In focus

Keeping our land and water healthy

See how FAO promotes the sustainable management of these precious resources

Highlights
Director-General
News
Rome Water Dialogue 2023 seeks solutions and synergies and brings practical contributions

FAO Director-General urges intensified efforts towards resilient, sustainable water-secure, food-secure future.


News
FAO broadens scope of innovative water monitoring tool to include the whole world

Open-access WaPOR system uses geospatial data to track actual crop water consumption down to the field level.


Making cotton sustainable requires science, investment and governance

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu addresses World Cotton Day 2023 event in Vienna

Event
Working towards a water secure world

See the agenda and follow this year's Rome Water Dialogue running from 4 - 5 October.

Campaigns
Water is life, water is food

World Food Day 2023 will highlight how water is essential to life on Earth and the foundation of our food.

Event
Making cotton fair and sustainable for all

Celebrate World Cotton Day and help bring cotton to the forefront of the global agenda.

Event
Join the World Food Forum 2023

This year, the World Food Forum's (WFF) flagship event will comprise the Global Youth Forum for Food and Agriculture, the Science and Innovation Forum and the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum. Register now to attend.

Global Symposium on Soils and Water
Event
Soil and water: a source of life

The Global Symposium on Soils and Water will examine how these two resources can help achieve sustainable agrifood systems. See the agenda and register.

Interactive story
Mechanization in action

Discover how agricultural mechanization can help us tackle pressing global issues.

Director-General
Making cotton sustainable requires science, investment and governance

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu addresses World Cotton Day 2023 event in Vienna

Voices of Impact

28/08/2023

In Sri Lanka, FAO is building capacities of local irrigation experts to monitor water resources, and improve water productivity with real-time data from the FAO WaPOR platform. Watch the video to learn more.

Video
01/02/2023

Over 95% of our food is produced on land and all begins with soil and water. We need to work together to sustainably manage these vital resources.

Podcast
29/09/2023

The region of Ixil in Guatemala is one of the poorest coffee-growing regions in the world. Low literacy rates and child labor have long plagued the population. Find out how FAO and partners are promoting education and safe youth employment in the coffee industry.

Data

Change in water use efficiency by region, by USD/m³ (2015 - 2020)
Central Asia and Southern Asia
Northern America and Europe
Western Asia and Northern Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Latin America and the Caribbean
Oceania
Eastern Asia and South-eastern Asia
World

Source: FAO. 2023. Indicators. In: Sustainable Development Goals. Rome. Cited 8 June 2023. https://www.fao.org/sustainable-development-goals-data-portal/data/
https://doi.org/10.4060/CC7088EN-fig45

2020 World

31.2%

2010 World

31.5%

In depth

In Focus
Annual funding overview

Thanks to continued trust and growing financial support from our Resource Partners, FAO is working to create a world without hunger or poverty.

Publication
Medium Term Plan and Programme of Work

The Director-General’s Medium Term Plan (Reviewed) 2022-25 and Programme of Work and Budget 2024-25.

In Focus
FAO Data Lab

The FAO Data Lab for Statistical Innovation modernizes the statistical business process, with a specific focus on emergency contexts, when having access to timely information is very important.

FAO and the SDGs

FAO supports governments and partners to design the right policies and programmes to end hunger, promote food security and promote sustainable agriculture for millions of people around the world.

Hover the mouse over an SDG icon for more information

A world free from hunger and malnutrition where food and agriculture contributes to improving the living standards of all

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FAO works with governments and partners to empower some of the world’s most marginalized people to end rural poverty.

sdg photo

FAO helps ensure food security by developing ways of growing food that will work in the future so that millions of people don’t go hungry.

sdg photo

Good health starts with nutrition. FAO sets global standards and works with governments and the private sector to ensure food quality and safety throughout the food chain.

sdg photo

FAO invests in educational systems for rural communities and supports improved access to primary education and school meals in order to create equal opportunities for all and chances of lifelong learning.

sdg photo

FAO supports gender equality in the agricultural sector in an effort to raise levels of nutrition in local communities and improve agricultural productivity.

sdg photo

FAO works with governments to ensure water use in agriculture is made more efficient, equitable and environmentally friendly.

