As the global population approaches 10 billion by 2050, the pressure on agrifood systems is intensifying. Feeding this growing population will require producing 50 percent more food than in 2012 while also reducing its environmental footprint. Agriculture already accounts for over 70 percent of global freshwater withdrawals and nearly one-third of...

The new FAO publication "Evidence-based analysis for integrating improved and multifunctional paddy water management into policy frameworks in Zambia" is now available online. Download the publication here >> Zambia's rice sector stands at a turning point. Despite being widely recognized as a strategic crop with strong potential for rural incomes...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands are pleased to invite you to the 60-minute webinar Wetlands and agriculture: Supporting sustainable food systems and healthy catchments through the wise use of wetlands. The webinar will take place on Wednesday,...

At its sixteenth session, the UNCCD Conference of the Parties adopted a decision which calls for the development of a land tenure toolbox and awareness raising of accountability and grievance mechanisms with the aim of supporting countries in improving tenure security at national and subnational levels. Under the theme...

Join the youth-focused masterclass on the Principles for the Responsible Governance of Water Tenure on Thursday 16 April 2026 at 12.00 (UTC+2). Water is essential to food security, public health, ecosystems and climate resilience, yet billions lack safe drinking water and live under high water stress, largely due to failures in...

In recent decades, FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 56 (FAO56) has become a worldwide reference for estimating crop evapotranspiration and computing crop water requirements. At the same time, advancements in scientific knowledge, data availability and modelling capabilities, taken together with increasing pressures on agriculture from climate variability and water scarcity,...