Spatial Planning in the context of the responsible governance of tenure

The course introduces spatial planning, identifying its rationale and benefits, its key principles and the main stages in the spatial planning process. It represents a useful reference for all those who want to promote and implement spatial planning in their countries as an instrument to reconcile and harmonize different interests on land, fisheries and forests.

Highly Hazardous Pesticides

This course introduces the classification of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) including the systems used for identification, mitigation and the sourcing of alternatives.

Introduction to forest and landscape restoration

Degradation of forests and landscapes impacts the global climate, and also the food security and livelihoods of communities. Forest and landscape restoration (FLR) is a process which brings stakeholders together to create healthy, resilient and productive landscapes and meet national, regional and global commitments.​ This course has been developed to introduce the key concepts and process of forest and landscape restoration.

Monitoring forest and landscape restoration

As countries work to meet their national commitments to restoring degraded landscapes, it is important that all FLR interventions have manageable monitoring systems in place, to assess progress towards specific goals, support adaptive management and ensure transparency. 

Sustainable land management and restoration

This course focuses on Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices, and their place within the global development agenda, specifically in order to achieve target 15.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims "to achieve a land degradation-neutral world".

Climate-smart fisheries and aquaculture

This course has been designed to support the inclusion of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) approaches in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. It provides technical knowledge on these concepts and examines how implementation of CSA practices can enhance mitigation and adaptation to climate change in the sector.

Climate-smart forestry

This course explores the role of forests and trees in climate-smart agriculture (CSA). It takes into consideration the ecosystem services and goods that forests provide, and the importance of forests for the food security of forest-dependent people. It explores the complex relationship between climate change and forests.

Planning seed and seedling supply for forest and landscape restoration

This course explores how to plan seed and seedling supply for forest and landscape restoration (FLR). This includes the importance of considering seed and seedling origin and genetic quality, the reproductive and supply chain bottlenecks that reduce genetic diversity or adaptive capacity, and approaches, tools and institutional frameworks that can help ensure that quality seed and seedlings are available for diverse restoration objectives.

Delivering restoration outcomes for biodiversity and human well-being

This course is designed to support global efforts in achieving Target 2 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF). As a key element of the 2022 Global Biodiversity Framework, Target 2 focuses on ecosystem restoration to foster a harmonious relationship between people and nature.

Using the Pesticide Registration Toolkit

This course focuses on some specific modules of the Registrations tools section and on the entire Information sources section of the Pesticide Registration Toolkit. It describes in depth the content of each module and provides useful guidance on how the available information can support registration authorities in performing their work.

Pesticide Registration Toolkit

Topic outline

The course introduces the FAO Pesticide Registration Toolkit, a decision support system for pesticide registrars.

Monitoring, control and surveillance systems to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing

Topic outline

This course introduces the concept of monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) and explains its importance for fisheries management. It provides guidance on the design of an effective MCS system to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and describes the main components on which an MCS system should rely. Finally, the course explores the type of inspection activities that can be conducted to combat IUU fishing.

Assessment of ecosystem services in livestock agroecosystems

Topic outline

This e-learning course introduces the concept of ecosystem services provided by livestock agroecosystems and explores a range of assessment methods. Starting from foundational principles, it guides learners through biophysical, sociocultural, economic and modelling approaches, equipping them with the knowledge to effectively evaluate and promote ecosystem services in diverse agricultural contexts.

Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Fisheries and Aquaculture

This course provides an overview of adaptation and mitigation strategies that can be implemented in response to climate change impacts on the fisheries and aquaculture sector.

An introduction to Urban and Peri-urban Forestry

This course introduces the concepts of urban and peri-urban forestry. The course considers the important ecosystem services provided by urban forests, which help countries to achieve their Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets, and the challenges that must be navigated during their planning, design and management.

Developing and Implementing National Plans of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries

The development of National Plans of Action for Small-scale Fisheries (NPOA-SSF) is intended to assist in the implementation of the SSF Guidelines. This course is aimed at improving the accessibility to the NPOA-SSF process, thus facilitating the development of an NPOA-SSF by national governments.

