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The
Environment and Natural Resources Service (SDRN) provides advisory and
technical services to promote sustainable agriculture and food security
through protection of the environment and integrated management of natural
resources. It assists countries in developing environmental policies,
strategies, training and information systems and brings together a broad
range of technical and policy skills to support member countries.
Agrometeorology
Agrometeorology (AGROMET) aims at increasing crop yields and reducing
their inter-annual variability. Climatic data from 30 000 stations worldwide
are inputs for crop monitoring and yield forecasting. Tools such as the
AgroMetShell (AMS) assess how extreme geophysical factors affect agriculture
production systems. The monitoring of food crop condition and yield forecasting
and integration of climatic data with socio-economic variables is undertaken
for use by a variety of governmental and non-governmental partners. [more...]
Environmental agreements
International mechanisms have taken on added importance during the past
ten years to address environmental problems in a coordinated manner. These
include the Convention on Biological Diversity, Framework Convention on
Climate Change and the Convention to CombatDesertification.
SDRN coordinates FAO participation in these agreements and serves as the
focal point for the follow-up to international initiatives to promote
sustainable development, notably the Agenda 21, World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD) Plan of Implementation, the Commission on Sustainable
Development, and UN Programme of Action on Sustainable Development of
Small Islands Developing States. [more...]
Early warning
The Advanced Real Time Environmental Monitoring and Information System
(ARTEMIS) has been monitoring seasonal growing conditions and vegetation
development over Africa since 1988. It is based on data from four satellite
platforms, for use in drought and pest early warning systems.
ARTEMIS provides analyses and agrometeorology maps for FAO's Global Information
Early Warning System (GIEWS) on Food and Agriculture, a leading source
of information on food production and food security for every country
in the world. It provides satellite imagery from desert areas in Africa,
the Middle East and Southwest Asia to support FAO’s Desert Locust
Information System which monitors and forecasts locust outbreaks. [more...]
Geo-spatial data
FAO-SDRN develops and provides easy access to geo-spatial data and information
and facilitates the use of data from ground and satellite observations.
It cooperates with national and international programmes such as the International
Standards Organization (ISO) and the UN Geographic Information Working
Group.
GeoNetwork aims to improve access and use of geo-spatial information.
Access is provided to interactive maps and related information including
population density, infrastructure, administrative boundaries, land cover/use,
soil crop zones, water, fisheries, forest resources, livestock distribution,
nutrition profiles, and early warning information. GeoNetwork users are
able to retrieve data located in different locations worldwide and use
them on their own computers. [more...]
Information systems and tools
In recent years, SDRN has developed tools that assist Internet and desktop
users to manage spatial and environmental data and information. ARTEMIS
provides access to the data archives METART of and AGROMET, including
low resolution satellite imagery, meteorological data, software tools,
as well as methods and techniques used for environmental monitoring, crop
forecasting, early warning, and desert locust control. [more...]
FAOCLIM and the new LocClim contain worldwide monthly agroclimatic data
for 30 000 stations, for up to 14 observed and computed agroclimatic parameters.
It includes both long-term averages (1961-1990) and time series for rainfall
and temperatures. The data can be selected by geographic area, time period
and parameter (temperature, wind speed, rainfall, etc.) and can be exported
for additional processing. [more...]
Land cover
FAO is leading the mapping of land cover which describes forests, agricultural
lands, grasslands, and human settlements. It is basic information to ensure
the sustainable management of natural resources and environmental protection.
National and regional land cover programmes, such as Africover, Asiacover,
and the Global Land Cover Network (GLCN) ensure common and comparable
land cover databases. [more...]
The Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) is an FAO methodology and
tool adopted by countries to ensure that the systems they use to define
different types of land cover are comparable and can be used in both small-
as well as large-scale mapping exercises. [more...]
Organic agriculture
FAO promotes organic agriculture for ecological conservation, income generation
and food production for the world’s poor and food insecure. Organic
agriculture is growing rapidly in many countries, and when based on precise
standards and practices, organic agriculture promotes sustainable development.
SDRN works to strengthen the capacity of FAO member countries to produce,
handle, process, inspect, certify and market organic foods and fibres.
[more...]
Rural energy
FAO advocates the adoption of diversified and efficient bioenergy from
agriculture and forestry instead of traditional fuelwood, animal and human
power. A transition from the present systems to more diversified energy
structure based on renewable sources is crucial to improving the living
conditions of rural communities.
Developing countries are assisted to meet their energy requirements in
agriculture, forestry and fisheries and to enhance the role of agriculture
and forests as energy producers. Emphasis is given to bioenergy which,
as a renewable substitute for fossil fuels, can play an important role
both in rural development and in climate change mitigation. [more...]
Terrestrial ecosystems
Large-scale terrestrial data sets needed to understand global environmental
change are riddled by gaps, fragmentation and difficult access. The development
of an integrated earth observation system is supported through the Global
Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) which operates in collaboration with
other UN and international science programmes to build common terrestrial
datasets aimed at understanding global environmental change. [more...]
The Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring Sites (TEMS) database is an international
directory of sites (ca. 2050) and networks (ca. 50) that carry out long-term
terrestrial monitoring and research activities. Based on a core set of
115 variables, the database contains site and network information, qualitative
change maps, socio-economic methods, and dedicated modules on biodiversity,
coastal ecosystems, forest and water resources. [more...]
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