Governing for Sustainable Agrifood Systems: Strengthening Legislation and Building Capacity to Support Implementation, Compliance and Enforcement
FAO’s global initiative on Agri-Food Systems Law Implementation, Compliance and Enforcement
The ACE Programme is designed to assess national legal and institutional frameworks and build countries’ capacities to ensure that their agrifood and natural resources laws are effectively implemented, complied with and enforced. It supports governments in identifying and addressing weaknesses that hinder the practical application of legislation, ensuring that national frameworks deliver on policy objectives and international commitments.
A key feature of ACE is the systematic legal and institutional assessment that analyses agrifood systems legislation and its related sectors, to identify legislative, institutional and capacity needs and to address these through tailored, evidence-based capacity-training programmes.
Contact
FAO Development Law Service
[email protected]
Why Implementation, Compliance and Enforcement matter
National laws define the rights, responsibilities and institutional mandates that underpin food security, sustainable production and environmental protection. Yet in many countries, agrifood-related laws remain ineffective in practice because of limited implementation, weak enforcement mechanisms and fragmented institutional responsibilities.
The ACE Programme responds to these challenges by strengthening the systems, tools and skills required to translate legislation into effective action.
What ACE delivers
ACE provides three interconnected outputs that reinforce one another to build accountable and effective legal governance.
Evidence and Analysis
Comprehensive legislative and institutional assessments that map implementation, compliance and enforcement mechanisms across agrifood systems, identifying practical gaps and needs.
Guidance and Tools
Diagnostic and analytical instruments such as legal assessment templates, checklists and training materials that help countries strengthen their regulatory frameworks and align them with international standards and commitments.
Capacity Building
Tailored national and regional training for legal officers, enforcement agencies, prosecutors and judicial officials, complemented by e-learning modules and training-of-trainers programmes to sustain capacity over time.