Preparing for a National Forest Inventory

This course provides an overview of information gathering and data management for national forest inventories (NFI).

Why a National Forest Inventory?

This course describes the goals and purpose of a national forest inventory (NFI) and explores how NFIs inform policy- and decision-making in the forest sector. It then explores the importance of data in forest-related decision-making and evaluates the contribution of NFIs in national, international and climate change data reporting mechanisms.

Climate Smart Agriculture, Loss of biodiversity, and the Uncertainties Associated with Climate Change

Objectives of the session: Define the risks and uncertainties brought by climate change; Recognize the loss of biodiversity caused by climate change; Illustrate examples of climate-smart agriculture as a response to increasing climate change issues.

Mitigating the impact of irrigation infrastructure on fish migration

This course explores how to assist migratory fish populations impacted by irrigation infrastructure. The course details migratory fish ecology and how river development such as dams and weirs impact fish, biodiversity and food security. It also looks at practical solutions to modernize irrigation through policy and engineering tools.

Resilient rivers - Watershed-based management of forests, freshwater, and inland fisheries

Focusing on freshwater systems, this course inspires managers, scientists, and community members to work across disciplines and watersheds. The course coaches learners to understand, monitor, and manage watersheds as integrated systems. Lessons begin with watershed function and then focus on forests, freshwater, and fisheries.

SDG indicators 15.1.1 and 15.2.1 - Forest area and sustainable forest management

This course has been developed to guide countries in reporting on Indicators 15.1.1 and 15.2.1. It illustrates the rationale of the indicators, the definitions and methodologies on which monitoring activities are based, and explains the process and the tools available for compiling data related to the two indicators through the FRA Programme.

SDG Indicator 14.b.1 - Securing sustainable small-scale fisheries

This course provides tools, methods and processes to support countries in monitoring and reporting on SDG Indicator 14.b.1 for securing sustainable smallscale fisheries.

SDG Indicator 14.4.1 – Fish stocks sustainability

This course focuses on SDG Indicator 14.4.1 - Fish stocks sustainability: “Proportion of fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels”. It introduces basic fisheries concepts and definitions, illustrates some technical aspects of classical and data-limited stock assessment and provides detailed guidance on process and tools for the analysis and reporting.

SDG Indicators 2.5.1 and 2.5.2 - Plant and Animal Genetic Resources

This course has been developed to support countries in the analysis and reporting for SDG Indicators 2.5.1 and 2.5.2. These indicators measure the achievement of SDG target 2.5, which focuses on maintaining genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species.

SDG Indicator 2.4.1 - Sustainable Agriculture

This course has been developed to support countries in the analysis and reporting for Indicator 2.4.1 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture), and to facilitate the understanding of the main concepts underpinning the methodology.

Online introductory course to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

This course introduces learners to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Adopted in 2001, the treaty provides a legally binding framework for conservation and sustainable use of all plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), balancing the interests of developed and developing countries.

The Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing

This course provides an overview of the legal and historical perspectives that led to the development of the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing (Multilateral System). It emphasizes the importance of the exchange and transfer of plant genetic resources in order to feed a growing global population.

Recognizing other effective area-based conservation measures in marine fisheries

Recognizing other effective area-based conservation measures in marine fisheries.

Introduction to other effective area-based conservation measures in marine fisheries

This course provides the background and context on other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) in marine fisheries.

Institutionalization of forest data

This course intends to establish a clear path towards a more efficient and effective use of forest data, underscoring the crucial significance of institutionalizing a robust national forest monitoring system (NFMS) within countries. Additionally, it emphasizes transparency, sustainability, and data-sharing as critical pillars for the NFM strategy.

Addressing Corruption in the Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests

This course provides an overview of corrupt practices in the tenure sector. It analyses the drivers and impact of corruption on the livelihoods and food security of poor and vulnerable people. It also introduces a series of options and tools that key players, including states, organizations and citizens can utilize to identify, assess and tackle corruption.

