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
The potential to produce more and better
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 State of Food and Agriculture: Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction
10/2019
This new edition of the report focuses on food losses and waste, providing new estimates of the world’s food post-harvest up to, but excluding, the retail level. Addressing policy makers, the report also offers a comprehensive analysis of the critical loss points in specific supply chains, thus providing examples on appropriate measures for an effective reduction.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019
07/2019
An estimated 820 million people did not have enough to eat in 2018, up from 811 million in the previous year, which is the third year of increase in a row. This underscores the immense challenge of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030, says a new edition of the annual The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report.
OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2019-2028
07/2019
The 15th joint edition of the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook provides market projections for major agricultural commodities, biofuels and fish. The 2019 report contains a special feature on the prospects and challenges of the agricultural sector in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The future of food safety
06/2019
This updated brochure presents FAO’s work on food safety, highlighting its critical role across the four dimensions of food security – availability, access, utilization, and stability.
Action Plan - Decade of Family Farming
05/2019
On May 29, FAO and IFAD launched the United Nations’ Decade of Family Farming and a Global Action Plan to boost support for family farmers, particularly in developing countries. The plan highlights the need to increase, among other things, family farmers’ access to social protection systems, finance, markets, training and income-generating opportunities.
Saving livelihoods saves lives 2018
05/2019
A summary of the achievements of FAO’s resilience and emergency programmes in 2018, including increasing food production inSouth Sudan through the provision of 4 800 tonnes of seeds, and enhancing livelihoods in Somalia through the rehabilitation of infrastructure.
Soil erosion: the greatest challenge for sustainable soil management
05/2019
Launched in conjunction with the Global Symposium on Soil Erosion (15−17 May 2019), this paper argues that there are three main levers available to increase adoption of soil control measures: enhanced extension leading to voluntary adoption; regulation coupled with effective enforcement, and economic incentives.
No Time To Wait: Securing the future from drug-resistant infections
04/2019
If no action is taken, drug-resistant diseases could cause 10 million deaths each year by 2050 and damage to the economy as catastrophic as the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, warns the UN Ad hoc Interagency Coordinating Group on Antimicrobial Resistance who released the report. By 2030, antimicrobial resistance could force up to 24 million people into extreme poverty.
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...