On its fifth anniversary, a publication was launched to document the results of the OCOP initiative, now a global movement, and look towards its next chapter. The publication, One Country One Priority Product at Five - Celebrating the Impact. Growing the Future., reveals the results achieved by the 94 FAO Members who have joined the FAO-led initiative since it started in September 2021. Governments, farmers, producers’ organizations, value chain actors, research institutions, development partners and private-sector stakeholders are working together to strengthen the value chains of 56 special agricultural products (SAPs). 

Senior government officials, policymakers, farmers, researchers, development partners and international organizations gathered at FAO headquarters to mark five years of the  OCOP Initiative, reflecting on achievements to date.  The High-Level Event reviewed progress made since the initiative was launched in 2021 and explored opportunities to scale successful models and accelerate impact for farmers, rural communities and agrifood systems worldwide. 

Special agricultural products from around the world provided visitors with a taste of agricultural diversity at FAO’s second Global Exhibition, From Seeds to Foods at Circo Massimo in Rome. Countries participating in FAO’s One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative showcased their unique agricultural products through vibrant displays, tastings and storytelling. Visitors discovered the people, knowledge, traditions and biodiversity behind the products, as well as their potential to strengthen value chains, improve livelihoods and reach new markets. 

FAO, Egypt and Iraq joined forces in Cairo to strengthen expertise in date palm tissue culture and integrated pest management. Organized under FAO’s OCOP initiative and supported by China through South-South Cooperation, the regional training strengthened capacities to improve planting material, manage pests and promote sustainable date palm production.

More than 100 government representatives, technical experts and development partners gathered in Dunhuang to advance practical solutions for sustainable agricultural production in drylands and areas affected by soil salinity.  Participants from countries involved in FAO’s OCOP initiative, including Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan, exchanged knowledge with representatives of Chinese research institutions, government authorities and enterprises. Discussions focused on adapting and scaling up technologies for dryland farming, water-efficient production and the sustainable management of saline-alkali soils. 

Officials from agriculture and commerce ministries from 15 Asia-Pacific countries met with trade experts in Beijing to seek ways to facilitate exports of SAPs promoted by the FAO’s One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative.

More than 40 government representatives, technical experts and development partners from tropical countries across Africa, Asia, the Near East, Latin America and the Caribbean are gathering in Hainan, China, from 3 to 8 August for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Global Technical Workshop on Tropical Special Agricultural Products, held under the auspices of the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) flagship initiative and the FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) Programme.

Growing high-quality mangoes is important, but farmers can earn more when they have access to processing, reliable buyers, and markets that value their products. Understanding what investors, processors, and consumers need is an important step toward creating more opportunities for farming communities.

Nepal’s OCOP National Task Force has mobilized key public and private stakeholders to drive immediate, practical actions—including production mapping and quality upgrades—to strengthen the large cardamom value chain through October 2026. By directly bridging critical supply chain and infrastructure gaps, this coordinated push will scale up global export readiness, secure premium market prices, and transform rural livelihoods. 

Bringing together regional experts and institutions, the OCOP session during Asia-Pacific Food Forum showcased how science and innovation can strengthen Special Agricultural Products (SAPs), enhance market access, and support the FAO’s “Four Betters.” The session also featured insights on nutrition, trade, resilience, and emerging technologies, alongside the launch of OCOP Centres of Excellence to further accelerate transformation across the Asia-Pacific region.

The first Asia-Pacific Food Forum (APFF) opened in Brunei Darussalam today, bringing together Ministers, development partners, financial institutions, private sector leaders, scientists, innovators, women farmers and youth to accelerate agrifood systems transformation across the region.

FAO’s One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative showcased how science and innovation is strengthening value chains of Special Agriculture Products, improving productivity, competitiveness, traceability, and market access.  

In less than a decade, quinoa has gone from an obscure Andean grain to a national priority in Bhutan. With backing from the Royal government and support from FAO’s One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative, farmers have gained the skills to grow this resilient crop and better access markets.

Now cultivation of the “Queen of Grains” is expanding and thriving in Bhutan’s remote mountain villages.

A week-long learning mission under FAO’s One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative brought together the government agricultural officers and young researchers for an immersive journey into Nepal’s large cardamom heartland. Through field visits in Ilam and Jhapa, the group explored how decades of experience in Eastern Nepal can guide the crop’s expansion into the western districts of Syangja, Baglung and Myagdi. 

FAO Member Countries participating in the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) Initiative are set to strengthen national ownership, scale practical innovations, and deepen collaboration to advance sustainable value chains for special agricultural products in the coming years. At the 2025 OCOP Global Annual Coordination Meeting on 17 December 2025, participants were urged to continue their “incredible” work in advancing the initiative worldwide.

The Asia-Pacific OCOP Regional Organizing Group (ROG) meeting endorsed establishing the OCOP Centres of Excellence (COEs).The COEs will be hubs of interdisciplinary knowledge generation and sharing, capacity building and transfer of science, innovation and technology. 

A new global project to advance the cocoa value chain development in Samoa was kicked off today during an inception workshop, co-hosted by FAO and the Government of Samoa. 

The Asia-Pacific pavilion was one of six regional showcases, offering visitors a dynamic journey through the region’s rich and diverse agrifood systems. With more than 20 countries from Asia and the Pacific represented and over 250 products on display, the pavilion presented the region’s extraordinary agricultural heritage, biodiversity and lead role in feeding the planet and shaping the future of global cuisine. 

A newly released report captures the outcomes of the Launch Event and Workshop on the Implementation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) Initiative for Pacific Island countries. Held in Nanjing, China from 16–22 October 2024, the event gathered over 120 participants from FAO, governments of Pacific Island nations, and other stakeholders. 

A high-level delegation from the Royal Government of Bhutan, led by the Honourable Younten Phuntsho, Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, met with the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) Secretariat at FAO headquarters in Rome on 16 October 2025 to further strengthen ongoing efforts under the initiative.