional development of NARS in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) was established in FAO's Regional Office for Africa and support was provided to AARINENA and APAARI. Case studies were conducted in twelve countries to assess institutional links and collaboration between research, education, extension and information systems - the Agricultural Knowledge and Information Systems for Rural Development (AKIS/RD) - in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe.
478. Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) Secretariat. The GFAR Secretariat contributed to on-going efforts to improve cooperation amongst, and mutual strengthening of NARS through their regional and sub-regional fora (RF/SRF). For example, Regional Agricultural Information Systems (RAIS) for information sharing are now functional in all RF; Executive Secretaries of RF now meet regularly and have identified future areas of collaboration including inter-regional networking on commodities such as cotton and olive as well as biosafety and other biotechnology issues; stronger functional linkages between research institutions and Civil Society Organizations (CSO) have emerged such as the formal representation of CSO in the executive and decision making body of the Conférence des responsables de la recherche agronomique africains (CORAF).
479. Support to Environmental Agreements and Promotion of Integrated Environmental Planning and Management. FAO has regularly contributed to the processes guided by the Secretariats of the Conventions on biodiversity, climate change and desertification through technical coordination, the preparation of technical documents, participation in meetings and exchange of data and staff. A global bioenergy initiative for sustainable agriculture was developed in collaboration with universities. Technical reports on renewable energy and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) were prepared. Community-based integrated natural resources management was supported in highland ecosystems through working papers, a workshop, and a Global Environment Facility (GEF) project proposal (Ethiopia). Work on Organic Agriculture included a country database, a publication on "Organic agriculture, environment and food security" and initiatives in the areas of standards and legislation. A review of FAO work in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), 1994-2004 was completed.
480. Environmental Geo-Information Infrastructure and Services. Equipment was acquired to improve the distribution of satellite imagery to early warning systems in developing countries. FAO, other UN Organizations, CG Centres and universities agreed to establish inter-operability using such tools as the GeoNetwork. The development of the corporate GIS databases continued along with support to the United Nations Geographical Information Working Group (UNGIWG), liaison with Open GIS Consortium, International Standards Organization (ISO), and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). Methodological and operational work on poverty mapping and the links between poverty and environment significantly advanced and results were made available to member countries through publications and maps. A workshop on environmental hotspots and applications to agriculture was carried out. Software for global water stress maps was completed for early warning analysis. Agromet provided operational support to GIEWS and a geospatial information management advisory group was initiated (SIMAG).
481. Information and Communication Technologies in Support of Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Systems. Case studies were completed in Uganda, Costa Rica and Mexico as an FAO contribution to the World Summit on Information Society (WISIS). ICT needs assessments were carried out in Uganda, Bhutan, Croatia, Macedonia, Georgia and Romania. As a result, projects were formulated for establishing the virtual extension and research communication network (VERCON) in Bhutan and Uganda. A strategy for promoting and guidelines for establishing VERCON were produced and disseminated through seminars and training workshops. The VERCON concept and a pilot project in Egypt were presented and discussed during a regional workshop on strengthening agricultural research and extension linkages held in Amman, Jordan. Technical assistance was provided in support of an information system for the documentation and dissemination in Spanish of proven agricultural technologies for the benefit of the SPFS clients in Honduras. The Regional Consultation on "Rural Women in Knowledge Society" resulted in a publication of the same title for WSIS. A regional assessment for the application of distance education modalities for improving learning about and learning among rural women focused on India, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.
482. Secretariat of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of the CGIAR. The TAC/Interim Science Council (iSC) Secretariat provided technical and logistic support to the TAC/iSC through a number of channels. The Secretariat organized and planned the implementation of four External Reviews of CGIAR Centres (CIP, ISNAR, IPGRI, ICRISAT) and two system-wide programmes (SP-IPM, CAPRI) and participated in the ISNAR Restructuring exercise. It provided support in planning and implementing many thematic studies and in assessing the MTPs of 16 Centres in 2002 and 2003. Support related to iSC's impact work included completing a comprehensive assessment of crop germplasm improvement impact (published by CABI and Science), co-hosting a major international conference on impact assessment and publication of proceedings with conference papers in three issues of international journals.