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FAO promotes the use of renewable energies and works to ensure access to modern energy services across the food chain.

sdg photo

FAO seeks better economic opportunities for all by investing in sustainable agricultural practices and food systems that reduce inequalities and create decent jobs.

sdg photo

FAO seeks to secure a future for rural communities via investments in transportation, irrigation, food storage facilities and communication technologies.

sdg photo

FAO works with countries and partners to generate employment in rural areas, ensure access to natural resources for the most vulnerable and connect farmers to markets.

sdg photo

FAO works to improve urban healthcare, water quality and rethink city region food systems to help deter the negative effects of sprawling urbanisation.

sdg photo

FAO coordinates major global initiatives and projects to tackle food waste and loss, partnering with international organisations, the private sector and civil society.

sdg photo

FAO supports countries in responding to the threats of climate change by providing advice, data and tools for better agricultural policies and practices.

sdg photo

FAO, in partnership with governments and fishing communities, implements best practices in fisheries to ensure our oceans are protected as a means of livelihoods.

sdg photo

FAO promotes sustainable approaches to natural resource management and supports endeavours that promote a balance between conservation and development initiatives.

sdg photo

FAO plays a critical role in peacebuilding, restoring rural livelihoods, building resilience and participatory approaches to policymaking.

sdg photo

FAO acts as a neutral policymaking forum and develops partnerships with all concerned with food and agriculture to ensure a world free from hunger.

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FAO supports governments and partners to design the right policies and programmes to end hunger, promote food security and promote sustainable agriculture for millions of people around the world.

sdg photo
sdg photo

FAO works with governments and partners to empower some of the world’s most marginalized people to end rural poverty.

sdg photo
sdg photo

FAO helps ensure food security by developing ways of growing food that will work in the future so that millions of people don’t go hungry.

sdg photo
sdg photo

Good health starts with nutrition. FAO sets global standards and works with governments and the private sector to ensure food quality and safety throughout the food chain.

sdg photo
sdg photo

FAO invests in educational systems for rural communities and supports improved access to primary education and school meals in order to create equal opportunities for all and chances of lifelong learning.

sdg photo
sdg photo

FAO supports gender equality in the agricultural sector in an effort to raise levels of nutrition in local communities and improve agricultural productivity.

sdg photo
sdg photo

FAO works with governments to ensure water use in agriculture is made more efficient, equitable and environmentally friendly.

sdg photo
sdg photo

FAO promotes the use of renewable energies and works to ensure access to modern energy services across the food chain.

sdg photo
sdg photo

FAO seeks better economic opportunities for all by investing in sustainable agricultural practices and food systems that reduce inequalities and create decent jobs.

sdg photo
sdg photo

FAO seeks to secure a future for rural communities via investments in transportation, irrigation, food storage facilities and communication technologies.

sdg photo
sdg photo

FAO works with countries and partners to generate employment in rural areas, ensure access to natural resources for the most vulnerable and connect farmers to markets.

sdg photo
sdg photo

FAO works to improve urban healthcare, water quality and rethink city region food systems to help deter the negative effects of sprawling urbanisation.

sdg photo
sdg photo

FAO coordinates major global initiatives and projects to tackle food waste and loss, partnering with international organisations, the private sector and civil society.

sdg photo
sdg photo

FAO supports countries in responding to the threats of climate change by providing advice, data and tools for better agricultural policies and practices.

sdg photo
sdg photo

FAO, in partnership with governments and fishing communities, implements best practices in fisheries to ensure our oceans are protected as a means of livelihoods.

sdg photo
sdg photo

FAO promotes sustainable approaches to natural resource management and supports endeavours that promote a balance between conservation and development initiatives.

sdg photo
sdg photo

FAO plays a critical role in peacebuilding, restoring rural livelihoods, building resilience and participatory approaches to policymaking.

sdg photo
sdg photo

FAO acts as a neutral policymaking forum and develops partnerships with all concerned with food and agriculture to ensure a world free from hunger.

logo-giahs

Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems.

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