Main objective: To support countries and regions in the achievement of their SDG targets, including sustainable and inclusive economic growth and decent employment, through technical assistance in the development of sustainable agricultural and food value chains while facilitating appropriate investments (relative to the needs and to the objectives).

Main areas of action:

• Enhance trade opportunities and access to domestic and global markets: support the formulation and implementation of international trade agreements and voluntary guidelines, as well the facilitation of market-based institutional arrangements (procurement models, contract farming, etc.)
• Sustainable value chain development: support countries in the analysis of key food value chains, with all relevant stakeholders, and to develop and implement solutions for more competitive, inclusive and sustainable food value chains (including aspects related to food manufacturing, technology, post-harvest practices, market linkages, certification and quality schemes, innovation, etc.)
• Improve the enabling environment: support the design and implementation of relevant policies, legislation and regulatory frameworks supportive of sustainable agrifood sector development (including on trade, food safety and quality, business development, etc.), support evidence generation and improved access to information, public-private partnerships
• Promote private sector investments along such value chains: support releavnt stakeholders in the development of a well-articulated pipeline of bankable projects that are also sustainable (contributing to SDGs), and facilitate enhanced access to innovative finance (classification/prioritization of projects, identification of private resources and blending opportunities, development of financing mechanisms, etc.)

Ongoing initiatives: Agro-Industry Accelerator (3ADI+), AgrInvest, Aid for Trade, Alliances for Transformative Action, MAFAP, SFVC technical network

Partnerships: UNIDO, UNCTAD, EBRD,

Business Development portfolio (2-pagers):3ADI+; AgrInvest; Aid for Trade; Blue Trade; Alliances for Transformative Action.

Main objective: The Urban Food Agenda supports national and sub-national institutions in the implementation of people-centered, needs-based, inclusive and integrated policies, plans and actions that create resilient and sustainable food systems, enhance livelihoods and job opportunities in both rural and urban areas and guarantee freedom from hunger and all forms of malnutrition. FAO’s urban food action programme is delivered through seven comprehensive areas of support (CAS).

Main areas of action:

• Effective national urban policies and transformative institutions to enhance sustainable food systems (CAS 1)
• Integrated food system planning and inclusive food governance mechanisms to support sustainable urbanization and territorial development (CAS 2)
• Short supply chains and inclusive public food procurement to untap the potential of production in the city and surrounded region (CAS 3)
• Innovative and sustainable agri-food business for employment generation and the development of functional and prosperous territories across small towns (CAS 4)
• Improved access to food and green environments for healthy cities (CAS 5)
• Optimized supply chains and circular bioeconomy for reduction of food losses and waste in urban areas (CAS 6)
• Evidence-based outreach initiatives to improve global urban food governance and to boost investment (CAS 7) – global knowledge products and governance

Ongoing initiatives: NADHALI, City Region Food Systems Programme, Urban Food Actions Platform

Partnerships: UNHabitat, GAIN, Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, C40 cities, RUAF Foundation, ICLEI, ORU Fogar, UCLG

Business Development portfolio (2-pagers): Agri-Food Innovation-Towns; Local Food production and Marketing; Save Food Cities; Urban Food Environment and Green Spaces; Urban Food Governance and Action Platforms; Urban Food Policy Assistance.

Main objective: To contribute to global governance of food systems, and provide a framework within which countries design and implement their own regulatory control systems, policies, legislation and public services related to plant and animal health and food safety and quality.

Main areas of action:

• Food Safety and Quality, Plant Health, Animal Health: support the adoption of international standards, provide scientific advice, and support public sector institutions to improve their capacity to design and implement better policies and regulatory frameworks (including capacities for risk-based food inspections, sampling and analysis, risk-communication and food safety management)
• Antimicrobial Resistance: awareness raising, capacity development for effective monitoring and mitigation of AMR risks, strengthening national and regional governance (networks, action plans), dissemination of good practices on use and control of antimicrobials
• One-Health approach: evidence generation (map and assess risks and challenges in the sectors along the food chain continuum), national policy and legal frameworks in line with IPPC norms, capacity development to reduce health risks (human and ecosystems)

Ongoing initiatives: Codex Alimentarius, IPPC, RAP-RI, Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan,

Partnerships: WHO, OIE

Business Development portfolio (2-pagers): Antimicrobial Resistance Multi-Partner Trust Fund; Food Safety (upcoming).

