2017
Results
Partnerships
Impact
2018

Partnerships have been instrumental in the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to achieve #ZeroHunger and make a difference in the lives and livelihoods of farmers, fisherfolk and livestock keepers.

These partnerships demonstrate the many ways in which Member Nations and their various governmental agencies can come together to tackle the world’s greatest challenges.

Together with these partners, FAO is contributing to the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with tangible results that can be seen in the stories of our beneficiaries.

The stories from the field in this report highlight the real achievements and results of FAO’s five Strategic Objectives.

  • Help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition
  • Make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable
  • Reduce rural poverty
  • Enable inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems
  • Increase the resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises

While FAO’s transformative interventions have consistently delivered value for money to our resource partners and the international community, more still needs to be done.

There is too much at stake for us to waver in our commitment to achieve Zero Hunger.

This digital report describes FAO’s vision, supporters, and funding mechanisms, reveals that which differentiates FAO, presents evidence of the value that FAO adds to interventions and tells stories of our beneficiaries and partners.


PART 1

FAO’s delivery in 2017

FAO's overall programme of work is funded by assessed and voluntary contributions. The assessed contributions are Member countries' obligatory contributions to the United Nations and its specialized agencies. These are determined at the biennial FAO Conference. 

FAO’s delivery
in 2017


1.4BN

USD was the total amount
delivered by FAO in 2017

  • Assessed contributions
  • Voluntary contributions

The voluntary contributions provided by Members and other partners to support governments for clearly defined purposes linked to the results framework, as well as direct support to FAO's core work.

Top 50 Contributing Members in 2017

  • Assessed
  • Voluntary

Assessed contributions are obligatory payments to nance FAO's regular budget, and are based on the agreed scale of contributions

Voluntary (Extrabudgetary) contributions can be provided by Members and other partners on a voluntary basis through direct support to the Programme of Work, or through Trust Funds to provide technical and emergency assistance to governments for clearly defined purposes linked to the Programme of Work

Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP)
Assessed Contributions in action

TCP projects support catalytic development efforts or provide emergency and rehabilitation assistance responding to crises. Projects ensure essential sustainable impact through their catalytic nature, address critical gaps, and transfer technical knowledge. TCP projects support changes, processes, foster capacity development and assist countries in mobilizing resources, in line with the Country Programming Frameworks (CPF) agreed upon with governments.

2017 Approval of TCP Projects by Strategic Objective

Total USD 151 916 119

2017 Delivery of TCP Projects by Strategic Objective

Total USD 135 551 328


PART 2

Voluntary contributions
mobilized in 2017

In 2017 a historic USD 1.2 billion was mobilized through voluntary contributions from Members and other resource partners, such as national governments, International Financing Institutions, the private sector and foundations. This is a monumental 44 percent increase compared to 2016.

10 year trend in Members’ Contributions to FAO

  • Assessed contribution - in USD
  • Voluntary contribution - in USD

FAO’s resource partners provide both financial support and in-kind contributions, as well as knowledge-sharing and expertise. Last year FAO also promoted several partnerships through South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

Top 25 Voluntary Contributions from Members

* Countries that contributed through Unilateral Trust Fund (UTF) agreements established between the government of a given country and FAO UTF is a funding modality nanced entirely by a government for programmes or projects to be implemented in the country

Top 15 Voluntary Contributions from Institutional Resource Partners

Types of voluntary contributions

Bilateral trust fund (TF)

With bilateral trust funds, resource partners channel financial voluntary contributions through FAO for specific development projects or programmes in an individual country, a region, or globally. Usually, agreements are made in project documents on how to use FAO’s technical and backstopping expertise, and FAO reports regularly to all stakeholders concerned on progress made in the implementation of the programme. In other cases, resource partners provide in kind contributions to FAO through knowledge and expertise, for example through the Associate Professional Officer (APO) modality. APOs are often deployed as key experts to decentralized offices to support the technical formulation and/or implementation of programmes.

2017 Approval of TF Projects by Strategic Objective

Total USD 940 851 505

2017 Delivery of TF Projects by Strategic Objective

Total USD 626 091 577

African Solidarity Trust Fund (ASTF)

ASTF is an innovative Africa-led fund for mobilizing resources from one African country for the benefit of another, promoting intra-Africa collaboration.

Last year the ASTF successfully showcased African solidarity and demonstrated positive effects on the continent’s development toward eradicating hunger and malnutrition, eliminating rural poverty, and managing natural resources sustainably.

