Results
Issue paper
2020
Digital technology and agricultural markets. Background paper for The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets (SOCO) 2020
Digital technologies have a high potential to enable further development of the agricultural sector, significantly reshape food value chains (FVCs), and greatly contribute towards more productive, resilient and transparent food systems. This paper provides a non-technical overview of digital technologies that have a high potential to revolutionize the agriculture and food industry, and contribute towards inclusion of small farmers into FVCs.
The particular focus is on digital platforms providing e-commerce services and distributed ledger technologies (DLTs), such as blockchain, as they mutually enable more efficient and more inclusive local and global agricultural markets by tackling their contribution to reducing information asymmetries, [...]
Case study
2020
Smallholders and family farms in Kyrgyzstan. Regional TCP on Empowering Smallholders and Family Farms (TCP/RER/3601)
The background for conducting country studies on the challenges, needs and constraints of smallholders and family farms in seven countries has been a wish to further strengthen the Regional Initiative and develop the initiative towards a stronger programmatic approach at both the regional and country levels. To provide support to smallholders and family farms, there has been a need to develop a better understanding and knowledge platform of the main challenges, needs and constraints of smallholders and family farms in the specific country context. Even though many of the challenges are the same throughout the region, there are still significant [...]
Issue paper
2020
Disaster risk reduction in times of COVID-19: What have we learned?
The COVID-19 pandemic has more than ever shown the changing risk environment, as well as the systemic and overlaying nature of risks that affect and threaten all sectors. It has reinforced the call for multi-sectoral, multi-hazard and preventive and anticipatory approaches that consistently integrate disaster, climate and crisis risk management for strengthening the resilience of people, their agricultural livelihoods and the ecosystems they depend on in a sustainable manner. In her opinion paper, FAO Natural Resources Officer Wirya Khim discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the agriculture and food systems through a disaster risk reduction lens and offers some key [...]
Briefs
2020
Exploring the decoupling of direct payments to farmers in North Macedonia. FAO Agricultural Development Economics Policy Brief 30
North Macedonia’s ambition to join the European Union (EU) makes it necessary to reform the agricultural sector, such that it aligns with the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This involves the “decoupling” of farm subsidies, i.e. a shift to payments that are not linked to area and production levels of specific commodities, livestock numbers, and input use. The decoupling of direct payments has significant impacts on production decisions, prices and therefore on farmer’s income. The study underlying this policy brief identifies five possible scenarios for North Macedonia to align their direct payment scheme with EU regulations and analyses the impact [...]
Briefs
2020
The International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour in Agriculture statement on the impact of COVID-19 on child labour in agriculture
The members of the International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour in Agriculture (IPCCLA), namely FAO, ILO, IFAD, IUF, IFPRI has released a joint statement on the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labour 2020, focusing on the Impact of COVID-19 on child labour in agriculture. The statement reflects on the potential impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the prevalence of child labour in agriculture and the potentially lasting deleterious effects on child growth and development, urging for a call for immediate nationally and internationally coordinated responses.
Click here for more publications on COVID19
Brochure
2020
How the world's food security depends on biodiversity
As the world population continues to rise, new ways are needed to sustainably increase agricultural production, improve supply chains, reduce food losses and waste, and ensure access to nutritious food for all at all times.This brochure includes the contribution of genetic resources for food and agriculture to food security and to the achievement of relevant sustainable development goals.
Available in following languages:
Arabic, French, Mandarin, Spanish and Russian.
Report
2020
The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2020. Agricultural markets and sustainable development: Global value chains, smallholder farmers and digital innovations
The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2020 (SOCO 2020) aims to discuss policies and mechanisms that promote sustainable outcomes – economic, social and environmental – in agricultural and food markets, both global and domestic. The analysis is organized along the trends and challenges that lie at the heart of global discussions on trade and development. These include the evolution of trade and markets; the emergence of global value chains in food and agriculture; the extent to which smallholder farmers in developing countries participate in value chains and markets; and the transformative impacts of digital technology on markets.Along these themes, SOCO [...]
Case study
2020
Final evaluation of the project “Conservation of biodiversity and mitigation of land degradation through adaptive management of agricultural heritage systems". Project code: GCP/MOR/044/GFF GEF ID: 5481
Morocco has a diverse and varied landscape, as part of the Mediterranean basin. Nevertheless, the country's valuable biodiversity, including the Atlas Mountains and its oasis systems, is threatened. 30 000 hectares of plant cover are thus lost each year in Morocco; this has significant consequences on the various species that depend on this cover for their protection, and creates a vicious circle. Biodiversity conservation and mitigation of land degradation through adaptive management of agricultural heritage systems are a priority for the country. To face these challenges, between April 2015 and December 2019, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) with the contribution [...]
Issue paper
2020
The potential of agroecology to build climate-resilient livelihoods and food systems
This study highlights the links between agroecology and climate change, by providing evidence on the technical (i.e. ecological and socio-economic) and policy potential of agroecology to build resilient food systems. The report aims to answer the following question:- How can agroecology foster climate change adaptation, mitigation and resilience through practices and policies?Inspired by the idea that transformation will only happen through a coordinated approach among all levels, this study aims to combine evidence from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives.
Tool
2020
Strengthening civic spacesin spatial planning processes. A technical guide on regulated spatial planning and tenure to balance societal priorities in the use of land, fisheries and forests. Governance of Tenure Technical Guide No. 12
Decisions over tenure – who gets access to land, fisheries, and forests, for how long, and under what conditions – have important implications for people’s livelihoods. Spatial planning procedures can have a considerable impact on the legitimate tenure rights of the respective rights holders and, in the long term, can affect livelihoods.This technical guide on regulated spatial planning and tenure acknowledges this link and provides guidance on the importance of recognizing legitimate tenure rights in spatial planning processes. Strengthening civic spaces in spatial planning processes focuses on the practical challenges of implementing spatial planning objectives and considering peoples’ tenure over [...]
