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The Arab region needs a new generation of policies and investments in agricultural water. Agricultural water management has always posed challenges and opportunities in the Arab world. However, unprecedented and accelerating drivers such as climate change, population growth, and land degradation make agricultural water management a more urgent priority than ever before. In addition, as part of the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development, Arab countries have committed to work towards an ambitious set of development targets, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Unless the right policies and investments are put in place, it will be difficult to achieve the SDGs, [...]

Strategic investments in the agriculture sector are a catalyst for sustainable, economic growth and poverty reduction.  Through their partnership, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have produced this comprehensive study on the State of Agriculture in the Caribbean, drawing upon decades of research on the many drivers of change affecting the CDB’s Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs), including international trade, institutional policies, and climate change. This report follows forty years of structural change in the agriculture sector of BMCs, and can support the development of an updated Agriculture Sector Strategy, by identifying [...]

This discussion paper aims to help practitioners work in a more informed and politically sensitive way to integrate actions on disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) in agriculture. It illustrates some typical governance and political economy-related barriers that may hamper convergence or integration of DRR and CCA actions. It also provides guidance for in-depth governance analysis, putting the analytical focus at national and subnational levels, while considering the international context as an important factor for convergence. The FAO Governance and Policy Support series provides perspectives and concepts on critical governance and policy issues that are relevant to FAO [...]

The roots and tubers industry in sub-Saharan Africa has been growing steadily in recent years. Nevertheless, a series of challenges, including lack of access to finance and climate change related events, has prevented the majority of actors in these value chains, who are mainly small farmers and small processors, from taking advantage of such growth. In order to properly assess such challenges, the project “Strengthening linkages between small actors and buyers in the roots and tubers sector in Africa” conducted a series of studies to identify relevant gaps, constraints and opportunities to develop tailored financial products and risk management strategies [...]

For the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), achieving the commitments following the ratification of the Paris Agreement will require a great effort, as the availability of financial, social, and technical resources are often limited or directly dependent upon the higher income nations. The 47 LDCs account for 13 percent of the global population, 1 percent of global GDP and 5.75 percent of global GHG emissions. These countries not only face more challenging tasks than other countries, as overall conditions within each nation may not facilitate the accomplishment of the stated goals, but they are more vulnerable to climate change and therefore [...]

This paper identifies potential “climate action-sustainable development pathways” spanning 17 major agricultural climate action categories and the 17 SDG targets. The aim of this mapping exercise is to explore the extent to which the two agendas are aligned for the prioritization of those climate actions that have the potential to co-deliver on the Paris Agreement and 2030 Agenda. As the window of opportunity is closing to bridge the emission gap and adapt to climate change before it is too late, the inter-linked and mutually reinforcing climate and sustainable development agendas present a natural framework for designing policies that leverage synergies [...]

Forests and landscapes in the Asia-Pacific region are under increasing pressure from economic development, climate change, demographic shifts, conflicts over tenure and land use, and other stressors. This, the third Asia-Pacific Forest Sector Outlook Study, presents scenarios and a strategic analysis to help policymakers and other actors understand the implications of these stressors for forests and forestry in the Asia-Pacific region and how best to address the challenges ahead.  The product of outstanding collaboration among institutions, networks and more than 800 individuals across the region, the study examines the drivers of change in the region’s forest sector and explores three scenarios [...]

In recent years, scientists have developed a range of different models to monitor, evaluate and predict the effects of climate change. However, this information is often focused exclusively on one particular region or scientific domain/topic. Moreover, this information often remains confined within academic contexts and is not used effectively by the decision makers of the countries in which the studies are carried out. As part of FAO’s Analysis and Mapping of Impacts under Climate Change for Adaptation and Food Security, implemented in the Philippines and Peru from 2011 to 2015, the project aimed to analyse the impacts of climate change [...]

Climate change issues are among the leading causes of hunger and affect all dimensions of food security in the Upper West region of Ghana, including access to food, availability and stability of supplies and nutrition. To address this situation, the project aimed to increase the productivity of selected crop commodity value chains (maize, cowpea, soya bean, Sorghum and groundnut) and develop information, education and communication materials for training and capacity-building in disaster management. Emphasis was also placed on Good Agricultural Practices to reduce risk and improve natural resource management.

The Government of Nepal prioritized a package of Green Climate Fund (GCF) initiatives to address both immediate and longer-term climate change risks posed to critical ecosystems and the most vulnerable communities in the country.  As part of this package, a Climate-Resilient Agriculture (CRA) proposal and supporting documentation was to be prepared and submitted to the GCF. The development impact of the activities in rural communities in the target geographical regions of the CRA proposal was expected to enhance climate resilience, sustainable livelihoods and the food and nutrition security of vulnerable farming communities, while decreasing emissions and increasing sequestration of carbon in [...]