Distribution of ASTF funding by thematic area

As of 2017, the ASTF allocated USD 37 million to 17 regional programmes and national projects, being implemented in 40 countries.

  • Gender and women’s empowerment
  • Resilience and livelihood supports
  • Employment and value chain
  • Food safety, security and nutrition
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+)

The UN-REDD Programme is the United Nations Collaborative Initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) in developing countries. It is supported by a FAO Multi- Partner Trust Fund. The Programme was launched in 2008 and builds on the convening role and technical expertise of FAO, UNDP and UNEP.

REDD+ is part of the global efforts to mitigate climate change. FAO supports countries in their REDD+ efforts, including reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, fostering conservation and the sustainable management of forests, and enhancing forest carbon stocks.

FAO has established a National Forest Monitoring NFM/REDD+ cluster in its Forestry Department. Within the work of the cluster, the bulk of the funding is represented by the UN-REDD Programme, which consists of both national programmes and a global programme.

In 2017 the UN-REDD Programme approvals amounted to USD 8 million, while delivery was USD 25 million.

Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities (SFERA)

Reducing the time between a funding decision and action on the ground

The Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities (SFERA) enables FAO to respond promptly to emergency situations. In 2017, Belgium supported FAO early action and emergency activities through the allocation of over USD 9 million to the Organization. Support to SFERA amounted to USD 3 412 969 and contributions to emergency projects and programmes reached USD 5 848 047.

Also last year, Belgium became the first resource partner to invest in interventions aimed at anticipating crises through early warnings and early actions (SFERA-EWEA). Such grants have provided FAO with the financial means and flexibility to provide assistance to rural populations affected by natural disasters, conflicts, protracted crises and food chain threats.

SFERA contributions for 2017: USD 12.8 million

In 2017, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) provided unearmarked contributions to SFERA for the first time. These resources were intended to support the Agricultural Inputs Response Capacity (AIRC) window and the capacity of FAO country teams to respond quickly to large scale crises and ensure coordinated and technically sound action.

Fully allocated in 2017, these flexible funds enable FAO to address urgent gaps in response to crises. Under the AIRC window, time-critical agricultural inputs were delivered in Ethiopia, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen.

Special Fund for Relief Operations (OSRO)

FAO’s emergency aid operates through a trust fund for special relief operations (OSRO), which organizes shortterm emergency relief and rehabilitation operations. It responds to requests for emergency assistance arising from natural and human-made calamities, and helps developing countries formulate plans to prepare for emergencies and to respond to them. Most OSRO projects last for less than a year (the interval between two main harvests). Typical projects supply crop seed, fertilizers, livestock vaccines, animal feed, hand tools and farm machinery, and emergency storage for crops. The OSRO office also provides emergency forms of transport for the distribution of inputs and food.


PART 3

FAO selected results and success stories

linkRead more on FAO results and success stories (PDF)
linkResource partners stories website

04 February 2016, Butyaba, Buliisa District, Uganda - Fishermen seen setting up their fishing nets at Butyaba landing site.
©FAO/Isaac Kasamani / FAO

The 'Food and Nutrition Security Impact, Resilience, Sustainability and Transformation' (FIRST) Programme aims to enhance the environment for food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture in 32 countries, one territory, and the sub-regional organization ECOWAS.

FIRST is a joint initiative between the EU and FAO that provides policy support to governments and regional bodies at their request to sharpen the focus of sector-specific policies on food security and nutrition, towards the realization of SDG 2. Additionally, the partnership aims to strengthen capacity for human resources and organizational development and to support stakeholder outreach and coordination to turn policies into action.

The programme's ambitions are long-term in nature, and represent the work of a tripartite agreement between the government, FAO and the EU.

At country-level policy officers foster dialogue among a range of partners and stakeholders, including government ministries and organizations, farmer’s organizations, CSOs, private sector organizations, as well as development agencies and regional organizations.

Substantive progress was made in 2017 towards FIRST's goals, ranging from capacity building activities in Honduras, and Timor-Leste, to the inclusion of food security and nutrition in national strategies in Cambodia, Honduras, Myanmar, and Niger; from identifying priority investments in Burkina Faso, Chad, and Côte d'Ivoire to rural equity plans in Guatemala, and the setting up of a Regional Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy for The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

With FIRST’s support, the draft statutes of the National Council for Food Security, Sovereignty and Nutrition in Timor-Leste (KONSSANTIL) have been finalized. In Honduras, capacity building through national and sub-national food and nutrition committees is ongoing.

