Policy Support and Governance Gateway

Filter by

Policy Theme
Keywords
Resources Type
Geography
Year

Results

Issue paper

2012

Mobile Technologies for Agriculture and Rural Development

New information and knowledge are critical inputs for the practice of agriculture the world over. This is especially true for resource-poor farmers living in rural areas in Asia. Yet most of these farmers are not only resource poor but also information poor. Mobile technology holds great promise in delivering information to resource-poor farmers and as a consequence to improving their livelihoods. The number of mobile connections is presently six billion and growing. There are many examples of mobile-based interventions in agriculture, health, education and rural livelihood projects in Asia. Of these, however, few have moved from the pilot phase to [...]

Tool

2012

Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) for Analysing Agricultural and Rural Development Policies. Conceptual Aspects and Examples. EASYPol Series 130

This document offers a methodological introduction to Social Accounting Matrices (SAMs) for analysing socio-economic impact of agricultural and rural development policies. Firstly, the concept and the structure of an SAM are presented. Next, the concept of policy "instrument" and "objective" variables are introduced and applied for SAM-based policy impact analysis. The module concludes by discussing the multipliers matrix as an instrument for analysing policy impact and presenting some examples. This paper is part of the FAO Policy series: EASYPol-Resources for policy making (in agriculture, rural development and food security). You can find other EASYPol series' resources in the Resources section of [...]

Tool

2012

Value Chain Analysis for Policymaking: Methodological Guidelines for a Quantitative Approach. EASYPol Series 129

These guidelines provide users with the key notions required to carry out analyses of policy impacts by means of a value chain approach and show how to do it in a practical way by making use of relevant tools. In particular, the reader will find this material useful to: Identify the basic units operating in a given value chain (=agents) and the activities they undertake; Quantify the gross revenues, value added creation and profits of every agent; Build different scenarios and measure changes in revenues, value added creation and profits for the different scenarios; Build a Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM) and compute protection and [...]

Tool

2012

Using Marginal Abatement Cost Curves to Realize the Economic Appraisal of Climate Smart Agriculture Policy Options. EASYPol Series 116

The AFOLU sector (Agriculture, Forestry, Land Use) is directly linked with climate change issues, on an environmental aspect as well as on an economical and social aspect (food security).  On the one hand, the sector directly contributes to climate change. Indeed, agriculture represents 14% of the total worldwide GHG emissions, and deforestation accounts for 17% (UNFCCC, 2008). The AFOLU sector is thus responsible for one third of the GHG emissions in the world. Moreover, this sector is increasingly vulnerable to climate changes and hence requires adaptation measures. On the other hand, it is estimated that the mitigation potential of the AFOLU [...]

Report

2012

Sustainable Diets and Biodiversity. Directions and Solutions for Policy, Research and Action

This book presents the current state of thought on the common path of sustainable diets and biodiversity and addresses the linkages among agriculture, health, the environment and food industries. The alarming pace of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation and their negative impact on poverty and health makes a compelling case for re-examining food systems and diets. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop and promote strategies for sustainable diets, emphasizing the positive role of food biodiversity in human nutrition and poverty alleviation. Sustainable Diets are those diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to [...]

Tool

2012

Policy Instruments to Promote Good Practices in Bioenergy Feedstock Production

Building on FAO’s work on good practices in agriculture and forestry, the Bioenergy and Food Security Criteria and Indicators (BEFSCI) project has compiled a set of good environmental practices that can be implemented by bioenergy feedstock producers in order to minimize the risk of negative environmental impacts from their operations, and to ensure that modern bioenergy contributes to climate change mitigation while safeguarding and possibly fostering food security.  BEFSCI has also compiled a set of good socio-economic practices that can help minimize the risks and increase the opportunities for food security associated with bioenergy operations.  BEFSCI has identified a range of policy instruments that [...]

Brochure

2012

Emergency Prevention System: Prevention Saves Lives, Livelihoods and Money

The Emergency Prevention System (EMPRES) addresses prevention and early warning across the entire food chain. It promotes the effective containment and management of the most serious epidemic pests and diseases and food safety threats through international cooperation involving early detection, early warning, preparedness and timely reaction, coordination and communication, and capacity development.

Tool

2012

Incorporating Climate Change Considerations into Agricultural Investment Programmes. A Guidance Document

This best practices guidance document is intended to help development professionals  and government officials who are involved in agricultural and rural development investment operations to mainstream climate change considerations in programme identification, design and supervision. The link between food security, rural livelihoods and climate change is well recognized, and the idea of mainstreaming climate change into agricultural and rural development investment programmes has become increasingly important. This publication provides practitioners with pertinent information from FAO and external sources, as well as options and good practices on rapid assessments, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and disaster risk reduction.

Case study

2012

Cooperatives in Small-Scale Fisheries: Enabling Successes Through Community Empowerment. International Year of Cooperatives. Issue Brief Series

Cooperatives in the small-scale fisheries sector are a way of maximizing long-term community benefits to deal with the threats of fisheries mismanagement, livelihood insecurity and poverty – harsh realities for many of the world’s small-scale fishers. Communities with successful community-based organizations are better off than those without (Ostrom, 1990). Successful cooperatives are possible, feasible and desirable and play an important role in community development. Cooperatives have the potential to empower small-scale fishers against environmental and socio-economic shocks such as catch shortfalls, sickness and death in their families, natural disasters and hunger. The following case studies show how fisheries cooperatives contribute to [...]

Case study

2012

Good Practices in Building Innovative Rural Institutions to Increase Food Security

Strong rural organizations like producer groups and cooperatives are crucial to hunger and poverty reduction. They allow small producers toplay a greater role in meeting growing food demand on local, national and international markets, while improving their own economic, social and political opportunities. This thinking connects a series of case studies found in a new publication by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).The publication, Good practices in building innovative rural institutions to increase food security, released during the International Year of Cooperatives, presents thirty-five cases of successful institutional [...]