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This Manual was developed to guide how to develop and implement a National Plan of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries (NPOA-SSF). These processes are unique because they ensure that the voices and concerns of small-scale fisheries are heard and allow them to actively participate in decision-making processes that shape their lives and livelihoods. In doing so, implementing an NPOA-SSF is an effective way to align legal frameworks with the provisions of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication. These Guidelines unite social development with responsible fisheries, addressing the marginalization and vulnerability [...]

Global crises are becoming the new normal. From climate change to the contemporary food price crisis, vulnerable populations – and especially rural people – are facing increasingly difficult odds of flourishing. Such challenges are even more pronounced where there is conflict, whose multidimensional nature demands to direct more attention to its drivers and impacts. Over the past decades, social protection has contributed to development outcomes, such as those related to poverty reduction, food and nutrition security, and gender equality. Besides, social protection systems have proven to be effective also in addressing covariate shocks, as exemplified by the responses to the COVID-19 [...]

These Guidelines include step-by-step guidance to formulate qualitative and quantitative indicators of gender transformative change to help gender experts and food security, agriculture and nutrition programme specialists in their efforts to design, implement, monitor and evaluate gender transformative interventions. These indicators should be distinctive from and a complement to other reach, benefit and empower indicators intended to contribute to gender equality outcomes in food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture. The Guidelines also present an overarching framework for measuring gender transformative change in the context of food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture, including key dimensions and a socio-ecological model for identifying [...]

Tenure rights are crucial to the livelihoods of people as they define who can use which natural resources, for how long, and under which conditions. Tenure of natural resources is also essential for environmental sustainability and increased resilience and for enabling farmers to access other services. As the world population continues to grow and climate change reduces the availability of natural resources, increasing conflicts over land, and land deterioration are negatively affecting rural livelihoods on an unprecedented scale. In particular, women often have much weaker tenure rights than men, and they suffer discrimination by social customs, as well as by [...]

In 2014, the first internationally negotiated instrument dealing specifically with artisanal and small-scale fisheries known as the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) was endorsed. The scope of the SSF Guidelines is to promote globally a human rights-based approach, covering every social and economic aspect of fisheries governance relevant to all activities undertaken by men and women, in marine and inland waters fisheries value chains. To support and promote the implementation of this important instrument, systematic monitoring is needed in accordance with the provisions in paragraph 13.4, calling [...]

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 [...]

This policy brief is a summary to the Guidelines for action on food loss and waste reduction in the Near East and North Africa, which aims at providing support to Member Countries to implement the Voluntary Code of Conduct for Food Loss and Waste Reduction, an international instrument designed to guide FLW policymaking and interventions at global level. These regionally tailored Guidelines offer a basis for developing national strategies, policies, and legislation enabling food loss and waste reduction in line with national agrifood system objectives of NENA countries. The actions and principles put forward herein have the goal of accelerating [...]

The Guidelines for action on food loss and waste reduction in the Near East and North Africa provide support to Member Countries to implement the Voluntary Code of Conduct for Food Loss and Waste Reduction, an international instrument designed to guide FLW policymaking and interventions at global level. These regionally-tailored Guidelines offer a basis for developing national strategies, policies, and legislation enabling food loss and waste reduction in line with national agrifood system objectives of NENA countries. The actions and principles put forward herein have the ultimate goal of accelerating the region’s transition to sustainable and resilient agrifood systems. Check out [...]

The publication, developed within the framework of the school feeding project of the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation Program, aims to share some experiences and the development of the process of elaboration and implementation of legal and regulatory frameworks on school feeding, and to identify some fundamental elements for its development. It is aimed at parliamentarians, policymakers, actors in the school community and those people and professionals who have the interest, will and intention to develop a Bill in favour of school feeding. The publication indicates paths, advances and challenges faced by the various nations of Latin America and the Caribbean for the [...]

This report provides an update on global progress towards the targets of ending hunger (SDG Target 2.1) and all forms of malnutrition (SDG Target 2.2) and estimates on the number of people who are unable to afford a healthy diet. Since its 2017 edition, this report has repeatedly highlighted that the intensification and interaction of conflict, climate extremes and economic slowdowns and downturns, combined with highly unaffordable nutritious foods and growing inequality, are pushing us off track to meet the SDG 2 targets. However, other important megatrends must also be factored into the analysis to fully understand the challenges and [...]