The farmer field schools (FFS) approach was developed by FAO and its partners more than 25 years ago as an alternative to the dominant extension method, which did not work in situations with more complex and unexpected problems, such as pesticide-induced pest outbreaks.In a typical FFS a group of 20-25...

Recent global crises have led to diverse impacts across the world’s low- and middle-income regions, reflecting local conditions and differing policy responses. These effects are often compounded by more local shocks and crises, including prolonged conflict and violence, natural disasters, and fragile economic and governance systems. This section examines the...

The Guidelines for action on food loss and waste reduction in the Near East and North Africa provide support to Member Countries to implement the Voluntary Code of Conduct for Food Loss and Waste Reduction, an international instrument designed to guide FLW policymaking and interventions at global level. These regionally-tailored...

Land use is an essential component for many areas, from water management to agriculture, from the fight against desertification to that against climate change. The detection of changes in land cover allows a better understanding of the state and dynamics of natural resources and, to a certain extent, of their...

Food systems are intimately linked to our lives – through the food we eat, our nutrition and health, our livelihoods, jobs, and the environment and natural resources of the planet. The main challenge for food systems is to produce nutritious food for all while preserving our biodiversity and environment and...

This report outlines the conceptual framework for sand and dust storms (SDS) hazard risk and vulnerability assessment and mapping in agriculture and provides the elements as part of SDS contingency planning process in agriculture in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Its main purpose is to provide an applicable procedure for using...

La « Journée internationale de la Terre nourricière », instituée par l’ONU pour rappeler l’urgence d’agir pour la planète est célébrée chaque 22 avril. Elle a été, cette année, l’occasion pour le secrétaire général de l’ONU, Antonio Guterres, de lancer son appel à intensifier l’action climatique et à investir massivement dans l’adaptation...

The economic contribution of women to agricultural and irrigation activities and to the livelihoods, well-being and food security of families and communities is often unrecognized, invisible and mostly undervalued. Moreover, the role of women in fetching, preserving and managing productive and non-productive water often goes unrecognized and understudied. This assessment...

Agriculture is a fundamentally important human activity that intrinsically depends on nature and at the same time poses a threat to it. Agriculture depends on healthy ecosystems and ecosystem services, such as fresh water, soil fertility, nutrient cycling, pest regulation and pollination. Biodiversity forms the foundation of food production: without...

This year’s report presents evidence that Arab States face significant challenges in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 targets related to hunger, food security, and nutrition, as undernourishment, moderate or severe food insecurity, and malnourishment are increasing. Child wasting and overweight are higher, and adult obesity is double the global average....

Le secteur agricole est un pilier majeur de l’économie de la Tunisie, assurant non seulement la sécurité alimentaire mais aussi la création d’emplois et la gestion des ressources naturelles. Cependant, l’agriculture pluviale, qui constitue 92% de l’agriculture tunisienne, est vulnérable aux aléas climatiques et à la dégradation des sols. Avis...

La région du Sahel est aujourd’hui confrontée à de nombreux défis, à savoir une crise sécuritaire, la montée de l’extrémisme, des perspectives économiques limitées, des emplois décents qui font défaut, sans parler des difficultés pour accéder à l’éducation, à la formation professionnelle et à l’ensemble des services de base. Les...

Water is the foundation of everything: without safe, reliable, and accessible water resources, communities, ecosystems, and economies cannot successfully adapt to change.   Meet Aysha Bsharat, a 44-year-old single mother raising two young boys in the Tammoun area, the south of Tubas in the West Bank, Palestine. Aysha has dedicated her life...

Due to the droughts and reduced domestic production, cereal import requirements have increased in 2022/23 in Arab countries. However, various factors limit the room for manoeuvre of regional governments to procure cereals from abroad, such as high international grain and transport prices, the Ukraine crisis, more expensive alternative import sources,...

The Russian Federation and Ukraine are among the most important producers of agricultural commodities in the world. Both countries are net exporters of agricultural products, and they both play leading supply roles in global markets of foodstuffs and fertilizers, where exportable supplies are often concentrated in a handful of countries....

This guide is based on information from the Food Plants International (FPI) database developed by Tasmanian agricultural scientist Bruce French.The source material and guidance for the preparation of the book has been made possible through the support of Food Plants International, the Rotary Clubs of District 9830, particularly the Rotary...

Nawaya-Egypt works with small-scale farming families on programmes that focus on ecological farming practices and heritage food systems through a community-based network. It helps rural communities set up enterprises that generate new sources of income for rural communities from making compost to raising poultry and agro-tourism.

Abdullah Tobal, a smallholder herder from Tal Hasel in As-Sfira, Aleppo Governorate, had an idea to build a press to preserve fodder after he attended one of FAO’s farmer field schools (FFS) under the Smallholder Support Programme. He learned how to compress dried alfalfa into bales to preserve it so...

Agroecologie enables the improvement of agricultural production through the enhancement of local natural resources and traditional know-how. It contributes to maintaining biodiversity and restoring land in drylands, which are particularly threatened by global warming and food insecurity, while contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Within the framework of the AVACLIM project, the...

Originally from the southern governate of Daraa, Jehad has been an agronomist for almost three decades, working first for the Ministry of Agriculture, then for FAO for the last five years. He specializes in training smallholder farmers and female-headed households to use better agricultural techniques, teaching everything from how to...