Five hours. That's how long women in energy-poor households spend each day on cooking-related tasks—time not spent in school, earning income, or caring for themselves. 

In this district of Jabal Saraj, in the northeastern Parwan province of Afghanistan, these women turned producing jams and pickles into their way of making a living.

In Jharkhand’s Gumla district, one small community hub is alive with activity. Inside, women of all ages – some with toddlers on their laps – gather for a producer group meeting.

The farmer field schools are a key component of the Building a Resilient Churia Region in Nepal project, funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) together with the Government of Nepal. 

Latin America and the Caribbean are home to some of the planet’s greatest biodiversity. Here are three GEF-funded, FAO projects conserving and restoring ecosystems across Brazil, Chile and Venezuela.

In a country that consumes around 500 000 tonnes of it a year, it is safe to say that the people of Côte d’Ivoire love to eat fish.

In the semi-arid lands of southwestern Morocco, the argan tree (Argania spinosa) has long provided nourishment, income, and cultural identity to rural communities.

In the quiet forests of Nepal's Nawalpur District, a revolution is taking root with the most unlikely tools -- cutters and compost heaps. A group of women in Binayi Triveni are turning what was once one of the region's greatest threats into a promising economic opportunity.

A teacher from El Salvador, a young student from the Dominican Republic and a family farmer from Guatemala have never met, but their life stories are wound around the same cause.

On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the women of Iraq who have overcome challenges and become symbols of resilience and success.

With the support of FAO, the social protection program Supérate, and Chef Saverio Stassi, a group of Dominican rural women take part in preparing seven-course dinners, bringing the flavors of the Dominican countryside to high-end gastronomy while strengthening their empowerment.

They are food providers, custodians of seeds, keepers of medicinal plants and guardians of biodiversity. They are knowledge holders and teachers of the younger generations.

Chipo works as a Resource Monitor in northern Zimbabwe with the Mucheni Community Conservancy, which is being established with support from the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme.

Whether it’s using indigenous seeds that are more resilient, combining coffee crops with banana plants or restoring pollinator populations, biodiversity is not an abstract concept tossed around by scientists and activists. It is a whole range of concrete practices that farmers put into action in ...

In the farming community of rural Homs, a transformative initiative has taken place. With generations of unequal social norms, women and girls in many rural areas in Syria are subjected to different forms of discrimination and social injustice. Early marriage and economic disadvantage are core ex...

For Nino Kavtaradze, the income which she makes using her skills and decades of experience producing dried fruits, jams and distinctive Georgian cheeses has literally meant the difference between sickness and health.

The jackfruit was Bangladesh’s natural choice for the FAO One Country One priority product initiative, which helps countries identify and maximise the market potential of certain national products.

Nestled in the town of Berd, in the picturesque Tavush region of Armenia, a group of women are proving the power of sisterhood. 

In Magdalena Milpas Altas, in central Guatemala, Marla Chanta, a 45-year-old artisan, is crafting more than artisanry – she is creating new opportunities for her family and community.

Esther Kyalo participates in a Farmer Field School in Kitui county, Kenya. Assisting farmers in developing their businesses, farmer field schools are an integral part of Kenya’s National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project, financed by the World Bank and designed and implemented with the support of FAO’s Investment Centre.