A new programme worth €33 million to improve land governance and help improve the food and nutrition security of family farmers and vulnerable communities in Sub Saharan Africa, was announced today by the European Union’s Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs. This will be done, among other things, through the application, at country level, of some Voluntary Guidelines set up by the international community in 2012 to improve land governance.  Roughly 1.2 billion people worldwide live without permanent homes, land access or formal property rights, a reason which is often used for their land to be attributed to large scale land investors. Therefore,...

PepsiCo has joined fellow beverage corporation the Coca-Cola Company in giving its official support to a set of global guidelines that protect the rights of poor and vulnerable people to land, livelihoods and food security. Initiated by FAO and endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security in 2012, the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure promote secure ownership rights and equitable access to land, fisheries and forests as a means of eradicating hunger and poverty, supporting sustainable development and protecting the environment.The guidelines call for the commitment of both the public and private sectors,...

Beijing/Ulaanbaatar, 11 Apr 2014 - China and Mongolia are moving forward to implement activities following an agreement reached last month on South-South cooperation, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization announced today...

As populations expand and food requirements continue to rise, the world cannot afford to continue squandering one third of total agricultural production. Coordinated and forceful actions are called for, and in many cases, the private sector will need to take the lead. These were among the conclusions of a round-table session of agriculture ministers from across Europe and Central Asia which took place here today as part of FAO’s biennial Regional Conference for Europe.In a paper prepared for the session, FAO examined food losses and waste in the region, comparing low-, middle- and high-income countries, and looking at...

Secure and equitable access to natural resources is key for sustainable development, and good governance of tenure is crucial in determining how people and communities acquire access and rights to control land, fisheries and forests.  An agreement signed  by FAO and the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Centre (CATIE) aims to foster dialogues, promote South-South knowledge exchange, and inform policies in order to enhance the responsible governance of tenure of land and natural resources, and therefore boost food security in developing countries.  “This partnership with CATIE will build the capacities of current and future leaders to create innovative strategies for the...