Regular Programme |
|
US$000 |
|
Programme of Work |
5,259 |
||
Adjustments to Programme of Work arising out of Budgetary Transfers |
50 |
||
Final Programme of Work |
5,309 |
||
Expenditure against Final Programme of Work |
5,295 |
||
Variance of Expenditure (Over)/Under Final Programme of Work |
14 |
||
Budgetary Transfers as percent of Programme of Work |
1.0% |
||
Field Programme |
|
US$000 |
|
Extrabudgetary TF and UNDP delivery |
5,799 |
||
Extrabudgetary emergency project delivery |
0 |
||
TCP delivery |
346 |
||
Total Field Programme delivery |
6,146 |
||
Ratio of Field to Regular Programme delivery |
1.2 |
||
Technical Support Services, professional staff cost |
1,130 |
483. The programme provided policy support, capacity building and development of tools and methodologies for incorporation of gender perspectives in the agriculture sector in Member Nations as well as within FAO. It supported the implementation of the corporate-wide Gender and Development Plan of Action (2002-2007). The first progress report on implementing the Plan was well received by the 32nd session of the FAO Conference. An increasing number of FAO Member Nations adopted special action plans for rural women and/or strategies for gender mainstreaming in the agriculture sector, as well as more gender-sensitive land legislation and agricultural censuses. Perhaps as a consequence the number of gender-related TCP requests increased in all regions. At the WFS:fyl in 2002, a well-attended side-event on "Rural Women - crucial partners in the fight against hunger and poverty" was organized. The programme continued to be an active partner in several UN system-wide task forces.
484. 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. Research on the nexus of HIV/AIDS, gender, agricultural production and household food security contributed to the development of mitigating strategies through Ministries of Agriculture. During the biennium, extra-budgetary staff and non-staff resources in support of gender- and HIV/AIDS-related activities supported by the programme were provided by Belgium, Finland, Italy, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom and UNAIDS.
Gender, Biodiversity and Local Knowledge Systems for Food Security
The Norway-funded Gender, Biological Diversity and Local Knowledge Systems for Food Security in Southern Africa project (LinKS) continued to operate in Mozambique, Swaziland and Tanzania. It aims to improve rural people's food security and provide sustainable management of agrobiodiversity by strengthening the capacity of institutions to use participatory approaches that recognize the knowledge of men and women farmers in their programmes and policies. During the biennium, 29 training workshops for researchers, extension workers and decision-makers were organized. The project supported the development of a training manual that explains the concepts of gender, biodiversity and local knowledge and their interrelations, and provided support for curriculum development for universities. LinKS research resulted in several reports, including: "Local Knowledge Systems in relation to management of agro-biodiversity for food security: case studies on local seed management practices in Southern Highlands and Central Zone, Tanzania" and "The utilization of indigenous knowledge in range management and forage plants for improving livestock productivity and food security in the Maasai and Barbaig communities of Kibaha," also in Tanzania; "Impacts of HIV/AIDS on gendered information and knowledge flows around seeds amongst rural producers" in Mozambique; and "Indigenous crops, their preparation, methods and acceptability: a case study of the Manzini Region" in Swaziland. Finally, the project supported communication and advocacy to enhance sharing and exchange of information through an electronic newsletter, a website, leaflets, case studies, and 14 sensitization workshops and seminars.
485. Inter-relations between Gender, Population and Food Security. The entity concentrated on the linkages among gender issues, population factors - including morbidity and mortality caused by HIV/AIDS and rural population ageing - and agriculture, food security, and rural development. The main focus was on coping strategies and livelihood options for the rural poor and corresponding enabling measures needed at policy, legislative and institutional levels to support sustainable livelihoods and reduce HIV/AIDS risk. Policy advice, technical assistance, capacity-building and training services were provided to various stakeholders to assist them in mainstreaming gender and population considerations in agricultural and rural development policies and programmes. Several national studies were undertaken on HIV/AIDS and rural ageing, which generated new insights about the effects of population factors on agriculture and rural communities. The entity also facilitated FAO follow-up to the Cairo Programme of Action on Population and Development, the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, and the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. Activities of the entity contributed to the strengthening of national population programmes; provided member states with information and tools to more effectively address population-agriculture linkages; and contributed to building partnerships and networks with stakeholders, including WFP, UNDP, WHO, UNAIDS and others.
