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Contract farming, broadly understood as agricultural production and marketing carried out under a previous agreement between producers and their buyers, supports the production of a wide range of agricultural commodities and its use is growing in many countries. Mindful of the importance of enhancing knowledge and awareness of the legal regime applicable to contract farming operations, the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have prepared this UNIDROIT/FAO/IFAD Legal Guide on Contract Farming. The Guide is a useful tool and [...]

Global trade in agricultural and food products has grown rapidly in recent decades, with countries becoming more engaged in this trade, whether as exporters or importers. This trend is expected to continue over the coming decades. As a consequence, trade will play an increasingly important role in influencing the extent and nature of food security across all regions of the globe. The challenge has therefore become one of ensuring that the expansion of agricultural trade works for, and not against, the elimination of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. This edition of The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets aims to reduce [...]

Ending Malnutrition offers key insights from the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) to catalyze follow-up actions across the world. It reviews current evidence on the prevalence of malnutrition and analyzes several salient policy issues crucial for a concerted global effort to end malnutrition – improving food systems at the core of a sustainable nutrition strategy, promoting social protection to improve welfare, including health and nutrition, using fortification and supplementation to address micronutrient deficiencies, and improving access to water and sanitation. The concluding chapter focuses on the key role that multilateral institutions must play in accelerating and sustaining global progress [...]

Effective governance of modern aquaculture must reconcile ecological and human well-being so that the industry is sustainable over time. Without effective governance, there will be misallocation of resources, and perhaps stagnation of the industry and irreversible environmental damage. Four principles – accountability, effectiveness and efficiency of governments, equity and predictability of the rule of law – are suggested as necessary for effective aquaculture governance. These principles should guide the administration, legislative and regulatory framework of aquaculture. In addition to governments, other stakeholders such as communities, non-governmental organizations and producers should also be involved in the governance of the industry.

Forest genetic resources (FGR) are the heritable materials maintained within and among tree and other woody plant species that are of actual or potential economic, environmental, scientific or societal value. They are crucial to the adaptation and protection of our ecosystems, landscapes and production systems, yet are subject to increasing pressures and unsustainable use. This Global Plan of Action identifies 27 strategic priorities grouped into 4 areas: 1) improving the availability of, and access to, information on FGR; 2) conservation of FGR (in situ and ex situ); 3) sustainable use, development and management of FGR; 4) policies, institutions and capacity-building. Implementation [...]

The second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) endorsed a political outcome document, the Rome Declaration on Nutrition. The Declaration commits countries to eradicate hunger and prevent all forms of malnutrition worldwide – particularly undernutrition in children, anaemia in women and children, among other micronutrient deficiencies – as well as reverse the trend in obesity. It aims to do this by increasing investments in food systems to improve people’s diets and nutrition.

The "International Symposium on Food and Nutrition Security: Food-based Approaches for Improving Diets and Raising Levels of Nutrition" was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to better document the contribution that food and agriculture can make to improving nutrition. These proceedings are a useful resource for decision and policy makers, programme planners and implementers, and health workers, all of which work to combat hunger and malnutrition. The proceedings of the Symposium aim at collecting and better documenting evidence that demonstrates the impact, effectiveness and sustainability of food-based approaches for improving diets and raising levels of nutrition. [...]

The publication was prepared based on information provided by 86 countries, outcomes from regional and subregional consultations and commissioned thematic studies. It includes: an overview of definitions and concepts related to Forest Genetic Resources (FGR) and a review of their value; a description of the main drivers of changes; the presentation of key emerging technologies; an analysis of the current status of FGR conservation, use and related developments; recommendations addressing the challenges and needs. By the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

Para erradicar el hambre será necesario aumentar significativamente las inversiones agrícolas y, lo que es más importante, deberá mejorarse la calidad de las inversiones de manera que beneficien a quienes más lo necesitan. En los Principios del CSA para la inversión responsable en la agricultura y los sistemas alimentarios (los Principios del CSA) se reconoce que el punto de partida para definir el modo en que la inversión responsable en la agricultura y los sistemas alimentarios puede contribuir a la seguridad alimentaria y la nutrición es el reconocimiento y el respeto de los derechos humanos. Constituyen un conjunto de 10 principios [...]

Más de 500 millones de explotaciones familiares gestionan la mayor parte de las tierras agrícolas y producen la mayor parte de los alimentos del mundo. Las explotaciones familiares son necesarias para garantizar la seguridad alimentaria mundial, cuidar y proteger el entorno natural y terminar con la pobreza, la subalimentación y la malnutrición. Pero estos objetivos solo pueden alcanzarse si las explotaciones familiares llegan a ser mucho más productivas y sostenibles; en otras palabras, necesitan innovar en un sistema que reconozca su diversidad y la complejidad de los desafíos ante los que se encuentran. El estado mundial de la agricultura y la [...]