This sixth and final progress report details FAO’s work to mitigate the effects of the desert locust upsurge – an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods – across the Greater Horn of Africa and Yemen between September and December 2021, while outlining the outcomes of the response in all of 2021.

Biodiversity for food and agriculture comprises all the components of biodiversity that contribute to crop and livestock production, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture – both wild and domesticated, and at genetic, species and ecosystem levels. It is vital to food security and nutrition, livelihoods and the supply of a range of ecosystem services. The Framework for Action on Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture was endorsed by the FAO Council in 2021. It contains more than 50 individual actions grouped into three strategic priority areas: characterization, assessment and monitoring; management (sustainable use and conservation); and institutional frameworks. It was developed in response to the country-driven report on The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture.

The 2022 edition of The State of the World’s Forests explores the potential of three forest  pathways for achieving green recovery and tackling environmental crises, including climate change and biodiversity loss against the backdrop of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use and the pledge of 140 countries to eliminate forest loss by 2030 and to support restoration and sustainable production and consumption. The publication will be launched during the XV World Forestry Congress being held in Seoul, Republic of Korea and virtually.   

The war in Ukraine that began on 24 February 2022 has led to large‑scale human suffering across all regions of the country. As the dynamics of the war continue to evolve, large portions of the population are affected by damage to critical infrastructure, lack of basic services and disruptions of supply chains, requiring multisectoral humanitarian assistance. In order to address the rapidly deteriorating food security situation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has updated its Rapid Response Plan (RRP) for Ukraine, calling for a revised funding requirement of USD 115.4 million, to support 376 660 vulnerable smallholder and medium‑sized farming households through December 2022. The RRP has been designed to meet critical, time-sensitive agricultural deadlines for production and harvest, and address market functionality and access for vulnerable populations. It is anticipated that the RRP will be followed by a continuing programme based on the evolution of the crisis.  

Somalia – Strengthening the resilience of rural communities through conflict-sensitive programming: Translating context analysis and conflict-sensitive recommendations into adjustment in project implementation in Lower Shabelle region. This learning brief documents learning around promising programme approaches that can support decision-making and resource allocation processes towards durable solutions to food crises. More specifically it provides an overview of the linkages between the conflict-sensitive programming approach undertaken by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Somalia and the related adjustments into the Global Network against Food Crises (GNAFC) project implementation. The brief showcases key learning on the role of water governance in reducing local-level natural resource-based conflict in the Lower Shabelle region of Somalia. Conflict‑sensitive programming - informed by a context analysis – is a fundamental requirement so that projects and programmes are undertaken with a clear understanding of contextual dynamics, thereby lessening their potential to exacerbate tensions, disputes, and conflicts while enhancing contributions to sustaining peace.