Spatial Planning in the context of the responsible governance of tenure

The course introduces the spatial planning process, its benefits and key principles. It serves as a practical reference for anyone looking to promote and implement spatial planning in their country, to help 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

This course introduces key concepts and process of forest and landscape restoration (FLR). FLR brings stakeholders together to create healthy, resilient and productive landscapes and meet national, regional and global commitments.​ 

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

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

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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

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Discover the concept of MCS and its importance for fisheries management. Learn how to design an effective MCS system, and which types of inspection activities help combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Assessment of ecosystem services in livestock agroecosystems

Discover ecosystem services in livestock agroecosystems and learn practical assessment methods. This course covers foundational principles and biophysical, sociocultural, economic, and modeling approaches to help you evaluate and promote ecosystem services across diverse agricultural contexts.

Maintaining and restoring wetlands in agricultural settings

This course examines the intricate relationship between agriculture and wetlands, emphasizing the need to maintain and restore wetlands in agricultural landscapes. It highlights the impacts of agricultural practices on wetland ecosystems and the crucial role wetlands play in supporting food production, livelihoods and ecosystem services.

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 guides countries in reporting on Indicators 15.1.1 and 15.2.1 by presenting the definitions and methodologies on which monitoring activities are based. It explains the process and tools available for compiling data related to these 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

Learn more about this International Treaty, adopted in 2001, which provides a legally binding framework for the conservation and sustainable use of all plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), while 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 course presents the importance of the effective management of aquatic genetic resources (AqGR) used in aquaculture (and their wild relatives), practices of breeding programmes for genetic improvement in aquaculture, and the role of FAO and its Members in the management of AqGR.

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.

Documenting a forest management plan

This five-lesson course describes the essentials of creating a forest management plan, including management plans for silviculture, business, ecosystem services, biodiversity, emergencies and disasters, and social, cultural and recreational aspects. 

Information gathering for forest management planning

Gathering comprehensive information about the forest is the crucial first step in the process of creating a forest management plan. This three-lesson course describes approaches to gathering information about the key components that define a forest.

Introduction to forest management planning

Topic outline

This course introduces the concept of forest management planning and traces its evolution and growth, from the Industrial Revolution to the present day. It also describes the requirements for forest management planning and how to create plans for small and medium forest enterprises (SMFEs).

Management procedures for sustainable tuna fisheries - Introduction

Topic outline

This course explores management procedures with a focus on tuna management. Content and approach is applicable to a wide range of fisheries, particularly where management actions arise from negotiations following the interpretation of scientific advice. 

Management procedures for sustainable tuna fisheries - Setting the vision

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This course explores how high level and operational management objectives are used to create a long-term vision for a fishery, in the context of management procedures.

Management procedures for sustainable tuna fisheries - Management strategy evaluation

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This course explains the key benefits of management strategy evaluation (MSE) and describes why it is crucial to a comprehensive management procedure (MP).

Management procedures for sustainable tuna fisheries - Training adventure

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This course explores how high level and operational management objectives are used to create a long-term vision for a fishery, in the context of management procedures.

Management procedures for sustainable tuna fisheries - Lessons learned

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This course is a synthesis of the previous courses and focuses on the iterative development process and adaptive implementation of management procedures.

The Global Information System

This e-learning course aims to introduce the Global Information System (GLIS) on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) and explore the legal foundations of GLIS under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA).

SDG Indicator 2.4.1 Proxy: Progress towards productive and sustainable agriculture

Topic outline

The course focuses on the Proxy Indicator of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2.4.1, designed to monitor progress in achieving sustainable and productive agriculture, as most countries are still building capacity to use the official farm survey-based approach.

Ecosystem Approach to fisheries - Implementation

The third course focuses on how to implement a Fishery Management Plan (FMP), including consideration of whether and how to formalize the plan, and development of an Operational Plan.

Developing aquaculture co‑management systems

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This course is a synthesis of the previous courses and focuses on the iterative development process and adaptive implementation of management procedures.

Fisheries

Global crop conservation strategies

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This e-learning course introduces you to global crop conservation strategies, explaining how they are developed and how they support the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA).

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.

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 complements the series of the courses “Creating an enabling environment for responsible investment in agriculture and food systems (Fundamentals, Analysis and Reform). It presents youth-specific issues to 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

This course facilitates the exchange of approaches, tools and good practices for parliamentarians and policymakers to design and implement sustainable, gender-transformative climate policies and legislations that 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.