Legal and policy considerations for sustainable small-scale fisheries

This five-lesson course provides guidance on how to assess existing legal and policy frameworks for fisheries in a specific country, explains how to legislate for small-scale fisheries, and outlines the main components of small-scale fisheries-specific legislation.

Evaluating fisheries co-management effectiveness

This course offers a process and method to evaluate the performance of a fisheries co-management system, in order to enhance its effectiveness in delivering benefits and contributing to environmental, social and economic sustainability and good governance.

Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries - Introduction

This course is the first of a series that aims to provide guidance on the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) and its application to fisheries management. It provides a comprehensive overview of the world fisheries and goes on explaining fisheries management, its objectives, mechanisms and challenges.

Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries - Planning

This course is the second of the series on the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF), which has been adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Committee on Fisheries (COFI) as the appropriate and practical way to fully implement the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.

Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries - Policy and Legal Implementation

This course aims to support the implementation of an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) through policy and legal frameworks. It offers guidance in all the steps of implementing an EAF through policy and legal frameworks, also supporting the development of an EAF Implementation Roadmap.

Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries - Implementation Monitoring Tool

This course is part of the series on the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF). It features the EAF Implementation Monitoring Tool (EAF-IMT), a simple method to monitor progress in implementation of the EAF in fisheries management, that aims to support fisheries management planning and decision-making.

Aquaculture breeding and genetics

Topic outline

This e-learning course aims to raise awareness about the importance of the effective management of aquatic genetic resources used in aquaculture (and their wild relatives) highlighting the roles of FAO and its Member Nations in aquatic genetic resources (AqGR) management providing a context for the core modules outlining the key principles and practices of breeding programmes for genetic improvement in aquaculture.

National forest inventory - Learning journey

The National forest inventory (NFI) - Learning journey explains the key phases of an NFI: from planning to implementation and data gathering to reporting. It is based on the eight self-paced courses of the NFI series, which are now reorganized into three separate learning paths that cater to customized learning experiences: "Field data collection", "Sampling and data analysis", and "Data managing and reporting". 

Aquatic foods for nutrition

Topic outline

This course explores the interconnected roles of nutrition, food security, and aquatic foods in promoting healthy diets and sustainable food systems.

Agricultural Ecosystem-based Solutions - Introduction

The substantial rise in agricultural output required to sustain the world’s growing population is increasingly activating degradation processes that threaten valuable ecosystem services. Agricultural Ecosystem-based Solutions (AgEbS) can enhance production efficiency while simultaneously protecting and restoring the environmental resources’ productive capacity.

Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) - An indigenous peoples’ right and a good practice for local communities

This course focuses on how to practically operationalize the indigenous peoples’ right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) throughout all stages of the project cycle. The course describes each of the recommended six steps of the process and the related actions to be undertaken.

Introduction to the Responsible Governance of Tenure

The course introduces the main concepts and principles of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure. It aims to help people understand the Guidelines and to apply the principles to practical situations in their countries, as well as to raise the general awareness of responsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests.

Sustainable financing of Forest and Landscape Restoration

To meet countries’ national commitments to restoring degraded landscapes, adequate public and private investments are needed to support the different steps of the FLR cycle. Financing sources are more efficient when used in a coordinated way.​ 

SDG Indicator 5.a.1 - Secure and equal ownership rights over agricultural land

This course focuses on SDG Indicator 5.a.1, which is one of two indicators that focus on women’s ownership and/or control over agricultural land. As this is a statistical based indicator, after introducing its key concepts, definitions and rationale, the course offers detailed guidance both on data collection and manipulation, and computation.

SDG Indicator 5.a.2 - Ensuring women’s legal rights to land ownership and/or control

This course focuses on SDG Indicator 5.a.2 which assesses women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control. The course describes the indicator, explains its rationale and provides countries with step-by-step guidance for conducting the assessment.