Main objective: To support the implementation of the Global Action Programme on Food Security and Nutrition in SIDS (GAP) to ensure a more integrated, multi-stakeholder approach to addressing the unique and particular challenges faced by SIDS in achieving improved food security and nutrition

Main areas of action:

• Objective 1 (GAP) - Enabling environments for food security and nutrition: support the generation of evidence on food systems and healthy diets; support the design and implementation of relevant policies, legislation and regulatory frameworks supportive of sustainable and nutrition-sensitive food systems
• Objective 2 (GAP) - Sustainable, resilient, and nutiriton-sensitive food systems: support countries in agribusiness development for more competitive, sustainable and nutrition-sensitive food value chains, while fostering investment and acess to finance; support the implementation of trade agreements, food safety, and other reference standards; facilitation of market-based institutional arrangements (nutrition-sensitive food procurement, certification, arrangements with tourism and HORECA sectors, etc.) at national and regional levels
• Objective 3 (GAP) - Empowered people and communities for food security and nutrition: sociual and economic empowerement, nutrition-sensitive social protection, community-based nutrition-sensitive interventions and services

Ongoing initiatives: Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action (Samoa Pathway)

Partnerships: UNOHRLLS, UNDESA

Business Development portfolio (2-pagers): Food Security and Nutrition in SIDS.

Main objective: To support countries and regions in preventing and reducing food losses and waste, including through encouraging and facilitating dialogue between the private sector, research, academia, policy makers and civil society on food losses, in the context of achieving SDG targets and making progress towards responsible consumption and production (SDG12).

Main areas of action:

• Awareness raising: support to communication and media campaigns on the impact of, and solutions for, food loss and waste reduction
• Collaboration and coordination: coordination of the global Community of Practice on Food Losses and facilitation of the Save Food network
• Policy, strategy and programme development: field studies on a national-regional basis, combining a food chain approach to loss assessments with cost-benefit analyses to identify interventions having the best returns on investment
• International Code of Conduct for the prevention and reduction of food loss and waste: support the development of the Code of Conduct through a participatory process, providing both facilitation and coordination support and technical inputs
• Investment programmes and projects implemented by private and public sectors: technical and managerial support for food supply chain actors and organizations involved in food loss and waste reduction (including policy level)

Ongoing initiatives: Save Food initiative

Partnerships: Messe Dusseldorf, Consumer Goods Forum, Sodexo, International Food Waste Coalition, Inter American Development Bank, African Union Commission, UN Environment

Read more on FAO's work on Food Loss and Waste 

Main objective: Support global dialogue and actions towards food systems transition towards sustainable consumption and production (SDG12), in combination with other social, environmental and economic goals, including nutrition and diet-related health. Support to global processes will be provided in collaboration with key partners, such as the UN Rome based agencies (FAO, IFAD, and WFP), the One Planet network, the World Economic Forum, among others.

Main areas of action:

• Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) Programme of the One Planet network (10YFP): support the development of common approaches, inter alia a conceptual framework and capacity development programme; support to the development of a Mediterranean multistakeholder SFS platform
• Food Systems Summit in 2021: support to the preparation of the Summit, which will include coordination/organization work, as well as technical input, such as the development of a conceptual framework and set of tools to aid the identification of nexus/trade off areas for food systems transformation; may involve as well work at country level to pilot the tools and approach
• CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition: support the OEWG on nutrition and the technical task team on the development of the guidelines, especially in providing technical inputs on the food systems and value chain aspects

Ongoing initiatives: SFS Programme-10YFP,

Partnerships: UNEP/One Planet, IFAD, WFP, World Economic Forum, WWF

Business Development portfolio (2-pagers): One Planet.

Main objective: The SFS-MED Platform is a multi-stakeholder initiative aimed at promoting collaborative actions for the sustainable transformation of food systems in the Mediterranean, ultimately accelerating progress on the delivery of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the region.

Main areas of action:

• Promote an integrated Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) approach specific to the Mediterranean context, which considers the multi-dimensional nature of food systems as a whole. The Mediterranean diet is a powerful common lever in this context, bridging Sustainable Consumption and Production.
• Foster dialogue and collaboration on priority themes for sustainable food systems in the Mediterranean, facilitating multi-stakeholder exchange to enhance policy coherence, build capacities, share knowledge, and promote the effective implementation of actions for food systems transformation.
• Leverage strong regional cooperation to mobilise resources and foster investments, for the elaboration of innovative, multi-sectorial, and science-based responses to the interconnected challenges of Mediterranean food systems with regard to environmental, economic, socio-cultural, health & nutrition-related aspects.

Ongoing initiatives: SFS-MED Platform

Affiliation: One Planet Network’s Sustainable Food Systems Programme

Partnerships: CIHEAM, PRIMA, UfM