The Division maintains a constant watch on the world market
situation and outlook for all the main agricultural commodities and is
responsible for servicing the arrangements for early warning of food shortfalls.
The Division services one standing committee of the FAO Council: the Committee
on Commodity Problems, as well as eleven Intergovernmental Commodity Groups.
It identifies specific commodity problems and proposes international action
to mitigate them. It is responsible for the operation of the Global Information
and Early Warning System (GIEWS) .
The Division also advises individual developing countries on formulating
and implementing their national commodity policies. The Division provides
a comprehensive information and intelligence service on agricultural commodities
and monitors continuously the world supply/demand outlook for basic foods.
The Division contributes to and is a user of information assembled by ESS
under WAICENT. Based on its review of the world food situation and of commodity
problems and policies at country, regional and international levels, the
Division provides support for FAO's programme of work on world food security
analysis.
111.42 Organizational
Structure
111.43 Office of the
Director (ESCD)
.431 Activities
(i) Advises the Assistant Director-General, ES, and regional
representatives on matters relating to the Division's fields of activity.
(ii) Ensures liaison and coordination with, and supplies information,
guidelines and support to FAO Members, UN and specialized agencies, other
global, regional and national bodies and various segments of the Organization,
including regional and sub-regional offices.
(iii) Exercises overall management responsibility including
planning, supervising and ensuring the implementation of the approved Programme
of Work and Budget (PWB) in the Division's field of competence. Provides
budgetary and administrative oversight, supervising staff, and coordination
with other concerned units of FAO.
(iv) Coordinates the planning of the programme of work and
ensures its technical quality and implementation through staff and non-staff
resources at all locations (Headquarters and decentralized offices) .
(v) Ensures the appraisal of field projects, the identification
of programmes and projects in collaboration with its decentralized structures,
and the provision of specialized support, on request from the TC Department,
in the formulation or implementation of projects, preferably through its
decentralized structures. It also ensures the technical quality of the
field programme to an acceptable standard, through the appraisal of project
documents and clearance of technical and terminal reports. Provides technical
support to the WFP projects, if applicable.
(vi) Develops and provides technical guidance and support to
special action programmes.
(vii) Provides advice, assistance and support to governmental
policies and strategies in collaboration with the Policy Assistance Division
(TCA) and the regional policy assistance groups.
(viii) Provides leadership, coordination or assistance, as
required, to UN and specialized agencies, and other global, regional and
national bodies in its fields of activity.
(ix) Promotes and coordinates actions in the divisional field
of activity through collaboration efforts including Technical Cooperation
among Developing Countries (TCDC) .
(x) Represents the Organization at technical and inter-agency
meetings in the Division's fields of activity.
111.44 Basic Foodstuffs
Service (ESCB)
The Service provides economic data and analyses on basic foodstuffs,
to facilitate transparency of information for decision-making, to enable
FAO Members to adjust their production, import and export, and food security
policies, and to encourage international harmonization of policies.
.442 Organizational Structure
- Office of Chief
- Grains, Pulses and Roots Group
- Oilseeds and Livestock Group
- Rice Group
.443 Activities
(i) Assembles and analyzes information on production, consumption,
processing, international trade and prices of basic foodstuffs, and in
particular:
(a) studies national and international policies and other factors
affecting commodity trends and inter-relationships between commodities;
(b) monitors global supply and demand, undertakes market review,
outlook appraisals and projections; contributes substantively to the work
of the Global Information and Early Warning System;
(c) contributes to assessments of world food security situation,
through assessment of trends in food production and consumption, adequacy
of stocks, food trade, import capacity of food deficit countries, volume,
composition and direction of food aid, changes in national cereals policies
and household food security status;
(d) prepares studies on linkages between environmental and
trade policies;
(e) provides market impact analysis to the World Food Programme
for each project submitted to the Committee on Food Aid Policies and Programmes
(CFA)
(ii) Prepares commodity notes for publication in "FAO
Commodity Market Review", "The State of
Food and Agriculture", "Food
Outlook", and other publications and prepares, as appropriate,
specialized commodity studies. Issues annually the "Cereal Policies Review"
and bi-monthly a "Rice Market Report" and prepares reports for the United
Nations and other international organizations, as required.
(iii) Services the Commodity Groups for which the Service is
responsible. Assists in servicing the Committee on Commodity Problems and
its Sub-committee on Surplus Disposal.
(iv) Collaborates with international organizations and other
inter-governmental organizations in the commodity sector.