In Myanmar the Agriculture Development Strategy implements elements from the country’s new land policy in its food security and nutrition objectives. The Strategy document and roadmap are now available and two pilot interventions are underway.

FAO's Support to the Development of National Investment Plans

In 2017, FAO worked intensively under the leadership of the ECOWAS commission to support the economic union's 15 West African countries with the development of their National Agriculture Investment Plans (NAIPs).

NAIPs are the tools used throughout Africa to implement the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) through identifying, coordinating and prioritizing investments to enable the countries to mobilize the necessary financial resources (from their own budgets and from other sources) and use them as efficiently as possible. A particular focus this year has been the incorporation of food security and nutrition features (objectives, indicators, activities) into the NAIPs as a powerful way to address the persisting issue of malnutrition in the region where 32 percent of children under five are stunted.

The multiplier effect of this technical assistance is key in terms of the level of investment in agriculture, food security and nutrition and the potential for this investment to reduce hunger and malnutrition and, hence, achieve SDG 2.

Moving forward

Further strengthening the partnership between FAO and the EU, the programme will require closer collaboration between EU and FAO technical units in order to integrate new shared global priorities related to youth and migration, climate change, and peace and security issues.

FIRST will also deepen its support to develop national capacities for implementing policies for food and nutrition security.

In addition, FIRST envisages organizing high-level regional policy dialogues around food security and nutrition as its contribution to new global priorities and to maintain food security and nutrition high on the development agenda.

Project: Use of non-conventional water in support to sustainable agri-aquaculture development in desert and arid lands in the Near East and North Africa region, the cases of Algeria, Egypt and Oman
©FAO/Khaled Desouki

The Near East and North Africa (NENA) region has the lowest per-capita fresh water resource availability among all regions of the world and in the coming decades, it faces a severe intensification of water scarcity as well as more frequent, intense and long droughts.

The agriculture sector will be particularly affected, as wheat yields, olive tree yields, and numbers of livestock are projected to decline under all climate change scenarios.

Given that agriculture consumes 85 percent of fresh water, the agricultural industry will need to enhance its water efficiency and productivity. At the government level, policy reform could be effectively oriented to encourage the adoption of farm practices that increase adaptation to climate change and enhance resilience.

To address these issues, FAO implemented the ‘Climate Change and Adaptation Solutions for the Green Sectors of Selected Zones in the NENA Region’ project with special focus on Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon.

The project used state-of-the art climate change projections, and AquaCrop, FAO’s model for crop yield response to water and climate change, to assess changes in yield of key crops in selected NENA countries under various climate scenarios.

The aim was to provide evidence for a regional dialogue and strategic thinking about adaptation responses necessary for coping with the challenges of climate change, water scarcity and food security.

In 2017 the project resulted in a contribution to the Arab Climate Change Assessment Report, within the framework of the Regional Initiative for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources and Socio-Economic Vulnerability in the Arab Region (RICCAR).

RICCAR is implemented through a collaborative partnership involving FAO and 10 other implementing partner organizations.

Additionally a regionally focused and forward looking technical report Climate Change and Adaptation Solutions for the Green Sectors in the Arab Region—currently under preparation—will be issued under this project.

While farmers are the direct beneficiaries of the project, scientists and research institutions also benefit from the ability to design their research strategies and programmes taking into consideration impacts of climate change.

Evidence from the project can also be used by policymakers in the agriculture and water sectors to better plan and manage limited land and water resources available. While the project itself was focused on a selection of crops and countries, the methodology is easily scalable.

The project nurtured strong cooperation and coordination with other international and regional organizations, such as the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD), creating a positive impact on the quality of the reports produced, and also on FAO relations with its partners in the region.

Ruth Simutombo, beneficiary of the Social Cash Transfer Programme in Ng'andu, Zambia sits with her children at their school.
©FAO/Ivan Grifi

What started as a resource partner-driven pilot for 1 200 households is now a domestically financed programme implemented nationwide. By end of 2017, Zambia’s Social Cash Transfer (SCT) Programme had reached 590 000 households across Zambia with plans to reach over 700 000 families this year.

Implemented by the Ministry of Community Development, Mother and Child Health, the main objective of the SCT is to reduce extreme poverty and prevent its transmission across generations.