486. Gender and Natural Resources Management. Natural Resource Management (NRM) studies continued to be produced under the LinKS Project, and concept papers, posters, information sheets and multimedia presentations (including videos) were produced to document research on land and water (see Box). A research paper and a fact sheet on Gender and Drylands were made available for COP7 (Desertification Convention), and fact sheets and NRM research on rural women were finalised in several Latin American countries. Efforts to integrate gender socio-economic data into natural resource (NR) spatial data bases were undertaken through the Integrated Support to Sustainable Development and Food Security Programme (IP) in Africa and AsiaCover in Asia. Training activities in NRM in Africa created interest and have led to new research proposals and collaboration with new partners such as the World Bank and ICRISAT and also to requests for university curricula. Several TCPs were completed with the goal of inserting gender into national agricultural strategies (i.e Algeria, Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, Morocco) and supporting SPFS (in Latin America and the Caribbean). Research on the CEDAW Convention and particularly Article 14 dealing with land was completed (with IFAD/Land Coalition).
487. Promotion of Gender and Population in Policies, Legislation and Civil Institutions. Attention focused on the Socio-Economic and Gender Analysis (SEAGA) training programme as the main instrument for capacity-building and gender mainstreaming. SEAGA training of trainers and technical workshops were held in 24 international locations. SEAGA presentations were also given at conferences and meetings in a variety of places. A Guide on Rural Households and Resources, integrating HIV/AIDS issues, was developed. Various SEAGA training handbooks and guides were translated into English, French, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese and/or Russian.
488. The programme continued to develop gender-sensitive indicators to improve the monitoring and evaluation of FAO gender mainstreaming activities and to assist in measuring the outputs of the Gender Plan of Action. SEAGA-based training workshops on the production and use of gender-disaggregated data and indicators (GDD) were held in a number of African and Eastern European countries. An Expert Consultation on Gender and Participatory Research Methods was organized for eastern and southern African countries. Support through SEAGA training was also given in Cambodia to the Ministries of Women, Agriculture and Rural Development, and in Thailand to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives on the Gender Plan of Action. Support from RAP was also given to ICRISAT on "Social and Gender Analytical Methodologies in Natural Resource Management Technology Transfer".
489. Collaborative partnerships with other UN agencies included participation in the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), and the provision of reports and technical inputs on gender activities to the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) and the Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). FAO, as a member of the UN Inter-agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE), made contributions to other UN-wide initiatives.
Regular Programme |
|
US$000 |
|
Programme of Work |
8,283 |
||
Adjustments to Programme of Work arising out of Budgetary Transfers |
(210) |
||
Final Programme of Work |
8,073 |
||
Expenditure against Final Programme of Work |
8,075 |
||
Variance of Expenditure (Over)/Under Final Programme of Work |
(2) |
||
Budgetary Transfers as percent of Programme of Work |
(2.5%) |
||
Field Programme |
|
US$000 |
|
Extrabudgetary TF and UNDP delivery |
13,038 |
||
Extrabudgetary emergency project delivery |
0 |
||
TCP delivery |
3,647 |
||
Total Field Programme delivery |
16,685 |
||
Ratio of Field to Regular Programme delivery |
2.1 |
||
Technical Support Services, professional staff cost |
2,161 |
490. Strong emphasis was given to:
491. Access 21: Land Tenure Institution Building for Food Security and Sustainable Rural Development. The Programme Entity contributed to improving secure access to land and to the growing recognition of the importance of land tenure and land policy for food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Guidelines on improved access to land, with particular reference to women, through more effective land tenure policies were published in Arabic, English, French and Spanish and widely disseminated. Eight countries adopted FAO's approach for land consolidation projects. Five editions of the journal "Land reform, land settlement and cooperatives" were widely disseminated. Guidelines on rural property taxes to support decentralization of rural services in Central and Eastern Europe prompted requests for similar guidance for other regions. Training material on participatory diagnostics of common property resource management was presented to African Lusophone countries. Guidance was provided on participatory territorial planning, land conflict resolution, capacity building and land tenure regularization, based in part on regional workshops.
