Results
Briefs
2021
Will promotion of agricultural mechanization help prevent child labour? Policy brief
The FAO-IFPRI study, of which this policy brief is a summary, focuses on the use of tractors because they are among the most versatile farm mechanization tools and are universal power sources for all other driven implements and equipment in agriculture, with significant potential to replace animal draught power and human power, including children’s muscle power. Tractor use is typically also the first type of machine-powered equipment in use at lower levels of agricultural development, the context where most child labour is found.Mechanization is mostly assumed to reduce child labour, as it is expected to be labour saving in general. [...]
Issue paper
2021
Renewable energy for agrifood chains. Investing in solar energy in Rwanda
This report presents a structured approach to identify and estimate the market size of specific renewable energy technologies that have the potential to be deployed across specific stages of the agri-food chains. More specifically, the methodology first analyses the countries’ value chains and aggregates them into similar agri-food groups when possible. Once the groupings are defined, the value chains are mapped out and the energy requirements across the different stages of the value chain are defined.
Specific renewable energy options are then identified for each value chain based on the energy demand and the process for which energy is required. This [...]
Tool
2021
Impact tokenization and innovative financial models for responsible agrifood supply chains
This report provides a comprehensive summary and analysis on how impact tokenization and innovative financial models can promote responsible agri-food supply chains. Recent advances in the development of impact tokenization techniques, distributed ledger technology, and innovative financial models have created new opportunities to improve transparency, verification, and incentive alignment across multiple stakeholders in agri-food supply chains. This report outlines those opportunities and describes how practitioners and policymakers can implement enhanced methods for efficiently defining and verifying impact in agri-food supply chains. The report concludes with an analysis of the most promising financial models for promoting responsible agri-food supply chains.
Data and statistics
2021
FAO Statistics - Methods and Standards
In response to a growing demand for high-quality and internationally-comparable statistics, FAO develops, implements and promotes methods and standards to guide national data producers in generating and using sound statistics. In particular, the Organization is committed to provide national statistical systems with internationally recognized definitions, concepts and classifications as well as methodological guidance for the production of high quality statistics related to food and agriculture.
Find all of FAO's methods and standards - here. Find the most recently published methods and standards under "Download PDF".
Case study
2021
Meet the women revolutionising Peru’s fishing sector - A FAO-supported programme lends a hand to innovative entrepreneurs
When Peruvian fisher, Karin Abensur, caught nearly 800 kilograms of fish early one morning five years ago, she calculated roughly how much she would earn. “I thought, worst case scenario, they would give me 6 soles (USD 1.76) per kilo,” Karin said. But when she returned to the port of Pucusana in central Peru, after four hours on the high seas, she was disappointed to be offered just 1 sol per kilogram – roughly USD 0.30. "They told me to take it, because no one would give me more.”
Read the whole story here.
Issue paper
2021
Gender-responsive digitalization. A critical component of the COVID-19 response in Africa
The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken by governments on social distancing and mobility restrictions have contributed to boosting the use of digital technology to bridge some of the physical access gaps. An increasing number of services and extension/information activities are delivered through digital tools and applications. E-commerce has also flourished. As a result, the potential of digital technologies has gained prominence in immediate response and recovery strategies and programmes.See the full list of policy briefs related to COVID-19.
Case study
2021
How to mainstream sustainability and circularity into the bioeconomy?
In its 2020 communiqué, the International Advisory Council on Global Bioeconomy has urged to strengthen good practices and policies to advance the global bioeconomy.The transition from a fossil-based economy to a bioeconomy happens at three levels: technological, organizational and social. In particular, agri-food systems are key to achieve a shift to sustainable and circular production and consumption patterns, since they occupy the biggest share of the bioeconomy from an economic, value-added perspective as well as having potential for discovery and innovation.This Compendium outlines 250 sources of good practices and policies. It covers the entire continuum of economic sectors that have [...]
Report
2021
Strategic Framework for the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) 2020–2030
The IPPC Strategic Framework for 2020-2030 defines priorities and actions of the global plant health community for the next decade. The strategic framework has been adopted by the fifteenth Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-15) to support national plant protection organizations and overcome the emerging challenges linked to e-commerce, pest outbreak alert and response systems, climate change impacts on plant health, global reasearch coordination, and many others.
Case study
2021
Digital agriculture report: Rural e-commerce development experience from China
This publication, produced by FAO and Zhejiang University, examines how rural e-commerce could advance the digital transformation of agri-food systems, including increasing production efficiency, expanding farmers’ market access, improving poverty alleviation, fostering agricultural entrepreneurship, and attracting young generations back to their villages for economic revival and rural revitalization.It is highlighted that an enabling ecosystem with favourable government policies and strategies, public-private partnerships and innovative business models is of great importance to accelerate the development of rural areas in China, and generate larger economic, social and environmental impacts. As the largest developing country in the world, the experience of digital agriculture [...]
Issue paper
2021
Sistemas alimentarios en América Latina y el Caribe, Desafíos en un escenario pospandemia
La publicación busca resaltar la importancia de la transformación de los sistemas alimentarios en América Latina y el Caribe, en el marco de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) y en un contexto de pandemia.Los sistemas alimentarios tienen el potencial de nutrir a la población y apoyar la sostenibilidad ambiental; sin embargo, la pandemia pone en riesgo ambos logros. Proporcionar dietas saludables a una población en crecimiento, a partir de sistemas alimentarios sostenibles en América Latina y el Caribe (ALC) es un desafío inmediato.El libro presenta una introducción sobre la Transformación de los Sistemas Alimentarios como un desafío planetario de [...]