SDG Indicator 6.4.1 - Change in water-use efficiency over time

The course provides guidance on the rationale and the main characteristics of Indicator 6.4.1, and on how to compute the two dimensions constituting the indicator: the hydrologic and the economic component. It also highlights possible challenges related to data availability, and the impact that monitoring results may have on national decision-making.

Knowledge

SDG Sub-indicator 12.3.1.a – Food Loss Index

Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 is defined as the goal that “by 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses”. The e-learning course covers the sub-indicator 12.3.1. a Food Loss Index (FLI).

How to monitor and promote policy changes on governance of tenure

The course consists of 5 lessons, ranging from approximately 20 to 50 minutes duration each: Lesson 1 – Land monitoring as a tool for change in governance of tenure. Lesson 2 – What to monitor? Lesson 3 – How to monitor governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests? Lesson 4 – What data to use? Lesson 5 – Getting the message across.

Governing land for women and men

This course explains the importance to take into account gender and social issues when dealing with land tenure, and what actions must be adopted so that women and men from different social groups can equally participate in and benefit from land tenure governance processes.

Empowering Youth to Engage in Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems

This course is intended to complement the series of three courses “Creating an enabling environment for responsible investment in agriculture and food systems - Fundamentals - Analysis – Reform”. It aims to provide guidance on youth-specific issues that should be taken into consideration when creating an enabling environment for investment.

Introduction: Achieving Gender Equality in Climate Change and Agrifood Systems

This introduction will bring in the most critical issues affecting gender equality and explain why they are important for building inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems. Its purpose is to set the scene and provide key concepts, an overview, and key policy frameworks that will help you in the course series.

Data Management in a National Forest Inventory

This course provides an overview of information gathering and data management for national forest inventories (NFI).

Addressing Gender Equality in Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Agriculture

The course aims at facilitating the exchange of promising approaches, tools and good practices that can be used by parliamentarians and policymakers to support the design and implementation of sustainable and gender-transformative climate policies and legislations to advance gender equality and empower women and youth in agrifood systems.

Building Equitable and Inclusive Agrifood Systems

This course is intended to strengthen the knowledge and competencies of parliamentarians and policymakers on the relevance of gender issues in agrifood systems and know how to build equitable and inclusive agrifood systems, and be able to monitor the gender impacts of policies and investments.

Creating an enabling environment for responsible investment in agriculture and food systems - Fundamentals

This course illustrates the importance of responsible investment in agriculture and food systems for sustainable development, as well as the scope and content of the CFS Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS-RAI). It also analyses the features of an institutional, policy, legal and regulatory environment.

Securing women’s land rights in the context of agricultural investment

This course focuses on gender and land issues in the context of agricultural investment. It provides concrete guidance on strategies, approaches and measures that can be adopted to enhance women’s land rights. This on one hand can foster women’s active involvement in agricultural investment.

Responsible investments in agriculture and food systems. A practical handbook for Parliamentarians and Parliamentary advisors

This handbook provides a comprehensive and systematic overview of the role that members of parliament and parliamentary advisors can play in the creation of reliable, coherent, and transparent “enabling environments” in the range of areas related to investment in agriculture and food systems.

Building a gender-responsive policy and legal framework for agricultural investment and supply chains

This course focuses on gender issues and the policy and legal framework for agricultural investment and supply chains. It provides concrete guidance on actions required to create a policy and legal framework that increases the likelihood of women and men benefiting equally from agricultural investment and supply chains.

Formulation of Farmer Field School programme

Farmer Field School (FFS) is a participatory education approach that brings together a group of small-scale food producers to solve production problems through sustainable agriculture. The FFS approach offers space for hands-on group learning, enhancing skills for observation and critical analysis and improved decision making by locals.

Farmers´ Rights in the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture addresses the issue of Farmers’ Rights in Article 9, and in its Preamble. The International Treaty advises Contracting Parties to protect and promote Farmers’ Rights in accordance with national laws. This course examines its origins and treatment in the International Treaty and presents somepractical activities for the realization of Farmers’ Rights.