Ruth Simutombo is a twenty-eight-year-old beneficiary of SCT programme. She lives with her son Patrick and her sister’s son, Sichimwa, in Ng’andu Village in the Southern Province of Kazungula where the programme began 15 years ago.

To be eligible, a household must meet specifc criteria related to residence location, proportion of household fit to work, and overall welfare levels.

Ruth’s story is an example of the life-changing impacts of cash transfers in Zambia where the Government, through the SCT, targets labor-constrained and extremely poor households.

Ruth is also part of a training programme that teaches families how to save and invest. Thanks to her new skills, she has opened a small shop in the local market that sells fruit, soft drinks and vegetables.

Results from impact evaluations carried out by FAO, UNICEF and American Institutes for Research, show that the SCT programme had positive impacts on food security, child wellbeing, living conditions, and productivity and ownership of productive assets.

In 2017 the SCT programme led to a 36 percent increase in the area of worked land as well as an increase in the use of agricultural inputs, including seeds, fertilizers and hired labor which led to a similar increase in the value of overall production—products that were primarily sold in markets rather than consumed on farm.

Evidence also points to a 21 percent increase in the share of households owning livestock such as goats, cows and chickens last year.

By highlighting the impact of social cash transfers on human capital and productivity, these findings challenge perceptions that cash transfers create dependency, and show the reverse.

Beneficiaries are not just passive recipients of aid but rather use the money received to invest and improve their livelihoods.

As a result, cash transfer programmes are increasingly being recognized by governments as one of the most flexible and effective instruments for addressing the needs of poor rural populations and their coverage is being expanded.

“I used to live in dire conditions. Now, with the money I receive every month, I moved into a new house with both children, bought them school uniforms and can pay for their school fees,” says Ruth.

“My son Patrick wants to become a lawyer and my nephew Sichimwa, a teacher. Now I can help make those dreams into reality.”

As part of a Seminar on Social Innovation, participants visited Mercadom and Food Bank facilities in the Dominican Republic.
©FAO

"Fighting hunger is a priority for my institution, my country, and the world. That’s why I’m fully on board with FAO and the ‘Global Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction’ project,” says Mercodom Manager Josè Amado Vencos, surrounded by colorful stalls in the bustling Santo Domingo Food Wholesale Market.

Today, one-third of all food produced in the world is lost or wasted at a cost of up to USD 2.6 trillion per year. Global food loss and waste (FLW) generates about 8 percent of total annual greenhouse gas emissions.

FAO’s Save Food initiative is a global player in raising awareness about FLW, and in finding solutions for more inclusive and efficient agribusinesses and agrifood chains in the public and private sectors.

Under this umbrella programme, the ‘Global Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction’ project implemented by FAO has been successful in gathering data on the levels and causes of FLW in key value chains.

These in turn were used in 2017 to develop guidelines, strategies and policies to address FLW in Cameroon, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Jamaica, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Morocco, Myanmar, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In the Dominican Republic, recent data estimates that 24 026 pounds per week of fruit and vegetables are wasted in the marketing phase.

To tackle this problem, the project is working on the design and development of a socio-productive entrepreneurship initiative for the reuse of food waste in the area near Mercadom.

Transforming surpluses into new products offers an opportunity to connect diverse groups, create job opportunities, and innovate while drawing from local traditions.

One project stakeholder, Gastromotiva, embodies social innovation to fight FLW.

Founded in Brazil, but active globally, Gastromotiva uses the power of education, food reuse, and gastronomy as social change agents to transform the lives of people experiencing vulnerability and social exclusion.

In the Dominican Republic, social gastronomy has proven to be a win- win situation. While Mercadom manages marketing surpluses, the local government identifies employment opportunities for its citizens, and communities move towards a more responsible consumption.

At a 2017 workshop on sustainable consumption and production in Colombia, organized in collaboration with Gastromotiva, about 210 participants benefited from capacity building including students, food entrepreneurs, farmers, public actors, private actors, and civil society.

In addition, the FAO project supported the integration of FLW in the formulation of legal and regulatory frameworks in the Latin America and Caribbean region.

Drawing on the experience of the Dominican Republic, a National Network for Prevention and Reduction of Food Losses and Waste has been established in Ecuador with the support of the FMM, opening doors to further South-South and Triangular cooperation.

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The MOSCAMED-RD Team take the "sleepy" flies out from their holding boxes and place them into special aerial release boxes.
Photo:©Danfung Dennis

The presence of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata), was officially reported in March 2015 in the Dominican Republic.

