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This publication explains how international food safety standards are set through the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) Food Standards Programme – the Codex Alimentarius Commission – and how these standards are applied in the context of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreements on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) and on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement).Through the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius, members establish science-based, internationally agreed food standards.  The publication describes the two organizations, how they operate together, and how countries can and should engage to keep international food [...]

The study provides an overview of Liberia’s livestock/meat and dairy value chains. It addresses the current status of the value chains, makes an inventory of the strengths and constraints of the value chains, as well as policies that could affect them. It also identifies gaps and prescribes solutions. A programme is proposed for investment in the value chains.

The study provides an overview of West Africa’s livestock/meat and dairy value chains. It addresses the current status of the value chains, makes an inventory of the strengths and constraints of the value chains, as well as policies that could affect them. It also identifies gaps and prescribes solutions. A programme is proposed for investment in the value chains.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) partnered with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ethiopian Ministry for Livestock and Fishery to hold the first Africa Sustainable Livestock 2050 (ASL2050) Technical Consultation on the 21st and 23rd of February 2017 and the ASL2050 Regional Launch on the 23rd February 2017. Representatives from Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda, as well as numerous partner organisations, attended the technical meeting to discuss the future impacts of livestock sector growth on Africa’s environment, public health and livelihoods. In the next 30–40 years, growing demand [...]

This report is part of a series of country level analyses prepared by the FAO Resilience Team Eastern Africa (RTEA) and the Resilience Analysis and Policies (RAP) team. The series aims at providing programming and policy guidance to policy makers, practitioners, UN agencies, NGO and other stakeholders by identifying the key factors that contribute to the resilience of households in food insecure countries and regions. The analysis is largely based on the use of the FAO Resilience Index Measurement and Analysis II (RIMA-II) tool. Latent variable models and regression analysis have been adopted. Findings are integrated with geo-spatial variables.

Fighting hunger is not only about producing more food. It also means protecting food sources from diseases that can spread across borders. The Emergency Prevention System (EMPRES), is a surveillance and early warning system established with the objective of preventing food chain emergencies caused by transboundary threats. These may be animal or plant pests and diseases or food safety threats and can have a great impact on food security and food safety. Threats to the food chain affect not only  food security livelihoods and human health, but also national economies and global markets. This is why surveillance, early detection, early [...]

The five-year Peste des Petits Ruminant Global Eradication Programme (PPR-GEP) highlights the technical and policy tools foreseen as appropriate to lay the foundation for and commencement of PPR eradication by reducing the prevalence of PPR in currently infected countries. The programme will also develop capacity for non-infected countries to demonstrate the absence of PPR Virus leading towards official endorsement of PPR free status by the OIE. During its course, the programme will strengthen national Veterinary Service that are the key players in the successful implementation of the PPR GEP. When appropriate, the programme will also support reducing the prevalence of [...]

Transboundary animal diseases (terrestrial and aquatic), plant pests and diseases (agriculture and forest plants) and Food safety hazards, are raising public awareness for their potential impact on food and nutrition security, human health, livelihoods, and trade. The ability to predict FCC threats through a forecasting process is imperative for Governments to act quickly by taking necessary measures to prevent these threats, limit their geographic spread and minimize their impact. To address this challenge, FAO Food Chain Crisis-Intelligence and Coordination Unit (FCC-ICU) developed an Integrated Forecasting Approach. See also the quarterly Early Warning Bulletins that integrate information on threats to the food chain [...]

Strengthening livelihoods through control of Peste des Petits Ruminants With almost 70 percent of the global sheep and goat population at risk of Pestedes PetitsRuminants (PPR) -Sheep and Goat Plague, significant efforts are needed to consolidate the livelihoods, nutrition and food security of millions of livestock holders, in particular in Asia and Africa. In this context, the project contributed to filling gaps in existing strategies for control of the disease and supported the formulation of new ones in West Africa, Central Africa, North Africa and Central Asia. It also reviewed and updated the subregionalstrategy for Southeast Asia. Project duration: 01/01/2015  - 01/12/2016 [...]

STRENGTHENING CONTROL OF FOOD-AND-MOUTH DISEASE IN MOZAMBIQUE Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) is prevalent in Mozambique and livestock farmers who entirely rely on the well-being and marketability of their animals need to be protected from severe economic losses caused by movement restrictions related to the disease. The project aimed to contribute to the development of capacities to better tackle the progressive control and eradication of FMD and help improve the animal health situation in the country. Project duration: 01/10/2014  - 01/09/2016