Publications
The State of the World
FAO’s State of the World collection comprises the Organization’s flagship reports. Published annually or biennially, these are data-rich and analytically complex publications: they provide a global snapshot of topics associated with food and agriculture.
The collection is increasingly structured to gauge progress towards the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is aimed at policymakers; donors; international organizations; academia; and journalists and researchers specializing in food security, agrifood systems, the environment and international development.
The State of Food and Agriculture
Addressing land degradation across landholding scales
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World
Addressing high food price inflation for food security and nutrition
The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture 2025
publication
The 2025 edition of The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture underscores the urgent challenges of human-induced land degradation, water scarcity, and climate change, and their impact on agricultural productivity and ecosystems.
The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets
Trade, resilience and food security: Global food markets under stress
The State of the World's Forests
Forest pathways for green recovery
The State of Fisheries and Aquaculture
Blue Transformation in action
Recent Publications
2019 Global Report on Food Crises
04/2019
This year’s Global Report on Food Crises highlights the plight of millions of people who must fight every day against acute hunger and malnutrition. More than 113 million people across 53 countries experienced acute hunger requiring urgent food, nutrition and livelihoods assistance (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above) in 2018. The worst food crises in 2018, in order of severity, were: Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, the Syrian Arab Republic, the...
FAO Framework for the Urban Food Agenda
04/2019
At least 55 percent of the world’s population already lives in urban areas – a proportion expected to increase to at least 65 percent by 2050 - and with nearly 80 percent of all food produced globally now consumed in urban areas. Urbanization is creating unprecedented challenges to ensuring that everyone has accessible, affordable food, while keeping a healthy diet, and preserving natural resources and biodiversity. Aimed at supporting decision makers at different levels,...
Forests as classrooms – Hands-on learning guides help young people build a sustainable future
04/2019
To encourage young people to manage the planet wisely, we have to give them the means to become agents of change. FAO’s Discovering forests teaching and learning guides are part of an FAO initiative to inspire and engage young people, in this case 10-13 year-olds, and tie in with the theme of this year’s International Day of Forests, namely forests and education.
The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture
03/2019
Based on information provided by 91 countries and 27 international organizations, analysis of global literature and datasets, and contributions from over 175 authors and reviewers, The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture assesses biodiversity for food and agriculture and its management worldwide. Digital Report: http://www.fao.org/state-of-biodiversity-for-food-agriculture/en/
E-agriculture in action: Blockchain for agriculture
03/2019
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have recently published a title called, ‘Blockchain for Agriculture, Opportunities and Challenges’ as part of the E-Agriculture in Action series publications. The focus of the publication is on blockchain technology in agriculture. The aim of the book is to demystify the technology, and provide some thoughts on the opportunities and challenges in implementing blockchain-based systems. The publication also includes...
Empowering Rural Women, Powering Agriculture
12/2018
This booklet looks at FAO’s work in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment, showing that enabling rural women to have the same access as men to resources, services and opportunities translates into economic and social gains for families, communities and nations at large.
Assessment and Planning of the Tronoto City Region Food System
11/2018
In 2015, FAO, RUAF Foundation and Wilfrid Laurier University, with the financial support of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation, embarked on a collaborative programme to assess and plan sustainable city region food systems in seven cities around the world: Colombo (Sri Lanka), Lusaka and Kitwe (Zambia), Medellín (Colombia), Quito (Ecuador), Toronto (Canada) and Utrecht (the Netherlands). The City Region Food System (CRFS) research in...
FAO’s work on agricultural innovation
11/2018
This brochure highlights the importance of innovation as a means to achieve food security and the Sustainable Development Goals. It also calls for a shift from interventions focusing on single components of agricultural innovation towards a system-approach aimed at better responding to smallholder farmers’ needs.
Biodiversity for Sustainable Agriculture
11/2018
This brochure presents FAO’s work on mainstreaming biodiversity as a cross-cutting theme in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors. It provides examples of on-the-ground activities and highlights relevant international mechanisms. It shows how biodiversity and ecosystems benefit people in countless ways by providing food, clean water, shelter and raw materials for our basic needs. Agriculture is a major user of biodiversity but also has the potential to contribute to the protection of biodiversity.
