Field Activities

Activities are conducted in Member Nations in collaboration with governments, institutions, and rural communities, providing technical advice and support to strengthen capacities in agricultural information management and the effective use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Regional partners often play a key role in the implementation of these activities.

As these initiatives are financed to a great extent by extra-budgetary funds, strong liaison takes place with Member Nations and Donors to secure the necessary financial resources.

Mechanisms by which FAO responds to the needs of member countries include:

1. Strategic programmes:

• Information management component of the Special Programme on Food Security (SPFS). Design, development, testing and rollout of a set of tools and methodologies for information management in the SPFS. Example: Information management component in a Japanese trust fund project in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Lao PDR, and Sri Lanka.
• Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping System (FIVIMS) Support to national FIVIMS initiatives, comprising analysis of institutional arrangements, training, methodologies, and tools.
• Strategic approach to information and communication in support of poverty reduction and food security. Example: Desk study and three associated national case studies conducted in collaboration with the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID).

2. Ad hoc requests from Governments:

• Advisory missions and training support to national and regional organizations.
• Field projects funded by external donors, such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and donor countries.
• Field projects funded by FAO's Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP). In order to be considered for TCP funding, project requests must meet certain criteria.