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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 [...]

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 [...]

This document presents a set of guiding principles that are conducive to responsible contract farming operations. It is intended to serve as guidance for farmers and buyers engaged in contractual relationships, in order to promote good business practices and maintain an atmosphere of trust and respect that is essential if contract farming is to prove effective. This brief is a complement to other publications available on FAO’s Contract Farming Resource Centre (www.fao.org/ag/ags/contract-farming).

Increasing agricultural productivity and supporting people to make the most of natural and other resources through sustainable forestry, fisheries, aquaculture, crop and livestock practices. Given that the global population is expected to grow from 7 to 9 billion by 2050, there will be rapidly increasing demand for food, fibre, wood and other agricultural products. Doing more with less is imperative. This area of work will assist countries in identifying options and solutions to increased productivity and saving on external resources. Investing in this area of work means promoting increased sustainable production, enhanced environmental and social performance, and ensured resilience of communities and ecosystems to climate change and [...]

This study, developed jointly with the Geneva academy of humanitarian law and human rights, aims to provide guidance on how the right to adequate food can best be integrated into the two frameworks ”The Global Strategic Framework for Food Security and Nutrition (GSF)” and “the UN Comprehensive Framework for Action (CFA)”. Formed as both an analytical and practical tool, the study divided into four main sections: the evolution of the right to adequate food and the rights-based approach to the fight against hunger; an introduction to the CFA/UCFA as well as the GSF; possible ways to introduce the right to adequate [...]

The guidelines are the first comprehensive, global instrument on tenure and its administration to be prepared through intergovernmental negotiations. The guidelines set out principles and internationally accepted standards of responsible practices for the use and control of land, fisheries and forests. They provide guidance for improving the policy, legal and organizational frameworks that regulate tenure rights; for enhancing the transparency and administration of tenure systems; and for strengthening the capacities and operations of public bodies, private sector enterprises, civil society organizations and people concerned with tenure and its governance. The guidelines place the governance of tenure within the context of [...]

This paper sketches prevailing development paradigms, i.e. the definition of modalities to achieve development, based on either a codified set of activities and/or based on a vision regarding the functioning and evolution of a socio-economic system.  The exercise intends to contribute to the interpretation of recent past and ongoing development processes and policies and to support the exploration of alternative development paradigms to address emerging and future development issues. This paper is part of the FAO Policy series: EASYPol-Resources for policy making (in agriculture, rural development and food security). To find other EASYPol series' resources, go to the Policy Support and Governance [...]

A timely publication as world leaders deliberate the causes of the latest bouts of food price volatility and search for solutions that address the recent velocity of financial, economic, political, demographic, and climatic change. As a collection compiled from a diverse group of economists, analysts, traders, institutions and policy formulators – comprising multiple methodologies and viewpoints - the book exposes the impact of volatility on global food security, with particular focus on the world’s most vulnerable. A provocative read.

This guide is designed for those involved in developing action plans to address the current issue of high food prices. It is divided into three parts. The first part provides background information on the context, purpose, audience and structure of the guide. The second part provides some essential remarks on processes that lead to decisions on actions to be taken as well as the analytical underpinning required to ensure that instruments used are well adapted to the specific conditions within the country. The third part looks at instruments that could be used to immediately address high food prices. They are classified by the domain of intervention (macro-economy, [...]

The Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was adopted by the FAO Council at its 143rd Session in 2011. It updates the Global Plan of Action for Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources which was adopted at the Fourth International Technical Conference on Plant Genetic Resources held in Leipzig in 1996. The Second Global Plan of Action addresses new challenges, such as climate change and food insecurity, as well as novel opportunities, including information, communication and molecular methodologies. It contains 18 priority activities organized in four main groups: In situ conservation and [...]