The major horticultural pest had already spread to more than 2 000 km2 in the eastern part of the country, constituting a major outbreak.

International trading partners established an immediate ban on imports of most fruits and vegetables from the Dominican Republic, causing a loss of USD 40 million in the remaining nine months of 2015, and putting 30 000 jobs at risk.

The outbreak was located in the Punta Cana region, a top tourist destination, suggesting that the pest was introduced by tourists carrying infested fruits.

As an emergency response, the government, through its Ministry of Agriculture, established the Moscamed Programme, providing the required financial and operational support to perform all required surveillance and eradication activities.

FAO, IAEA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) joined together to guide and assist the country in establishing a national monitoring network to delimit the distribution of the outbreak and to initiate an eradication campaign also with input from regional organizations such as OIRSA and IICA. The GuatemalaMexico-United States of America Moscamed Programme played a major role in assisting through technology transfer.

An external Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) that consisted of a group of international experts was organized and chaired by the Joint FAO/IAEA Division, which reviewed activities and progress achieved during the initial months of the programme.

Even though the pest had already spread to a large area, the TAC confirmed that eradication was still feasible and recommended that an area-wide integrated pest management programme should be established, integrating the sterile insect technique (also known as the SIT) with other control methods.

The SIT is an environmentally-friendly and effective method to suppress or eradicate selected insect populations, and is particularly effective in areas that are difficult to reach with other pest-control methods, such as mass-trapping and the application of insecticide. It involves massrearing male flies and sterilizing them with ionizing radiation.

In just two years, involving an intense eradication campaign with the participation of up to 300 experts, the Dominican Republic eradicated this major agricultural pest. The last wild fly was detected in January 2017 and successful eradication was officially declared by the government on 7 July 2017.

The Dominican Republic is now on the official list of countries that have successfully eradicated the Mediterranean fruit fly and the programme has substantially strengthened its fruit fly surveillance system and emergency response capacity.

A woman milks one of her family's cows - Afghanistan.
Photo:©FAO/Danfung Dennis

Abdul Rahman is from Parwan Province in the Bagram district of Afghanistan, where he lives with his wife and six children and owns two cows and two calves. Abdul was a beneficiary of vaccinations for his cows that had contracted Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD).

“When my cow was unable to produce the usual amount of milk, had strange lesions around the mouth, and trouble moving, I had no idea what to do,” says Abdul. Later he noticed the symptoms in his calf and brought the animals to the veterinarian.

“Both animals recovered but I was worried the disease would come back,” says Abdul.

An FAO initiative in Afghanistan is finding solutions for livestock keepers like Abdul. The programme ‘Building resilience and self-reliance of livestock keepers by improving control of FMD and other transboundary animal diseases (TADs)’ helps strengthen food security in the country and control FMD through an on-farm livestock healthcare system.

Soon to be implemented throughout the country, the programme aims to strengthen disease prevention and control, and support Afghanistan’s progression to the second stage of the Progressive Control Pathway (PCP) for FMD.

FAO, like WHO and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), relies on frameworks to reduce and eliminate a range of human and animal diseases, including FMD, peste des petits ruminants (PPR), brucellosis and rabies.

The PCP is an approach developed by an FAO-led team that included OIE and the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EuFMD). It is a framework that plans, implements and evaluates interventions against animal diseases.

The FAO programme in Afghanistan uses this framework to control FMD and PPR in six structured stages. It achieves its goals and objectives through assessment, control of the outbreak, the development of a Risk Based Strategic Plan (RBSP), prevention, and eventual eradication.

To render PCP effective, FAO worked to build awareness around TADs in Kuchi pastoral communities by promoting early warning, prevention, and emergency vaccinations. FAO also helped Afghanistan establish collaborations with neighboring countries Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan to control TADs.

These efforts have resulted in fewer losses from the disease, improved livestock productivity, and strengthened disease surveillance, prevention, and control, with 387 000 cattle vaccinated against FMD as of 2017. In addition, under the programme 524 000 small ruminants were vaccinated against PPR.

The project also upgraded the capacity of the Central Veterinary Diagnostic and Research Laboratories, and set up a vaccine bank with the capacity to store 10 million doses of vaccine. Information points have been created in five live animal markets to spread awareness on FMD.

Abdul is enthusiastic to tell others about FMD and the vaccination campaign. “Our only and major source of income is our livestock,” he says.