(v) Assists developing and other FAO Members in designing and
implementing national policies and strategies for basic food commodities
and is instrumental in formulating, sponsoring and supervising projects
financed by the CFC.
(vi) Provides support to other technical units and consults
with TC Department in the formulation of country policies and development
projects for basic food commodities.
111.45 Global Information
and Early Warning Service (ESCG)
The Service keeps the world food supply/demand situation under
continuous review; issues timely reports on the world food situation and
forthcoming shortages in individual countries.
.452 Organizational Structure
- Office of Chief
- Early Warning Group
- Global Food Information Group
.453 Activities
(i) Operates the Global
Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture and
liaises with governments and international bodies participating in the
System.
(ii) Monitors continuously the world
food supply/demand situation in order to assist governments in
taking timely and appropriate action in quickly changing situations.
(iii) Identifies countries or regions where serious food
shortages are imminent and assesses possible emergency food requirements;
processes emergency food aid requests received by ODG.
(iv) Issues reports
on the food situation at the world and national levels; ensures
effective and timely dissemination of special
alerts on food problem areas and of special reports containing
information and the food requirements, pledges and deliveries of food aid
in affected countries.
(v) Provides technical assistance and support to the development
of national and regional early warning systems.
111.46 Commodity Policy
and Projections Service (ESCP)
The Service analyzes information on national and international
commodity policies and agreements, and factors affecting flows of trade
in agricultural products; organizes and helps prepare commodity projections;
and advises developing countries on national commodity policies and programmes.
.462 Organizational Structure
- Office of Chief
- Trade and Commodity Policy Group
- General Analysis and Projections Group
.463 Activities
(i) Analyzes information on national and international commodity
and trade policies, negotiations, and agreements in agricultural commodities
and provides advice and assistance on questions of commodity policy. In
particular:
(a) advises other units on feasibility of proposed commodity
agreements and of new techniques for market stabilization;
(b) participates in servicing intergovernmental consultations
on commodity and trade policy, including the Committee on Commodity Problems.
(ii) Prepares, in conjunction with other services, periodic
projections of demand, supply and trade in agricultural commodities.
(iii) Advises and assists in the application of econometric
techniques to commodity analysis, and in particular:
(a) undertakes econometric analysis of, and provides information
on factors influencing trends, patterns and inter-relationships in demand,
supply and trade of agricultural commodities;
(b) organizes the Division's computer services and provides
data processing assistance to other units for commodity analysis;
(c) assists other units on commodity model building.
(iv) Provides the main channel for divisional liaison with
FAO global studies of world agricultural development carried out by ESDG
and on the State of Food and Agriculture by ESA.
(v) Takes main responsibility for preparation of the annual
"FAO Commodity Market Review";.
(vi) Advises and participates in technical programmes and projects
to assist FAO Members to formulate and implement agricultural commodity
and trade policies at national level.
111.47 Raw Materials,
Tropical and Horticultural Products Service (ESCR)
The Service provides economic data and analyses on major agricultural
raw materials and tropical and horticultural products to facilitate transparency
of information for decision-making, to enable governments to adjust their
production, import and export programmes and to encourage international
harmonization of policies.
.472 Organizational Structure
- Office of Chief
- Sugar and Beverages Group
- Horticultural Products Group
- Raw Materials Group
.473 Activities
(i) Assembles and analyzes information on production, consumption,
processing, international trade and prices, as a basis for the continuing
review and appraisal of all economic aspects of the major agricultural
raw materials and tropical and horticultural products. In particular:
(a) studies national and international policies and other factors
affecting commodity trends and inter-relationships between different commodities;
(b) monitors global supply and demand, and undertakes market
reviews, outlook appraisals and projections;
(c) prepares studies on linkages between environmental and
trade policies.
(ii) Prepares commodity notes for publication in ", "The State
of Food and Agriculture", "Food
Outlook", and other publications; prepares "World Apparel Fibre
Consumption Survey", "World Statistical Compendium for Raw Hides and Skins,
Leather and Leather Footwear" and, as appropriate, specialized commodity
studies. Prepares reports for other international organizations as required.
(iii) Services the Commodity Groups for which the Service is
responsible.
(iv) Cooperates closely with various commodity bodies and international
organizations.
(v) Provides assistance to developing countries in designing
and implementing national policies for those agricultural commodities which
enter into international trade. Assistance includes provision of expertise
to advisory missions, comprehensive commodity strategy missions, and commodity
outlook conferences and workshops, and is instrumental in formulating,
sponsoring and supervising projects financed by the CFC.
