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Bees provide a critical link in the maintenance of ecosystems, pollination. They play a major role in maintaining biodiversity, ensuring the survival of many plants, enhancing forest regeneration, providing sustainability and adaptation to climate change and improving the quality and quantity of agricultural production systems. In fact, close to 75 percent of the world’s crops that produce fruits and seeds for human consumption depend, at least in part, on pollinators for sustained production, yield and quality. Beekeeping, also called apiculture, refers to all activities concerned with the practical management of social bee species.These guidelines aim to provide useful information and [...]

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) to raise global awareness on how protecting plants from pests and diseases can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development. The IYPH final report presents the key outcomes and achievements of the Year, and highlights its main legacies.

In 2021, the United Nations Secretary-General will convene the Food Systems Summit to advance dialogue and action towards transforming the way the world produces, consumes and thinks about food guided by the overarching vision of a fairer, more sustainable world. The Secretary-General will also convene the High-Level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE) to promote the implementation of the energy-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Given the inextricable linkages between the energy and agriculture sectors, integrating the nexus perspective within the FSS and the HLDE is crucial to formulate a joint vision of actions to advance the [...]

Climate change and extreme weather events are heightening levels of acute food insecurity and food crises around the world. As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and deals with other drivers of food security, poverty and inequality, the international community is calling for a climate-resilient and sustainable recovery. Supporting the shift away from disaster response toward preventative and anticipatory action is fundamental to address the growing challenges faced by agriculture and food systems.Climate services highlight the role of science and technology in providing innovative solutions for risk reduction, effective resilience policies and adaptation planning. Underpinned by robust science and [...]

This brochure highlights results and resources from the FAO Global CBIT-AFOLU project in a visually engaging style. It covers the period 2019 to 2021. The project is funded under the Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) fund of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by FAO.

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration provides a unique opportunity to transform food, fibre and feed production systems to the needs of the 21st century, and to eradicate poverty, hunger and malnutrition. This report presents the case for why we all must throw our weight behind a global restoration effort. Drawing on the latest scientific evidence, it explains the crucial role played by ecosystems from forests and farmland to rivers and oceans, and charts the losses that result from our poor stewardship of the planet. The UN Decade runs from 2021 through 2030 and is led by the United Nations Environment [...]

In view of the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and more specifically in view of reporting on the progress and outcomes of Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA), it has become increasingly urgent to understand the potential future of agriculture under the Convention as the KJWA roadmap reaches its completion.This publication outlines five potential pathways/outcomes of the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture. These should be considered not as a set of rigid and exclusive pathways, but rather as illustrative examples whose key features can be combined. [...]

This publication describes climate-smart agriculture (CSA) case studies from around the world, showing how the approach is implemented to address challenges related to climate change and agriculture. The case studies operationalize the five action points for CSA implementation: expanding the evidence base for CSA, supporting enabling policy frameworks, strengthening national and local institutions, enhancing funding and financing options, and implementing CSA practices at field level. The publication provides examples of the innovative roles that farmers, researchers, government officials, private sector agents and civil society actors can play to transform food systems and help meet the Sustainable Development Goals; it also demonstrates [...]

Climate finance is a fundamental element of the global development agenda and has been accelerating in recent years. Yet between 2000 and 2018 the share of global climate finance in the agriculture and land-use sector has decreased, passing from an average of 45 percent of the total flows at the beginning of the millennium, to 24 percent in 2013 where it has since stayed. The total sum of contributions to the agriculture and land-use sector between 2000 and 2018 amounted to USD 122 billion, representing 26 percent of the global climate finance flows to all sectors.This report aims to increase [...]

This paper describes FAO’s vision and gives guidance on the implementation of green and climate-resilient agriculture. It looks at how FAO is applying and scaling it up in an integrated way through country support and global advocacy. It is complemented by a webpage showcasing relevant FAO practices, success stories as well as related articles, publications and videos.