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Pulses are a sub group of legumes with extraordinary nutritional and environmental benefits. Pulses are rich in proteins, in comparison with other plant-based protein sources and hence, act as major protein sources for vegetarians and in regions where meat and dairy are not physically or economically accessible. Pulses have a greater genetic diversity than the other crops, with many varieties of pulses resistant to floods, drought and other extreme and marginal environmental conditions.   Considering the benefits of pulses, the Government of Sri Lanka has initiated several programmes to promote pulses to address micronutrient deficiencies, which are widespread, particularly among nutritionally vulnerable [...]

At the time of project formulation, Eritrea had undertaken a significant amount of preparatory work to characterize the hazards posed by pesticides, and to develop a communication strategy and legislative framework to address these. In 2008, an FAO project identified 400 tonnes of obsolete and unknown pesticides, around 1 400 m3of contaminated soil, 12 000 empty containers and 5 400 contaminated sprayers. The current project was conceived to safeguard and soundly dispose of the stockpile of obsolete pesticides and highly contaminated materials, held in 294 stores scattered across the country. In addition to the environmentally sustainable disposal of the inventoried [...]

Sugar production has traditionally been the largest industry in the agricultural sector of Belize, particularly so in the northern districts of Orange Walk and Corozal, where small and medium-sized producers have played an important role in this industry. However, it is expected that as a result of the reform of the European Union (EU) sugar regime many-small scale farmers will leave sugar-cane production, mainly because of their inability to remain competitive. Against this background, the Government of Belize is supporting farmers in Northern Belize to diversify their production into market-driven non-sugar cane agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, the [...]

Climate change issues are among the leading causes of hunger and affect all dimensions of food security in the Upper West region of Ghana, including access to food, availability and stability of supplies and nutrition. To address this situation, the project aimed to increase the productivity of selected crop commodity value chains (maize, cowpea, soya bean, Sorghum and groundnut) and develop information, education and communication materials for training and capacity-building in disaster management. Emphasis was also placed on Good Agricultural Practices to reduce risk and improve natural resource management.

 Agriculture is the backbone of Afghan economy. However, its agriculture sector is highly dependent on irrigation water management. Given that the productivity of rainfedcultivation is very low, most of the production comes from irrigated agriculture. The rehabilitation and modernization of irrigation systems and improvement of their efficiency was deemed crucial for sustainable development and the stability of the country. The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL), through its Irrigation Directorate (ID), plays a key role in this process. The project, which was part of a bigger project called Capacity Development and Institutional Strengthening (CDIS) funded by Japan International Cooperation [...]

The Government of The Gambia faced many difficulties controlling spiralling whitefly infestation in the country, because of insufficient capacity at both public and private sector levels to control the pest. Whitefly is found in the western part of The Gambia, but if it is not adequately controlled it could spread to the rest of the country. In view of these challenges, the Government requested technical support to build the capacities of public and private sector stakeholders in whitefly management, and to develop and implement a sustainable pest management strategy.

The 2018 compendium offers an overview of salient government policies and related private sector measures concerning global and national markets for oilcrops and derived products. Its purpose is to facilitate the work of policy makers, market experts, analysts and other interested stakeholders by providing a short, concise, overview of policy developments relevant to the sector. Detailed news items are presented in tabular form (in English only), preceeded by a breief discussion of ten key policy trends observed in the year under review.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat has embarked on the formulation of an Investment Plan for the effective and coherent implementation of a Regional Agriculture Policy. This will ensure the food and nutrition security of people living in SADC member countries, the sustainable utilization of available natural resources, and the effective protection of the environment. Assistance was required, in terms of both technical and management capacity, to develop the investment plan. Also available in French.  Find more Project Highlights here.

The bulletin reviews the development of international prices for oilseeds, oils and meals as reflected by FAO’s price indices and spots recent salient policy changes and related private sector measures concerning global, regional and national markets for oilcrops and derived products.  

Le rapport décrit les principaux résultats de l'analyse de résilience réalisée dans le Nord-Kivu, en République démocratique du Congo (RDC). Les agences des Nations Unies basées à Rome (ABR) qui comprennent la FAO, le PAM, et le FIDA avec l’appui du Gouvernement canadien mettent en oeuvre un programme visant à renforcer la résilience des moyens d’existence dans les contextes de crises prolongées en République Démocratique du Congo (RDC), au Niger et en Somalie.  Le programme a commencé en avril 2017 et se terminera en décembre 2021. En RDC, le programme est mis en oeuvre dans le territoire de Rutshuru dans la [...]