"I’ve opened a bank account for the first time in my life using the money earned from backyard chicken farming. I now tell other women I meet to look at how this activity has changed my life." - Murad Bibi, poultry farmer and mother of 12 children, Balochistan 900 women trained in poultry management 708 farmers trained in vaccination 70 seasonal farmer field schools opened In 2017, FAO renewed its partnership with Australian assistance to agricultural development in Balochistan border areas through the Australia Balochistan Argibusiness (AusABBA) Programme. The initiative aims to reduce poverty and economic inequalities for some 175 000 impoverished rural...

Since the signing of the initial peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or FARC) in August 2016, the Colombian government has been working ambitiously with FAO and other key partners on a comprehensive plan for rural reform to anchor and sustain peace in the country. The government is committed to financing the biggest part of the peace agreement from national resources. This commitment has translated into a series of dedicated Unilateral Trust Fund agreements (UTFs) with FAO, to the tune of about USD46 million, including ongoing and planned projects. Land control, agricultural practices...

As global population soars and various climate and environment challenges emerge, food and nutrition security remain a distant reality for many populations in the rural world. In rice production areas, overuse of pesticides and chemical fertilizers decreases terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity while negatively impacting human health. While using fertilizer and pesticides increases productivity in the immediate term, over the long term it contributes to a loss of aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity, negative health impacts due to direct exposure to toxic pesticides and contaminated water, pest resurgence, degradation of natural resources and decreases in production. Moreover, aquatic biodiversity from rice-based ecosystems,...

Last November, FAO signed a USD 10.5 million grant agreement with the Gates Foundation aimed at strengthening countries’ capacity to collect agriculture and food security data, and monitor the investment-process-outcome cycle leading to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For the purpose of promoting agriculture and food security development, the SDGs provide an ambitious and multidimensional plan of action, requiring governments to deliver more effective policies and programmes cutting across sectors and responding to economic, social and environmental challenges. In order to design and implement new programmes, governments and the global community will require more data on who...

Interview with Carlos Watson, Team Leader, South-South Cooperation, FAO, on the online platform aimed at facilitating cooperation among the global south.  23 November 2016, Rome. Widely known as the “Gateway”, this tool developed by FAO fosters support to South-South Cooperation by putting southern expertise and national capacities at the reach of FAO Member countries. The Gateway also gives great visibility to the existing national expertise and facilitates solution exchanges. 35 institutions from 11 countries have joined the platform since it was launched in 2015. We talked to Carlos Watson about this ‘marketplace-like’ tool that matches Southern Expertise and needs. How would you...