OPEN ACCESS REPOSITORY
Results
Issue paper
2019
Rural transformation. Looking towards the future of Latin America and the Caribbean. 2030 Food, agriculture and rural development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Document 1
The document presents a description of the structure of the rural environment, demography, the supply of goods and services, the main inequalities, levels of poverty, importance and role of family agriculture and other economic activities (diversification), the main features of rural society and the presence of the private sector. It will also discuss trends in migration and other social or economic processes relevant to the description of the rural situation.
The text also discusses the importance of rural development in achieving the SDGs by identifying the current situation and the extent of change required to meet the SDGs.
Report
2019
Food systems at risk − New trends and challenges
The way food systems have evolved over past decades means that they now face major risks, which in turn threaten the future of food systems themselves. Food systems have seriously contributed to climate change, environmental destruction, overexploitation of natural resources and pollution of air, water and soils. Despite the global average improvement in calorie production and major development of the food and agricultural product markets, huge inequalities in food access and repartition of the added value have emerged, leading to new serious nutritional and social problems. Based on a review of the most recent scientific knowledge, this report emphasizes Low-Income [...]
Briefs
2018
Policy Brief: Water accounting for water governance and sustainable development
There is growing interest in water accounting, why it is needed, what benefits it brings, and equally important, how it can be put into practice. Water accounting is about quantifying water resources and uses of water, much like financial accounts provide information on income and expenditure. Interest in water accounting is based on the premise that ‘We cannot plan and manage what we do not measure’ – a statement that few would disagree with.Society needs more accurate information and answers to the key questions about water supply and demand. More data are needed but simply doing water measurements and assessments [...]
Brochure
2018
FAO’s work on agricultural innovation. Sowing the seeds of transformation to achieve the SDGs
This brochure presents FAO ’s work on agricultural innovation. FAO advocates a shift from interventions focusing on single components of agricultural innovation towards a system-approach aimed at strengthening institutions and stakeholders’ networks that better respond to the needs of smallholder farmers.
Agricultural innovation is the process whereby individuals or organizations bring new or existing products, processes or ways of organization into use for the first time in a specific context in order to increase effectiveness, competitiveness, resilience to shocks or environmental sustainability and thereby contribute to food security and nutrition, economic development or sustainable natural resource management. Innovation is central to [...]
Report
2018
Home-Grown School Feeding Resource Framework. Technical Document
This Resource framework is intended as a guidance tool for stakeholders involved in programme design, implementation and monitoring of Home-Grown School Feeding Programmes and the related policy and institutional environment, including, inter alia: governments and development partners providing technical and financial assistance, as well as civil society, community based organisations and the private sector. It is a knowledge product that harmonizes the existing approaches and tools, and builds on the wealth of expertise and experience with home grown school feeding models i.e. those designed to provide children in schools with safe, diverse and nutritious food, sourced locally from smallholders, with [...]
Issue paper
2018
Dynamic development, shifting demographics and changing diets. The story of the rapidly evolving food system in Asia and the Pacific and why it is constantly on the move
Asia and the Pacific is experiencing major demographic shifts and urbanizing rapidly. E-agriculture technologies (remote sensing, drones, sensors) are emerging, with potentially profound implications for the entire food system and management of the natural resource base. Structural transformation of the economy has also changed the nature of the food security problem. Earlier, many governments thought that producing more staple food was sufficient to improve food security. However, today’s economy, increasingly based on human capital and less on physical strength, requires that policies and programmes promote healthy diets for healthy people. This need for improved nutrition will require shifts in agricultural [...]
Tool
2018
Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)
Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) is experience-based measures of household or individual food security.
The FIES Survey Module (FIES-SM) consists of eight questions regarding people's access to adequate food, and can be easily integrated into various types of population surveys
The FIES-SM questions refer to the experiences of the individual respondent or of the respondent’s household as a whole. The questions focus on self-reported food-related behaviors and experiences associated with increasing difficulties in accessing food due to resource constraints.
During the last 12 months, was there a time when, because of lack of money or other resources:
You were worried you would not have [...]
Tool
2018
FAO Technical Guide 1. Introduction to gender-sensitive social protection programming to combat rural poverty. Why is it important and what does it mean?
Many social protection programmes, including cash transfers, public works programmes and asset transfers, target women as main beneficiaries or recipients of benefits. Extending social protection to rural populations has great potential for fostering rural women’s economic empowerment. However, to tap into this potential, more needs to be done.
There is much scope for making social protection policies and programmes more gender sensitive and for better aligning them with agricultural and rural development policies to help address gender inequalities. Recognizing this potential and capitalizing on existing evidence, FAO seeks to enhance the contribution of social protection to gender equality and women’s empowerment [...]
Tool
2018
Developing gender-sensitive value chains. A guiding framework
Value chain development is an important paradigm in development practice and thinking, including within FAO. However, gender equality dimensions remain often overlooked in value chain development interventions, with the risk of perpetuating existing gender inequalities and, in turn, undermining the efficiency of targeted value chains.
The publications intends to provide practitioners with a conceptual framework on how to develop agri-food value chains which provide women and men with equal opportunities to participate and benefit from value chain development.
The purpose of the publication is to contribute to the publication on Developing sustainable food value chains - Guiding principles (FAO, 2014) from a [...]
Brochure
2018
Strengthening rural institutions and empowering people to reduce poverty and inequalities
This brochure provides an overview of FAO's work on Rural Institutions, Services and Empowerment, notably in regard to the challenges and ways forward for tackling hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity from social, territorial, financial and institutional perspectives. FAO's work in these areas aims to unlock the development potential of rural areas, reduce inequalities, promote inclusive finance and advisory service systems and contribute to socio-economic empowerment of rural women and men.