Resource mobilization

Bilateral donors are essential partners, as it is their funds that finance many of FAO's field activities.

Except for limited amounts of seed money provided by FAO's Technical Cooperation Programme, the funding for all FAO's agricultural relief assessment missions and field operations, and for many emergency prevention and preparedness activities, comes from extrabudgetary resources provided by donors.

FAO solicits donor support mainly through the inter-agency Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) and other emergency or transitional appeals and strategy papers/updates on behalf of affected countries.

Rapid response fund

To enhance FAO's capacity to deal rapidly with an emergency situation, a Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities (SFERA) was established in April 2004.

SFERA provides FAO with the flexibility and financial means to react promptly to humanitarian crises even before donor funding is secured.

For example the fund allows:

• early participation in interagency needs assessments initiation of coordination activities in support of all actors involved in agricultural relief
• timely preparation of context-specific emergency programmes

It also enables the Organization to acquire logistical equipment and agricultural inputs for the quick launch of field activities.