New in the FAO Biodiversity Knowledge Hub: December update
The FAO Biodiversity Knowledge Hub centralizes key resources and information on biodiversity in agrifood systems from the Organization. The platform supports countries in strengthening their knowledge and capabilities to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), advance the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and ensure global food security.
With 20 new additions this month, the Hub now offers 526 resources, searchable using filters such as KMGBF targets. Highlights include recommendations for mainstreaming biodiversity across agricultural sectors in Uganda and an assessment of the state of the world’s land and water resources for food and agriculture. Other key resources cover integrated pest management (IPM), pesticide governance, and a flagship publication on fisheries and aquaculture trends in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions.
Mainstreaming biodiversity across agrifood systems
The publication Mainstreaming biodiversity across agricultural sectors in Uganda – Recommendations from stakeholder consultations 2024–2030 outlines a strategic roadmap for sustainable agriculture that combines biodiversity-friendly practices, innovative solutions and community empowerment, with the goal of fostering economic prosperity while ensuring environmental stewardship. By linking biodiversity-friendly production to market opportunities and promoting responsible resource management, this roadmap aims to build a resilient future for Uganda – safeguarding its rich natural wealth and ensuring the well-being of its people.
Advancing integrated pest management and pesticide governance
The study report on Identification of Highly Hazardous Pesticides in Selected Countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, provides essential evidence for strengthening pesticide governance and reducing risks to human health and the environment. This assessment identifies Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) currently in use and outlines a practical methodology for HHP identification based on FAO and WHO guidelines.
The Integrated pest management – Training guide for facilitators offers practical tools to reduce reliance on chemical inputs. Developed through field activities in the United Republic of Tanzania, the guide is designed to help farmers and extension service providers to implement IPM strategies and ecosystem-based practices effectively.
A Facilitator’s Guide for Farmer Field Schools in Solomon Islands, is one of the first comprehensive Farmer Field Schools (FFS) resources developed for the Pacific—equips facilitators with a structured framework for planning, delivering and evaluating Farmer Field Schools focused on IPM and ecosystem‑based approaches.
Productive and resilient land, soil and water resources
The third edition of The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture 2025 highlights the growing pressure on natural resources as global food demand rises. It examines how we can produce more, and better, while safeguarding the world’s finite resources. It focuses on the potential of major cultivated crops – both now and under future climate scenarios – and on the policies, practices and technologies that can help close yield gaps sustainably.
Fisheries and aquaculture in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions
The FAO flagship report The State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries 2025, provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date overview of fisheries and aquaculture trends in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. Through expanded monitoring, strengthened scientific analysis, and innovations in data collection, this sixth edition delivers a detailed assessment of the state of capture fisheries production, bycatch, and the status of fisheries resources.
Data and capacity building on KMGBF indicators
The e-learning course SDG Indicator 2.4.1 Proxy: Progress towards productive and sustainable agriculture explains the proxy methodology developed to address data gaps for SDG Indicator 2.4.1 and provides detailed guidance on the seven sub-indicators, supporting countries in tracking progress toward productive and sustainable agriculture. SDG Indicator 2.4.1 also serves as headline indicator (10.1 Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture) for tracking progress towards KMGBF Target 10.
The AQUASTAT water data snapshot 2025 offers a concise, user-friendly overview of the latest global and national information on water availability and use. Covering more than ten key indicators, this report provides insights on the status of water resources, agricultural water use, irrigated areas, water‑use efficiency, and water stress. Among these indicators, SDG Indicator 6.4.1 serves as a complementary metric (16.CY.5 Change in water-use efficiency over time) for measuring progress toward KMGBF target 16, while SDG Indicator 6.4.2 acts as a component indicator (11.CT.3 Level of water stress) for KMGBF target 11.
E-learning courses on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture
The e-learning course on Global crop conservation strategies explains how these strategies are developed and applied for conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA). It explores practical approaches to closing conservation gaps and strengthening crop diversity coverage in genebank collections, ensuring crops most essential for food security and climate adaptation are safeguarded.
Another e-learning course on The Global Information System (GLIS) introduces the legal foundations and operational features of GLIS under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). It highlights the use of digital object identifiers (DOIs) for traceability, access, and collaboration, and explain key value-added service that support conservation, development and research of PGRFA.
About the FAO Biodiversity Knowledge Hub
The FAO Biodiversity Knowledge Hub facilitates access to biodiversity-related resources developed by FAO to support countries in mainstreaming biodiversity across agrifood systems, implementing the KMGBF, delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals and achieving food and nutritional security for all.
The Hub is organized into five modules:
- Resources: search and filter through FAO publications, including guidelines, methodologies, reports, standards, indicators, policy guidance, and more – each contributing to one or more targets of the KMGBF
- Data and indicators: information on over 25 indicators under FAO custodianship included in the monitoring framework for the KMGBF, along with access to key databases and information systems
- Country reports: reports prepared by countries for FAO processes on a range of topics related to biodiversity
- Communities: thematic communities through which users can engage with relevant stakeholders on topics related to biodiversity and agrifood systems
- Learning: curated library of over 50 multilingual self-paced e-learning courses focused on the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of biodiversity for food and agriculture