FAO.org

The FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) Programme leverages cost-effective, adaptable, and scalable solutions and technologies to address pressing challenges in agriculture and food security in developing countries. This initiative draws upon China’s extensive experience in the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems. The Programme was initiated as a result of a strategic engagement between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the government of the People’s Republic of China, leading to the establishment of a trust fund for South-South cooperation in 2009. To date, the government of China has contributed a total of USD 130 million to support [...]

Hunger and malnutrition persist as challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean. There are different proposals for policies and interventions to address these problems jointly as a region and for each country. However, the proposals for policies and interventions do not include how to finance the actions needed to eliminate hunger and combat malnutrition. This document presents a first approach to the issue of the financing needed for the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This policy brief emphasizes the critical importance of leveraging domestic resources and effectively reallocating subsidies to amplify their efficacy in addressing food crises and fostering the transformation of agricultural food systems. By strategically directing resources within national economies and optimizing existing subsidy frameworks, governments can significantly enhance their capacity to prevent and mitigate food crises while simultaneously advancing sustainable agricultural practices. This approach not only ensures the efficient utilization of available funds but also promotes greater resilience and long-term viability within the agricultural sector.

This brief provides a snapshot of agrifood policymaking in Costa Rica. It summarizes the government's efforts in achieving sustainable agrifood systems in recent years, highlighting economic, environmental and social aspects. Against the backdrop of the country's participation in the UN Food Systems Summit, and follow-up processes, it discusses the nation's agrifood policy coordination, multistakeholder engagement, and the importance of investments for sustainable agrifood systems.

This brief provides a snapshot of agrifood policymaking in Zambia. It summarizes the government's efforts in achieving sustainable agrifood systems in recent years, highlighting economic, environmental and social aspects. Against the backdrop of the country's participation in the UN Food Systems Summit, and follow-up processes, it discusses the nation's agrifood policy coordination, multistakeholder engagement, and the importance of investments for sustainable agrifood systems.

Highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, heat waves in Egypt are increasingly severe and frequent, raising the already high evaporation rate, accelerating crop transpiration, increasing soil aridity and elevating water requirements for both human and agricultural consumption in a country where water is imported. The forecasted spike in rainfall variability will affect flow of the Nile River, increasing both drought and high-flow years. While Egypt must produce more food for its rapidly growing population and confront high levels of child malnutrition, agricultural performance is slowing due to inefficient use of land, labour, water and energy along with environmental [...]

Disasters are resulting in unprecedented levels of destruction across the world. These shocks and disruptions affect the functioning and sustainability of agricultural production and threaten the livelihoods of millions of people reliant on agrifood systems. Reducing the impact of disasters in agriculture requires a better understanding of the extent to which these events produce negative impacts in agriculture and necessitates an investigation into the underlying risks that make agriculture vulnerable to the effects of disasters. The FAO flagship report on ‘The Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security’ provides a timely and comprehensive overview of how disasters are affecting agriculture and [...]

Global instruments such as the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) and the Principles on Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS-RAI) endorsed by the Committee for World Food Security (CFS) provide critical guidance on responsible investments in land and forests to address global challenges of food insecurity, poverty, and inequality while supporting sustainable management of natural resources. Applying these global instruments to the assessment of concrete cases can help to identify better practice models for implementation. This document presents a review of selected [...]

This handbook aims to help Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) parliamentarians play their role in operationalising the ASEAN Guidelines for Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture and Forestry (ASEAN RAI). It is based on "Responsible investments in agriculture and food systems: A practical handbook for parliamentarians and parliamentary advisors" published by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in 2020. It adapts that earlier handbook to the ASEAN context and provides ASEAN parliamentarians with practical guidance on how to contribute to an enabling environment for responsible investment in [...]

This report is the outcome of the Digital Excellence in Agriculture: FAO-ITU regional contest on good practices advancing digital agriculture in Europe and Central Asia, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Office for Europe and Central Asia and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Offices for Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Launched in November 2020, the contest sought to identify, showcase and celebrate good practices and innovative solutions that have proven successful in advancing the digital transformation of agriculture in the regions. With nearly 200 applicants from 36 countries in the regions, the [...]