The State of Food and Agriculture 2018
10/2018
Migration, agriculture and rural development Can investments influence people’s decisions about whether to migrate? Can policies maximize the positive impacts of migration while minimizing the negative ones? SOFA 2018 looks at how internal and international migratory flows link to economic development, demographic change, and natural-resource pressure. The report provides a thorough analysis of the factors in rural areas which contribute to migration decisions and recommends tailored policy and investment responses to make migration work for all....
Transforming the livestock sector through the Sustainable Development Goals
10/2018
For decades, the livestock debate has focused on how to increase production in a sustainable manner. However, the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has shifted the emphasis from fostering sustainable production per se, to enhancing the contribution of the sector to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This publication examines the sector’s interaction with each of these Goals, as well as the potential synergies, trade-offs, and complex interlinkages.This global report is...
The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2018
09/2018
This edition of The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets focuses on the complex and underexplored intersection between agricultural trade, climate change and food security. The report makes an important contribution to the policy debates on climate change adaptation and mitigation under the Paris Agreement and the multilateral agricultural trade rules. The report discusses policies – both domestic support and trade measures – that can promote food security, adaptation and mitigation, and improve the livelihoods...
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018
09/2018
Building climate resilience for food security and nutrition New evidence in SOFI 2018 confirms a rise in world hunger: the number of people who suffer from hunger has been growing over the past three years, returning to levels from almost a decade ago. Multiple forms of malnutrition are evident in many countries: adult obesity is growing even as forms of undernutrition persist. The report says that climate variability and extremes are key drivers behind this rise,...
Emerging Opportunities forthe Application of Blockchainin the Agri-food Industry
08/2018
Distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) and smart contracts provide a unique opportunity to bring greater efficiency, transparency and traceability to the exchange of value and information in the agriculture sector. By utilising digital records, cryptography and the disintermediation of transaction processing and data storage, DLTs can improve both agricultural supply chains and rural development interventions in a number of ways. The technology has the potential to simplify and integrate agricultural supply chains, enhance food safety,...
Impacts of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture
07/2018
This report provides the most up-to-date information on the disaggregated impacts of climate change for marine and inland fisheries, and aquaculture, in the context of poverty alleviation and the differential dependency of countries on fish and fishery resources. The work is based on model projections, data analyses, as well as national, regional and basin-scale expert assessments. The results indicate that climate change will lead to significant changes in the availability and trade of fish...
Food security and nutrition: Challenges for agriculture and the hidden potential of soil
07/2018
This report, prepared by FAO and the OECD with inputs from IFPRI, IFAD, the World Bank and WTO, was submitted to the G20 Argentinian Presidency in response to the Presidency’s request for information on future trends and challenges faced by global agriculture.
The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018
07/2018
The 2018 edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture emphasizes the sector’s role in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, and measurement of progress towards these goals. It notes the particular contributions of inland and small-scale fisheries, and highlights the importance of rights-based governance for equitable and inclusive development.
The State of the World's Forests 2018
07/2018
Forest Pathways to Sustainable Development Nearly three years ago, world leaders agreed to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – the central framework for guiding development policies throughout the world. This edition of The State of the World’s Forests is aimed at enhancing our understanding of how forests and their sustainable management contribute to achieving several of the SDGs. Time is running out for the world’s forests:...
OECD‑FAO Agricultural Outlook 2018‑2027
07/2018
The fourteenth joint edition of the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook provides market projections for major agricultural commodities, biofuels and fish. The 2018 report contains a special feature on the prospects for, and challenges facing, the Middle East and North Africa.
Biodiversity matters
05/2018
Biodiversity is the sum of all terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems, species and genetic diversity. It includes the variability within and among living organisms and the ecological complexes of which they are part. FAO recognizes biodiversity as being integral to agriculture, and is committed to working with governments and other key actors to mainstream biodiversity as a vital element of sustainable agriculture. Here are some FAO titles on this theme that might inspire...