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Bioeconomycomprises the parts of the economy that use renewable biological resources (plants, animals, micro-organisms, etc.) to replace fossil fuels, and produce food, animal feed, and other biobasedproducts. Its cross-cutting nature offers a unique opportunity to comprehensively address interconnected societal challenges such as food security, natural resource scarcity, fossil-resource dependence and climate change, while achieving sustainable economic development. As bioeconomyplays an increa singly important role in many countries and regions, it is crucial to establish guidelines that enable it to be developed in a sustainable way. Find more Project Highlights here.

This Discussion paper explores the relationship between food loss and waste (FLW) and the right to adequate food. It focuses on the need to develop sustainable global consumption and production systems to contribute to the realization of the right to adequate food while it argues for a human rights-based approach to tackle FLW.  As such, it presents key notions of FLW and expands on their impact for the realization of the right to adequate food. Simultaneously, it looks into the different components of the right to adequate food and offers ways through which its legal obligations could help processes and initiatives [...]

Family farming is by far the most prevalent form of agriculture both in developed and developing countries, represents the largest source of employment worldwide, and is much more than a mode of food production, it is also a way of life. In 2014, the International Year  of Family Farming (IYFF 2014) focused world’s attention on family farmers’ important role in alleviating hunger and poverty, providing food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods, sustainably managing natural resources, protecting the environment, and fostering sustainable development. In 2017, the International Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028 was proclaimed, as a framework for countries to develop public [...]

The government of Haiti has attempted in recent years to increase the efficiency in agricultural support measures, partly reforming the input subsidy programme, and modernising land registration systems and zoo-phytosanitary measures. Extreme poverty has fallen from 31 to 24 percent over the last decade, especially in urban areas. However, vulnerable sectors of the population continue to have limited access to public support. Main social protection programmes reviewed were cash transfers and school feeding, sustainability, targeting, and coverage remain as challenges See all FAPDA country fact sheets.

This brief highlights the environmental impacts of food loss and waste, the collective efforts to reduce food loss and waste and presents key considerations and recommendations.

Aligned with the GEF cross-cutting corporate strategy on capacity development (CD) FAO believes that robust and systemwide CD approaches are essential to enhance the impact, sustainability and scale of GEF projects through deepening country ownership, commitment and mutual accountability for results. Supporting countries through system-wide CD interdependently empowers people, strengthens organizations and enhances the enabling policy and institutional framework based on assessed needs. For GEF, 15 country projects have benefited from incorporating a step-by-step CD approach with innovative methodologies2 during project formulation and implementation. Findings reveal that the project quality increased substantially through complementing the biophysical with socio-economic and institutional elements, more effective and needs-based CD interventions across [...]

We need a much better understanding of the causes and effects of agricultural water pollution as well as effective means to prevent and remedy the problem. In the existing literature, information on water pollution from agriculture is highly dispersed. This report is a comprehensive review and covers different agricultural sectors (including crops, livestock and aquaculture), and examines the drivers of water pollution in these sectors as well as the resulting pressures and changes in water bodies, the associated impacts on human health and the environment, and the responses needed to prevent pollution and mitigate its risks.

The report assesses the occurrence and impacts of drought, the current policies underlying drought management as well as the mitigation measures and responses adopted in the Near East and North Africa region, with a focus on the Agriculture Sector. It is the third of a series of similar studies carried out in different regions and countries of the world, with the objective of shedding light on drought effects, sensitizing policy-makers for the much needed paradigm shift to pro-active drought management planning and providing guidance for the development of such policies.  The studies are carried out by FAO, in collaboration with the Water for Food Institute, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA, as a direct [...]

Ce Profil national genre des secteurs de l’agriculture et du développement rural a été préparé dans le cadre du projet de coopération technique de la FAO et de la Commission de la CEDEAO portant sur : « la Réponse Genre aux Plans Régionaux et Nationaux d’Investissement Agricole pour relever le défi Faim Zéro dans la région de la CEDEAO ». Le projet couvre les quinze pays membres de la CEDEAO sous le leadership de Bukar Tijani, Directeur General Adjoint et Représentant Régional pour l’Afrique de la FAO et Siga Fatima Jagne, Commissaire de la CEDEAO pour les Affaires Sociales et [...]

This brochure presents FAO’s work on mainstreaming biodiversity as a cross-cutting theme in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors. It provides examples of on-the-ground activities and highlights relevant international mechanisms. It shows how biodiversity and ecosystems benefit people in countless ways by providing food, clean water, shelter and raw materials for our basic needs. Agriculture is a major user of biodiversity but also has the potential to contribute to the protection of biodiversity. Occupying more than one-third of land in most countries of the world, if managed sustainably, agriculture can contribute to important ecosystem functions. These include maintenance of water quality, erosion control, biological pest control [...]