The Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) supports the FAO Member Nations through small projects which address specific problems in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors. The aim of a TCP project is to produce tangible and immediate results in the battle against hunger and to catalyse long-term changes.

Since its creation in 1976, the TCP has funded projects worth more than US$ 1.1 billion.

The TCP mobilizes the technical expertise of the entire Organization. It is managed by FAO's Technical Cooperation Department and is coordinated by the Technical Cooperation Programme Service (TCOT). TCOT works in close cooperation with FAO's technical and operational units at its headquarters in Rome, and in the decentralized offices, to identify the most appropriate solutions to the problems faced by governments, national institutions and the beneficiary rural communities.

The Technical Cooperation Programme is one of FAO's tools for contributing to the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals and particularly the goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.

Key publications

Background document on the TCP, September 2008 (1097 Kb) TCP Guidelines for National Stakeholders (June 2007) (397 Kb) Standard Project Document Format (June 2007) (539 Kb) For the biennium 2008-2009, the total budget available to the TCP for the implementation of projects is US$ 104 million.        A woman works a treadle pump to irrigate crops. The Technical Cooperation Programme gives support to small, well-focused projects that have a real impact on the lives of rural communities.