492. Improved Rural Institutions and Services to Promote Sustainable Rural Livelihoods. Technical assistance and policy advice were provided for the restructuring and decentralization of rural public institutions in 12 countries and for the strengthening of farmers' organizations and cooperatives in some 14 countries with a view to enhancing their livelihoods. Resource and training materials were developed on methods for and experiences in decentralization, agricultural cooperatives, group savings, and new approaches to capital formation and computerization in cooperatives. Substantive work was undertaken with other services on participatory territorial planning, drawing on experiences in field projects. FAO collaborated with the ILO and IUF on generic and country-level activities related to rural workers and SARD. This entity contributed significantly to the preparation of WSSD with regard to SARD (chapter 14 of Agenda 21) (see Box).
493. Participatory Approaches and Methods to Support Sustainable Livelihoods and Food Security. This entity has contributed to developing, testing and promoting the use of participatory methods and tools in field projects. The inter-departmental Livelihood Support Programme (supported by extra-budgetary funds) undertook a variety of activities including institutional learning from experience, cultural dimensions of livelihoods, access to resources (especially land), participation in decision-making processes, income diversification, conflict management, and mainstreaming of livelihood approaches, analysis and methods in investment projects. Another achievement was the preparation of a concept paper and nine country case studies on the role of local institutions in disaster prevention or in rehabilitation which will form the basis of further work. Profiles of the livelihood systems and causes of vulnerability were undertaken in the FAO-Netherlands Partnership Programme (FNPP).
Initiatives to Support SARD
The SARD Initiative was launched as a civil society-led, government-supported and FAO-facilitated type II non-negotiated outcome of WSSD. Moreover, support was provided by the Swiss Government for the organization of the International Conference on SARD in Mountain Regions (Adelboden, June 2002), and the subsequent preparation of a project document on SARD in Mountain Regions for multi-donor funding. Another Trust Fund project on SARD-Farming Systems Evolution supported the development of methods and indicators based on case studies undertaken in different agro-ecological regions.
494. Management and Support to the UN System Network on Rural Development and Food Security. The UN System Network on Rural Development and Food Security continued to provide support to the activities of the national Thematic Groups. A bi-monthly update of the UN System Network Website has been established to disseminate information on Thematic Group's activities, joint initiatives among UN agencies, NGOs and CSOs as well as interesting international events or publications on rural development and food security issues. This Network provided direct assistance to the International Alliance Against Hunger, especially for the 2003 World Food Day, and to other international events such as the FAO Conference and ECOSOC High Level Segment on "integrated rural development".
Regular Programme |
|
US$000 |
|
Programme of Work |
10,475 |
||
Adjustments to Programme of Work arising out of Budgetary Transfers |
2,090 |
||
Final Programme of Work |
12,565 |
||
Expenditure against Final Programme of Work |
12,569 |
||
Variance of Expenditure (Over)/Under Final Programme of Work |
(4) |
||
Budgetary Transfers as percent of Programme of Work |
20.0% |
||
Field Programme |
|
US$000 |
|
Extrabudgetary TF and UNDP delivery |
16,745 |
||
Extrabudgetary emergency project delivery |
0 |
||
TCP and SPFS delivery |
9,694 |
||
Total Field Programme delivery |
26,439 |
||
Ratio of Field to Regular Programme delivery |
2.1 |
||
Technical Support Services, professional staff cost |
542 |
495. The Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) was the subject of an Independent External Evaluation in 2001-02 (PC 87/4(a)) which endorsed the programme’s approach and noted its particular strengths as being:
496. In response to the evaluation, the Programme has evolved progressively over the biennium both in terms of concept and coverage.
