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Governance work seeks to clarify and address the underlying political dynamics of decision making processes in order to arrive at workable solutions. Klaus Urban, Senior Officer (Governance and Institutions) of the FAO Economic and Social Development Department together with Dubravka Bojic, Programme Officer (Governance and Policy) explain how FAO works at all levels of governance—national, regional and global—to improve capacities for effective collective action and to solve problems as diverse as ending hunger, malnutrition and poverty; minimizing climate change; enabling transition to sustainable agriculture and sustainable use of natural resources; ensuring the health and safety of food and agriculture systems; and [...]

This is a training course on nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems. Using two realistic scenarios, this course illustrates the linkages between agriculture, food systems and nutrition, and describes existing opportunities for integrating nutrition into food system policies, investments and programmes. The course offers a series of examples of nutrition-sensitive policies and interventions, as well as an overview of the main initiatives and commitment on nutrition. The course is designed to assist professionals from any fields related to agriculture and food systems (inputs and production, processing, storage, transport and retailing, consumption) that are involved in shaping and implementing nutrition-sensitive programmes, investments and [...]

El presente estudio revisa las tendencias en la inversión y financiamiento rural y, particularmente, en el sector agropecuario de la región latinoamericana con el fin de ofrecer una perspectiva crítica de dónde están las principales limitantes para lograr sistemas financieros rurales más inclusivos y proponer áreas de intervención pública y privada que puedan favorecer dicho objetivo, de acuerdo con la evidencia recopilada de experiencias innovadoras en varios de los países de la región. Para ello, este estudio pretende analizar conjuntamente las tendencias en los mercados agropecuarios y las tendencias en los mercados financieros rurales para luego mostrar vínculos relevantes para el [...]

In response to the declining production trend for maize and wheat over the period 2007-2016, the government took measures that included direct inputs assistance to farmers, provision of extension services, and liberalization and deregulation measures. However, financial constraints, together with a number of weather-related shocks, have considerably limited the impact of these measures on agricultural production and development

Mozambique’s general policy frameworks like the Government’s Five-year Plan (PQG) and the Strategic Plan for Agricultural Sector Development (PEDSA) set specific objectives like establishing legal frameworks and policies that are conducive to agriculture growth and investment. So far, the agricultural policy has been focusing on transforming the sector, shifting production away from mainly subsistence activities. 

The LEAP (Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance) Partnership is a multi-stakeholder initiative that is committed to improving the environmental performance of livestock supply chains, whilst ensuring its economic and social viability.  Farmers, consumers and other livestock stakeholders are increasingly in need of more information about the environmental performance and the sustainability of livestock supply chains. Although a wide range of environmental assessment methods have been developed, there is a need for comparative and standardized indicators in order to switch focus of dialogue with stakeholders from methodological issues to improvement measures.  LEAP develops comprehensive guidance and methodology for understanding the environmental performance of [...]

The publication will contain the following contents: 1. INTRODUCTION 2. CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE GOVERNANCE OF FOOD AND NUTRITIONAL SAFETY 3. KEY FACTORS FOR GOVERNANCE PROCESSES IN THE REGION. Critical general analysis on the key factors of SAN governance in LA: Legal and regulatory frameworks; National systems and local spaces for SAN governance, processes; Territorial scope; Participation of civil society and Regional Governance Instances. 4. CASE ANALYSIS: Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Peru ,. Ecuador and Brazil. 5. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS. Policy recommendations, with the aim of improving the governance spaces of multisectoral SANs. 6. REFERENCES 

This Annual Report for 2016 provides detailed information on the FFF work in the ten partner countries and at regional and global levels in 2016. Updates on communications, knowledge generation, exchange visits and the M&L system are provided along with a short discussion of the Mid-term Evaluation (MTE) and the broad outlines of the Phase II. The MTE in August 2016 found that FFF was well on track to meeting the outcomes and impacts projected; and was doing this in a very efficient manner – in terms of the quality of delivery, the coordination of the implementing partners, and the [...]

The pilot projects of the Mitigation of Climate Change in Agriculture (MICCA) Programme of FAO in Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania have promoted climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and have been integrated into ongoing development programmes. The objective of the pilot projects was to show that smallholder farmers can improve their livelihoods and increase their productivity and contribute to climate change mitigation at the same time. The approach was to develop packages of climate-smart agricultural practices based on participatory assessments and expert consultations, implement the selected practices using a variety of extension methods and evaluate their effects on yield, food security and their potential to reduce greenhouse [...]

The SSF Guidelines are based on internationally accepted human rights standards and are to be interpreted and implemented in accordance with those standards. Their objectives are to be met through the promotion of a human rights-based approach (HRBA). This approach seeks to ensure the participation of small-scale fishing communities in nondiscriminatory, transparent and accountable decision-making processes by putting particular emphasis on the needs of vulnerable and marginalized groups and developing countries. While the HRBA has been recognized by FAO as a principle that informs the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes and projects, there is still limited experience in its practical application in the context of small-scale [...]