Areas of work
Knowledge Platform
Agroecology
Agroecology is a holistic and integrated approach that simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agriculture and food systems. It seeks to optimize the interactions between plants, animals, humans and the environment while also addressing the need for socially equitable food systems within which people can exercise choice over what they eat and how and where it is produced.
Global Programme
Global Programme on Sustainable Dryland Agriculture
Drylands are home to an estimated 2 billion people, about 90 percent of them in developing countries. Drylands are also home to a great variety of indigenous livestock breeds and plant species that are essential for food security and livelihoods. Drylands represent 43.2 percent of total global area in 2020, and are predicted to be 44.2 percent in 2050.
Knowledge Platform
Conservation Agriculture
Conservation Agriculture is a farming system that promotes minimum soil disturbance (i.e. no tillage), maintenance of a permanent soil cover, and diversification of plant species. It enhances biodiversity and natural biological processes above and below the ground surface, which contribute to increased water and nutrient use efficiency and to improved and sustained crop production.
Knowledge Platform
Locust Management
FAO closely monitors the global Desert Locust situation 24/7 and provides forecasts, early warning and alerts on the timing, scale and location of invasions and breeding through its global Desert Locust Information Service (DLIS). All locust-affected countries transmit locust data to FAO who in turn analyse this information in conjunction with weather and habitat data and satellite imagery in order to assess the current locust situation, provide forecasts up to six weeks in advance and issue warnings on an ad-hoc basis.
Knowledge Platform
Seeds
Seeds are the primary basis for human sustenance. They are the repository of the genetic potential of crop species and their varieties resulting from the continuous improvement and selection over time. Crop improvement and the delivery of high quality seeds and planting materials of selected varieties to growers is necessary for ensuring improved crop production and meeting growing environmental challenges. Food security therefore is dependent on the seed security of farming communities.
Knowledge Platform
Farmer Field Schools
A Farmer Field School brings together a group of farmers, livestock herders or fisherfolk, to learn on how to shift towards more sustainable production practices, by better understanding complex agro-ecosystems and by enhancing ecosystem services. A FFS group meets regularly during a production cycle, setting up experimentation and engaging in hands-on learning to improve skills and knowledge that will help adapt practices to their specific context.
Knowledge Platform
Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization
Mechanization covers all levels of farming and processing technologies, from simple and basic hand tools to more sophisticated and motorized equipment. It eases and reduces hard labour, relieves labour shortages, improves productivity and timeliness of agricultural operations, improves the efficient use of resources, enhances market access and contributes to mitigating climate related hazards.
Knowledge Platform
Pest and Pesticide Management
Pesticides are any substance or mixture of substances made up of chemical or biological ingredients and intended to repel, destroy or control pests, or to regulate plant growth. Pests are a major cause of crop yield losses. FAO estimates that plant pests and diseases account for the reduction of between 20 and 40 percent of global crop yields per year. Crop losses contribute to food insecurity, which continues to grow with increasing population numbers in the face of climate challenges.
Knowledge Platform
Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture
Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) can be defined as practices that yield food and other outputs through agricultural production and related processes, taking place on land and other spaces within cities and surrounding regions. It involves urban and peri-urban actors, communities, methods, places, policies, institutions, systems, ecologies and economies, largely using and regenerating local resources to meet changing needs of local populations while serving multiple goals and functions.
Global Programme
City Region Food Systems Programme
Adopting a City Region Food Systems (CRFS) approach offers concrete policy and programme opportunities where urban developmental issues can be addressed and rural and urban communities can be directly linked. Improved city region food systems improve economic, social and environmental conditions in both urban and nearby rural areas.
Latest news from Plant Production and Protection
News
Sudan: Cereal production down by over 40 percent, likely exacerbating hunger
16/04/2024
Cereal production in the Sudan has been severely affected by the conflict, which erupted in April 2023, likely pushing more people into hunger -...
News
Gen-bee: World Bee Day inspires a next generation of beekeepers
23/04/2024
‘Bee engaged with youth’ is the theme for this year’s World Bee Day, which will be celebrated on 20 May by FAO, its Members, institutions, organizations...
News
Advancing agroecology through collaboration with parliamentarian networks
22/04/2024
In a long-running collaboration between the Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF), a network of francophone parliaments , and FAO,...
News
FAO formally launches Green Cities Initiative in Cameroon
21/04/2024
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations today held an official launch here of its
News
China launches OCOP initiative to promote sustainable tea industry
12/04/2024
The OCOP is a flagship initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), that helps countries promote their special...
News
FAO guide to new International Day of Potato sets scene for first-ever observance on May 30
15/04/2024
As the world prepares to celebrate the first-ever International Day of Potato next month, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations...
News
IYM Closing Event: Inspiring and interactive discussions at the Speakers' corner
09/04/2024
In a vibrant culmination of the International Year of Millets, experts, policymakers, farmers, and enthusiasts from around the world gathered in...
News
FAO launches new global project to scale-up One Country One Priority Product Initiative
08/04/2024
Key stakeholders, including government officials, non-governmental organizations and civil society representatives, project task force members, leading...
News
International Year of Millets ends with pledge to build on its success
02/04/2024
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) marked the official closure of the International Year of Millets 2023 with a ceremony...
News
Crop improvement holds promise to boost millets production in adverse growing conditions
29/03/2024
Advances in plant breeding technologies and value chains have enormous potential to boost sustainable millet production and consumer demand but must...
News
FAO and chef Fatmata Binta announce new project to empower women fonio producers in Ghana
29/03/2024
The project is designed to provide specialized training to approximately 100 women involved in fonio cultivation, enhancing their skills and boosting...
News
Desert Locust: Managing the Pest and Protecting People and the Environment
26/03/2024
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has called for ‘’robust coordination’’ between countries and regions in efforts to prevent...
News
Learning to detect, manage, and prevent FAW in Solomon Islands and neighbouring Pacific Island countries
15/02/2024
The workshop, with training sessions covering prevention, preparedness and sustainable management of FAW, was held from 11 to 15 December 2023 in...
News
Beekeeping Project Sparks Joy Across Tanzania
06/03/2024
During a handover event in Tanzania, from the Capacity Building Related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements in African, Caribbean and Pacific...
News
FAO supports Zimbabwe to stop the loss of agricultural biodiversity through sound management of pesticides
29/02/2024
Over the last three years, under the ACP-MEAS 3 project, a European Union-funded initiative that seeks to strengthen environmental governance and...
News
Farmer Field Schools take on El Niño induced drought in Zimbabwe
20/02/2024
The ACP-MEAs 3 project brings hope to the farmers in Zimbabwe, who are facing the challenges of climate change head-on and are determined to adapt...
News
Financing urban and city region food system actions: Fourth webinar of the CRFS Knowledge Exchange Series
05/03/2024
Urban and city region food systems (CRFS) are critical to sustain their fast-growing populations, yet securing funding to support and improve themrepresents...
News
Announcing the theme of the first International Day of Potato
11/03/2024
The potato, an important crop that is consumed by over one billion people around the world, will be celebrated on 30 May 2024, the first-ever International...