497. The conceptual framework for the SPFS has been broadened, following discussion by the SPFS Oversight Panel (October 2002) of the implications of the Independent External Evaluation Report. A short paper entitled "The Special Programme for Food Security – Responding to New Challenges" was published in March 2003. The paper, which has been discussed by the SPFS Technical Support Group (TSG), Oversight Panel and the Project and Programme Review Committee (PPRC), outlines how the Organization can respond to the broadening range of demands on its services made by member countries which embark on national-scale food security programmes.
498. An in-house Technical Support Group (TSG) has been established to deepen the engagement of the Organization’s technical staff in the design and implementation of SPFS programmes and projects. To further strengthen technical oversight, Technical Support Teams (TST) consisting of FAO subject matter specialists from the Regional/Subregional Offices and headquarters were set up in support of major country-specific SPFS operations.
499. Steps were taken to improve monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the SPFS. An M&E Handbook has been prepared and is currently under field-testing. The Handbook includes modules covering Programme and Project Action Planning; Monitoring and Ongoing Evaluation; Impact Evaluation; and Reporting.
500. The SPFS Management and Coordination Service was strengthened with additional staff, and thus enabling the more systematic oversight of national programmes and allowing for a progressive shift from a reactive to a proactive approach to project supervision.
501. The gap between the intended emphasis on the use of participative approaches to improving food security and what is happening on the ground is being narrowed, particularly by developing greater synergy in the field between the SPFS and other FAO programmes which emphasize participative methodologies (especially the work of the Agriculture Department on Integrated Pest Management and Water Management). School gardens and urban-peri-urban agriculture were new elements promoted within the SPFS.
502. The programme has expanded beyond the biennial expectation due to rising demand, requiring a 20% increase in resources. At the end of the biennium, the SPFS was under implementation in 75 countries compared with the target of 70 countries, while South-South Cooperation (SSC) tripartite agreements were signed for 28 countries compared with the target of 26 countries. Furthermore, the upscaling of SPFS activities to the national level was initiated in 30 countries as compared with the target of eight (see Table 2.5-1).
503. As evidence of the catalytic effect of initial phases, several developing countries, including Algeria, Dominican Republic, Jordan, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa and Venezuela, sought FAO assistance in designing and implementing medium- to large-scale food security projects, financed mainly from their own resources. These projects, based on the SPFS model, usually involve piloting of improved small-farmer production systems at a large number of sites, sometimes providing support also for input supplies, marketing and improved rural infrastructure if required by participating communities. Two countries, Brazil and Sierra Leone, have set themselves the goal of eradicating hunger within four and five years, respectively, and requested FAO assistance within the SPFS framework.
504. Much valuable experience was also gained in the management of an innovative South-South Cooperation (SSC) programme, which assigns persons with strong practical skills in recipient countries at a fraction of the cost of conventional technical cooperation.
505. The indicative extra-budgetary resources mobilized since SPFS inception increased to US$ 382 million at the end of 2003 compared with US$ 240 million at the end of 2001, representing an increase of 59% for the biennium.The resources come from a range of bilateral and multilateral donors, International Financing Institutions and the national budgets of the developing countries mostly under Unilateral Trust Fund arrangements.
TABLE 2.5-1. STATUS OF SPFS AND SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION IMPLEMENTATION, DECEMBER 2003
|
Operational |
Formulated |
Under Formulation |
|
Africa |
| |||
SPFS |
42 |
1 |
2 |
|
SSC |
23 |
2 |
0 |
|
Asia |
| |||
SPFS |
17 |
3 |
4 |
|
SSC |
2 |
7 |
0 |
|
Europe |
| |||
SPFS |
2 |
0 |
1 |
|
SSC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Latin America |
| |||
SPFS |
11 |
15 |
1 |
|
SSC |
2 |
4 |
0 |
|
Oceania |
| |||
SPFS |
3 |
11 |
0 |
|
SSC |
1 |
2 |
0 |
|
TOTAL |
| |||
SPFS |
75 |
30 |
8 |
|
SSC |
28 |
15 |
0 |
|
* Including four Regional SSC Programmes (two in the Caribbean and two in the Pacific) | ||||
