Economic and Social Development stream

policy briefs

 

Economic and Social Perspectives

Economic and Social Perspectives provide guidance on today’s global policy challenges related to food and agriculture. Written in non-technical language, they explain why policy makers need to address a particular issue and how they might do so.

Recent Briefs

September 2009

Hunger in the Face of Crisis

Global economic slowdown underscores urgency of addressing long-term challenges

More than one billion people are undernourished worldwide. FAO estimates show a significant deterioration of an already disappointing trend witnessed over the past ten years. The large increase in the number of undernourished people in 2009 underlines the urgency of [...]

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August 2009

Women and Rural Employment

Fighting poverty by redefining gender roles

About three quarters of the world’s poor live in rural areas. Among those, women constitute a particularly vulnerable, yet crucially important group for social and economic development. Investing in rural women is thus not only a moral imperative; it can [...]

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June 2009

From Land Grab to Win-Win

Seizing the opportunities of international investments in agriculture

Foreign acquisitions of farmland in Africa and elsewhere have become the focus of concern. Many observers consider them a new form of colonialism that threatens food security of the poor. However, investments could be good news if the objectives of [...]

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August 2008

The Breakdown of the Doha Round Negotiations

What does it mean for dealing with soaring food prices?

In the period leading up to the July 2008 WTO ministerial meeting, the crisis of soaring food prices was used both to argue for a speedy resolution of the negotiations, and to argue against any further reductions in protection that [...]

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Multimedia

Interview with Kostas Stamoulis.

Contact

Economic and Social Development Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00153 Rome, Italy

Telephone: +39-06-57051
Fax: +39-06-57053152
Email: ES-Policy-Briefs [at] fao.org