15th GFRAS Global Annual Meeting (GAM)

Diamniadio (Senegal), 11/10/2025 - 14/10/2025

The Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) is pleased to announce that registrations are now open for the 15th GFRAS Annual Meeting (GAM), taking place from 11 to 14 November 2025 at the Centre International de Conférences Abdou Diouf (CICAD) in Dakar, Senegal.

2nd Meeting of the Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS)

Cairo (Egypt), Hybrid Event, 25/08/2025 - 27/08/2025

Rural Advisory Services (RAS) play a pivotal role in driving rural transformation—the broad and systemic process aimed at improving rural livelihoods through enhanced and sustainable productivity, increased commercialization and market integration, diversified income sources, improved access to services and decent employment opportunities, and more inclusive participation in policy and decision...

Empowering youth in agriculture: Strengthening rural advisory services through education and digital learning in NENA

Cairo (Egypt), 22/07/2025

Rural youth in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region face significant barriers to employment—despite agriculture being a key sector for food security, economic development, and climate resilience. At the same time, access to inclusive, demand-driven rural advisory services (RAS) remains limited, especially for women and youth, who represent the majority of small-scale farmers.

The New Extensionist Learning Kit and its operationalization in Arab Region

Virtual Event, 11/12/2024

The new extensionist is a global view of extension and advisory services (EAS) that reinvents and clearly articulates the role of EAS in the rapidly changing rural context. It argues for an expanded role for EAS within agricultural innovation systems and development of new capacities at different levels to play this role. 

Advancing The Professionalization Of Advisory Services

Virtual Event, 26/11/2024

In today’s rapidly evolving agrifood landscape, agricultural advisors need skills beyond technical know-how. They are essential agents of change, helping farmers tackle complex challenges like sustainable practices, market dynamics, and climate resilience. This webinar is designed to present advisors with tools by FAO’s e-learning Academy as well as GFRAS and the New Extensionist Learning Ki...

First Annual Meeting of The Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS)

Hybrid Event, 29/07/2024 - 31/07/2024

The Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS), the first of its kind community of experts, champions, policy makers and practitioners from different sectors committed to advancing extension and Rural Advisory Services (RAS) across the Near East and ...

FAO Regional Conference for the Near East (NERC) - Ministerial Meeting

Amman (Jordan), 04/03/2024 - 05/03/2024

The second and final segment of NERC37 will be the Ministerial Session, which will take place through a hybrid modality on 4 and 5 March 2024. The purpose of the high-level discussions is to frame the deliberations and gather different perspectives from the member countries on priorities for action. 

FAO Regional Conference for the Near East (NERC) - Senior Officers Meeting

Amman (Jordan), Hybrid Event, 05/02/2024 - 08/02/2024

NERC37 is hosted by Jordan and will be held in two segments. The Senior Officers Meeting will take place virtually from 5 to 8 February 2024 where ministers of agriculture, partner organizations, sister agencies and senior officials of member countries will meet to elaborate on regional challenges and priorities in the NENA region. This will ensure the effectiveness of FAO’s...

Dialogue with Private Sector: "Engaging the Private Sector in Accelerating Agrifood Systems Transformation in the Near East and North Africa”

Amman (Jordan), Hybrid Event, 30/01/2024

The role of the private sector is pivotal in driving the transformation of agrifood systems, particularly in regions like NENA. Private enterprises, ranging from small businesses to large firms, play a crucial role in introducing innovation, technology, and efficient practices throughout the entire agrifood value chain fostering the creation of value-added products. By leveraging their resou...

Towards the Launch of Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services

Virtual Event, 06/12/2023

The General Meeting of the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services is organized on a yearly basis to foster exchange on approaches and experiences in agriculture and rural advisory services (RAS) between diverse stakeholders and across regions. 

Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS)- Regional Meeting

Cairo (Egypt), Hybrid Event, 24/07/2023 - 25/07/2023

Rural Advisory Services (RAS) can play a key role in enhancing agriculture-based livelihoods, reducing rural poverty and food insecurity and empowering small-scale producers to claim their agency and role in inclusive rural transformation. Yet, small scale-farmers in the NENA region lack sufficient access to quality and comprehensive RAS. Underfunding, lack of dedicated policies and implementat...

Regional Consultation Transformative pathways for Rural Advisory Services in the Near East and North Africa (NENA)

Hybrid Event, 29/06/2022 - 30/06/2022

FAO is organizing a regional consultation to share knowledge and initiate a dialogue on pathways for advancing Rural Advisory Services (RAS) from a policy and programming perspective at regional and country level. The specific objectives of the meeting are: 

• Share the findings of the regional study to inform stakeholder debate and foster exchange across countries in the NENA ...