FAO and the GEF

Partnering for sustainable agri-food systems and the environment

News

With GEF support, two traditional agricultural systems rooted in the ancestral knowledge and practices of Indigenous Peoples in the northern Andean highlands and the southern mountain ranges of Chile have been recognized as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Latest news and updates from the partnership

11/10/2024
The GEF Independent Evaluation Office (GEF IEO), in partnership with the FAO-GEF Unit and the FAO Office of Evaluation, held its first-ever, partnership-wide Evaluation workshop in the GEF’s three-decade history. The workshop focused on advancing shared evaluation priorities, exchanging best practices, and aligning efforts to better capture impact from GEF-funded projects and programs. 
07/10/2024

Land degradation is a pressing ...
AfricaCapacity BuildingClimate ChangeDryland Sustainable LandscapesDrylandsLand DegradationResilienceSouthern AfricaSustainable Value Chains
07/10/2024

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe - In a move to address the pressing challenges of urbanization and climate change, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, and members of the Bulawayo local authority, convened a crucial technical i...

AfricaAgroforestryLandscape RestorationSouthern AfricaSustainable CitiesUrbanWetlands
03/10/2024
The FAO-GEF regional project, "Integrated Natural Resources Management in Drought-prone and Salinity-Affected Agricultural Production Landscapes in Central Asia and Turkey" (CACILM-2), has been successfully implemented. The final workshop,held in Bukhara, gathered representatives from the Food an...
Climate ChangeClimate Change MitigationConservation AgricultureDroughtEurope and Central AsiaLand Degradation
05/09/2024
With 55 percent of the world’s population residing in urban areas, it is estimated that by 2050, urban population is expected to rise to 68 percent, mainly in low-income countries. Local councils are finding it increasingly challenging to ensure urban and peri-urban populations have access to inc...
AfricaSouthern AfricaSustainable CitiesUrban
19/08/2024
Over one hundred cross-sectoral stakeholders including land users, government officials, technical partners and project implementers from ten different countries across dryland ecoregions gathered in the Warm Heart of Africa (Malawi) on 29 July for the second regional stakeholders workshop for Southern Africa under the GEF-7 Sustainable Forest Management Impact Program on Dryland Sustainable Landscapes (DSL-IP).
AfricaCommunity ForestryDryland ForestDryland Sustainable LandscapesDrylandsEnergyForestryLand DegradationLand Degradation NeutralityParticipatory Forest ManagementSouthern Africa
29/07/2024
Blantyre, Malawi – Government officials, experts and landscape managers from across Southern Africa met today for a week of discussions on the challenges and solutions for drylands in the region organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and pa...
AfricaDryland ForestDryland Sustainable LandscapesDrylandsLand DegradationLand Degradation NeutralitySouthern Africa
22/07/2024
The CBIT AFOLU Cuba Project is leading advances to improve the accuracy of greenhouse gas measurements in the agricultural, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) sector. In collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and with the financial support of the Glo...
Capacity BuildingCapacity DevelopmentCBITClimate ChangeClimate Change MitigationLatin America and the CaribbeanSIDS
22/07/2024

Amidst the picturesque desert landscapes of Rigan in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s southeastern Kerman province, one community is witnessing a remarkable revival of its culinary tradition while upholding environmental sustainability.

Such a transformation is the fruit of the Rehabilita...

Dryland ForestDrylandsEnergyLand DegradationLivelihoodsNear EastWomen
01/07/2024

Starting in 2016, Lebanon's rugged mountain terrains witnessed a transformative initiative aimed at restoring ecological balance and uplifting rural communities. The "Smart Adaptation of Forest Landscapes in Mountain Areas" (SALMA) project, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization ...

Ecosystem ApproachEcosystem RestorationLivelihoodsNear EastParticipatory Forest ManagementReforestationSustainable Forest Management
24/06/2024
Nuristan, one of Afghanistan's most forested provinces, has an estimated population of 150 000, and an area, of 9 000 square kilometers. This remote province of eastern Afghanistan is known for its breathtaking mountain landscapes, rich natural and cultural heritage, and unique traditions. The province was historically isolated and remained relatively untouched due to its rocky topography, which contributed to the preservation of its unique culture. During the past 45 years, this remoteness made Nuristan an insecure place, used as a base by mujahideen and more recently Islamic State militants.
Asia PacificBiodiversityBiodiversity ConservationCommunity ForestryEcosystem RestorationEnergyLand DegradationLandscape RestorationRangelandSustainable Land Management
21/06/2024
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) this week helped 28 countries to unlock $70 million in financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to address urban sustainability, groundwater management, biodiversity loss, climate change and land degradation.
CoastalCouncilLand DegradationLand Degradation NeutralityRidge to ReefSIDSSouce to SeaSustainable Water ManagementWatershedWork Program
14/06/2024

Land holds the past, present and future of humanity. Everything from nutritious food and thriving ecosystems to agricultural heritage and livelihoods rely on healthy and productive land. Yet every year, an average of 100 million hectares of land are degraded through unsustainable agriculture, ...

Dryland ForestDryland Sustainable LandscapesDrylandsLand DegradationLand Degradation NeutralityYouth
11/06/2024

In the battle against climate change, forests stand as stalwart allies. These green giants play a pivotal role in sequestering carbon dioxide, regulating the climate, enhancing biodiversity, and supporting livelihoods. However, the fate of forests worldwide hangs in a ...

Capacity BuildingCapacity DevelopmentCBITClimate ChangeClimate Change MitigationForest MonitoringForestryParis Agreement
30/05/2024
The Financing Agrochemical Reduction and Management (FARM) programme was officially launched in Nairobi, Kenya, in March 2024. It consists of six projects in Ecuador, India, Kenya, Laos, the Philippines, Uruguay, and Vietnam. The five-year initiative aims to catalyze investments to minimize the u...
Chemicals and WastePesticidesPOPs
29/05/2024
As part of an ongoing pesticide management and disposal project from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in Central Asia and Türkiye, two international events were held in Almaty, Kazakhstan. 
Digital AgricultureDigitalizationEurope and Central AsiaInnovationPesticidesPOPsSoilSoil Management
22/05/2024

Two Pacific small island states are set to...

Asia PacificForest MonitoringGlobal Biodiversity FrameworkGlobal Biodiversity Framework FundSIDSSustainable AgricultureSustainable Use of Biodiversity
22/05/2024

Walk through farmlands in the rugged, hilly terrain of parts of Mexico and you’ll see maize plants grown widely spaced apart with pole beans climbing up them and the large leaves of squash covering the soil alongside edible herbs. These are all part of a farming system known as a milpa. It is ...

AgrobiodiversityFood SystemsGIAHSLatin America and the CaribbeanNutritionSeedsTraditional
22/05/2024
From bees to earthworms, from coral reefs to rain forests - biodiversity helps to ensure our food diversity and must be key to transforming our food production systems. On International Day for Biological Diversity, FAO launched its updated action plan for Mainstreaming Biodiversity Across Agricultural Sectors and prepared to embark on several new biodiversity-related initiatives. 
BiodiversityGlobal Biodiversity FrameworkGlobal Biodiversity Framework FundSustainable Use of Biodiversity
15/05/2024
Since the beginning of the project, the DSL-IP and the REM country projects (Kazakhstan and Mongolia) have engaged with CACILM through events focusing on sustainable pasture management, including a webinar on sustainable management of pasture resources in Kazakhstan and a regional workshop on gender.
Dryland Sustainable LandscapesEurope and Central AsiaLand DegradationLand Degradation NeutralitySustainable Land Management