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The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and government policies to limit its spread are multi-faceted and complex. Market linkages transmit these impacts through economies, from directly affected actors to others in both the urban and rural spheres. Economic contexts, including the structure of local economies, shape the transmission of impacts on rural men and women. Because of this, the pandemic, lockdowns, and mitigation policies influence outcomes in complex ways. In most cases, the magnitudes and even the signs of impacts cannot be determined ex ante. In this study, we use multiple local economy-wide impact evaluation (LEWIE) models to estimate the [...]

Hazards may occur suddenly (sudden-onset) or develop over time (slow-onset) and threaten people’s lives and livelihoods and all the pillars of sustainable development. Since 2016, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has supported extensive country-level work on Anticipatory Action for several slow-onset hazards such as drought, cold waves, pests and diseases, Rift Valley fever and the secondary consequences of COVID-19.This paper summarizes FAO's conceptual and programmatic approach for anticipating and mitigating the impact of slow-onset hazards on the most vulnerable people depending on agriculture for their livelihoods and food security. Drawing on FAO’s experiences in implementing [...]

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of land administration. Online services were embraced. Working at distance became the new normal. Spatial and other information on tenure rights found new users and increased demand. This publication shares how land administration organizations responded to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most cases are drawn from the UNECE region, however, a broader perspective is also provided. The disrupted era that land administration systems must now operate within is revealed. The pressing demand for digital transformation is shown. Digital transformation ensures ongoing system sustainability and responsiveness to changing societal demands. The publication also exposes the [...]

The 2022 edition of the flagship publication of the GFCM, The State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries, provides an up-to-date overview of fisheries status, trends and governance in the region. Now in its fourth instalment, the publication updates the findings from previous editions while analysing emerging issues in the fisheries sector, including the effects of management plans. For the first time, thanks to the recent consolidation of data quality indicators, trends in the fisheries sector are also analysed at the regional level. Based on data and information from GFCM contracting parties and cooperating non-contracting parties, The State of Mediterranean [...]

Evidence shows that the improvement in food and nutrition security is mostly due to policies, programs and frameworks that are anchored in legislation. Parliamentarians play a key role in promoting and approving laws and policies to eradicate hunger and malnutrition. Despite the various challenges to be faced, as those posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, parliamentarians reiterated their commitment to learning from each other’s, sharing their experiences, strengthening collaboration between countries and regions, thus stimulating the adoption of laws, policies and programs, but also, the allocation and supervision of public budgets. In addition, the parliamentary sector plays a fundamental role in [...]

This review aims to look into the consequences of (1) the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures put in place to mitigate the spread of the pandemic and (2) the policies and programmatic responses to mitigate socio-economic consequences of the pandemic and how they have potentially interacted with child labour drivers, especially in agrifood systems. Thus, this review aims to document and spell out how policy and programmatic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular social protection measures, have the potential to prevent or contain an increase of child labour in agriculture at large.

Lebanon currently faces one of the worst economic crises of this century. The political deadlock, the economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic have further intensified the country’s existing economic fragility. Based on preliminary estimates, it is expected that the total cultivated area (mainly temporary crops and crops under greenhouses) will decrease during the 2021–2022 agricultural season due to the expected further increase in prices of inputs and soaring fuel prices. Overall, farmers will tend to shift to low-cost and less water demanding crops to reduce their overall production costs. Farmgate prices for agricultural products are also on the rise with [...]

The COVID-19 crisis is exacerbating food insecurity and malnutrition in the Pacific region as measures to halt the spread of the virus have had unintended impacts on people’s lives, such as rising unemployment and poverty. Moreover, lockdowns and mobility restrictions cause disruptions in trade within and between States, reducing the availability and accessibility of adequate food, and threatening the sustainability of agrifood systems.Urgent steps are needed to address food insecurity for the poorest and most marginalized. Measures aimed at providing immediate support to satisfy people’s dietary needs should be put in place, including the provision of food and nutrition assistance.See [...]

Seven years into the 2030 Agenda, there is an urgent need to understand where the world stands in eliminating hunger and food insecurity, as well as in ensuring sustainable agriculture. FAO's new report, “Tracking progress on food and agriculture-related SDG indicators”, offers analysis and trends on indicators across eight SDGs (1, 2, 5, 6, 10, 12, 14 and 15), highlighting areas of progress and areas where further effort is needed.Available in digital format, this year’s edition also discusses selected indicators for which FAO is a contributing agency and/or have key implications for food and agriculture across these Goals. These additional [...]

La evidencia muestra que cuando una fuerte voluntad política se traduce en leyes, políticas públicas y programas, los indicadores de seguridad alimentaria y nutrición tienden a mejorar significativamente. Los parlamentarios desempeñan un papel fundamental en la promoción y aprobación de leyes y políticas para erradicar el hambre y la malnutrición, pero, sobre todo, para garantizar la seguridad alimentaria y nutricional.A pesar de transitar por tiempos tan difíciles como los que plantea la pandemia por COVID-19, los parlamentarios han reiterado su compromiso de aprender y compartir sus experiencias, fortaleciendo los lazos de colaboración entre los países y las regiones, dando así [...]