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The Agricultural Outlook 2022-2031 is a collaborative effort of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. It brings together the commodity, policy and country expertise of both organisations as well as input from collaborating member countries to provide an annual assessment of the prospects for the coming decade of national, regional and global agricultural commodity markets. The publication consists of 11 Chapters; Chapter 1 covers agricultural and food markets; Chapter 2 provides regional outlooks and the remaining chapters are dedicated to individual commodities.

The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2022 (SOCO 2022) discusses how trade policies, based on both multilateral and regional approaches, can address today’s challenges for sustainable development. Trade policies in food and agriculture should aim to safeguard global food security, address the trade-offs between economic and environmental objectives, and strengthen the resilience of the global agrifood system to shocks, such as conflicts, pandemics and extreme weather. The report discusses the geography of trade, analysing food and agricultural trade and its patterns across countries and regions, its drivers and the trade policy environment. Comparative advantage, trade policies and trade costs shape the [...]

Agriculture is becoming more knowledge-intensive. Access to timely, accurate information tailored to specific locations and conditions is critical to helping farmers make the most of their resources in changing circumstances. Digital technologies help overcome these challenges by bridging the information gap, improving access to market information, enhancing access to micro-finance, providing actionable advisories on managing pest and disease as well as improving agriculture human capital. However, sustaining digital interventions needs a holistic approach that includes the right policies, frameworks, ecosystem and capacities. This publication highlights some successful initiatives in leveraging digital technologies, improving value-chain processes and building capacity to bring about [...]

This investment brief highlights the importance of youth as change agents and key stakeholders contributing to sustainable agrifood systems. It provides an overview of the Investment guidelines for youth in agrifood systems in Africa developed jointly by FAO and the African Union Commission through a multi-stakeholder and participatory process. The guidelines aim to accelerate investments in and by youth in agrifood systems by providing practical guidance, including tools and examples, to design, develop, implement, monitor and evaluate youth-focused and youth-sensitive investment programmes and to engage youth fully as partners throughout the entire process. The brief calls for wide dissemination of [...]

The Investment guidelines for youth in agrifood systems in Africa, developed jointly by FAO and the African Union Commission (AUC) through a multi-stakeholder and participatory process, highlight the importance of youth as change agents and key stakeholders contributing to sustainable agrifood systems. The guidelines aim to accelerate investments in and by youth in agrifood systems by providing practical guidance - including tools and examples - to design, develop, implement, monitor and evaluate youth-focused and youth-sensitive investment programmes and to engage youth fully as partners in the entire process.The guidelines were prepared with the support of the AUC and FAO Technical [...]

For almost 60 years, the FAO Investment Centre has helped countries make more and better agrifood investments to reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition, improve rural livelihoods and protect the environment. This review looks at the centre’s achievements in 2021. Working in over 120 countries, the centre continued to provide a full suite of investment support. It acted as a bridge between member countries and financing partners to scale up investment for greater impact; support better enabling conditions for policy and investment; and integrate FAO’s vast knowledge and expertise into national investment planning. With ambitions of being the go-to place for [...]

The world’s agrifood systems are on the frontlines of climate change, both as a cause and a victim. The agrifood sector is increasingly being targeted and curbing emissions is becoming a key global investment and policy theme. 'Investing in carbon neutrality: utopia or the new green wave?' presents a comprehensive assessment of the key challenges and opportunities of carbon neutrality, and scopes out the road ahead for agrifood systems. It provides strategic insights on the actions needed to move the carbon neutrality agenda forward in terms of investment opportunities and public policy priorities, with important recommendations for development partners. This [...]

By 2050, the world needs to produce an estimated 50 percent more food than in 2012 to ensure global food security, and it must do so while conserving and enhancing the natural resource base. Water is a major input and environmental condition in the provision of food – from production in the field through all the steps in the supply chain. Water is also required to meet personal and household needs, for energy and industrial production, and to maintain important water-dependent ecosystems and their services. With demand and competition for water on the rise, however, the planet’s water resources are under unprecedented stress due to [...]

This study looks at the business models of small and medium sized rice processors in Kenya in order to better understand the policy and technical support they need to grow and fulfil their role in agrifood systems transformation. More specifically, by employing semi-structured interviews with Kenyan rice millers, the technical study identifies challenges in their day-to-day business activities, including procurement, inbound and outbound logistics, in-house operations, financing, and human resources management. Additionally, the publication looks at opportunities for improving the business enabling environment in which these enterprises operate, providing a set of policy options to foster their role. The methodology cross [...]

Access to formal credit is critical to farmers for purchasing inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, plant protection materials or animal feed. In the absence of personal savings, borrowing from informal sources (such as moneylenders, relatives and friends) may involve unduly high interest rates and unfavourable conditions, which may make many agricultural operations uneconomical. The lack of access to credit is particularly problematic for farmers as there is a gap between the time that money is spent on cultivating crops or raising livestock, and the time money is made from the sale of the products.Credit to agriculture measures the amount of [...]