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The study provides an overview of West Africa’s livestock/meat and dairy value chains. It addresses the current status of the value chains, makes an inventory of the strengths and constraints of the value chains, as well as policies that could affect them. It also identifies gaps and prescribes solutions. A programme is proposed for investment in the value chains.

The food production and supply chain consumes about 30 percent of total end-use energy globally, and contributes to over 20 percent of total annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (excluding emissions or sinks from land use change). A growing worldwide population, changing diets and growing economic development will all serve to increase competition for land, water and energy resources – which already face problems of environmental degradation and, in some cases, scarcity. To address these challenges, agrifood systems at every scale, from the small family farm to the vertically integrated corporate farm level, will have to become more efficient by using [...]

Territorial approaches to foster agro-industrial investment at local, country and regional levels are becoming increasingly relevant as policy-makers acknowledge the influence of place-specific factors – the endowment of natural and other productive resources together with social, institutional and knowledge capital. As a consequence, a number of instruments to attract agro-industrial investments into specific locations are becoming mainstream, namely agrobased corridors, clusters and special economic zones, as well as agro-industrial parks and incubators. This sourcebook appraises these instruments and considers their nature and objectives, their potential benefits and challenges and the approaches used to implement them. It also examines the practices that have led to both successful and unsuccessful outcomes. The [...]

This series of e-learning modules assists professionals from any food and agriculture field in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of nutrition-sensitive programmes, investments and policies. Developed through a multi-stakeholder consultative process and using a scenario-based and experiential learning approach, the modules cover all forms of malnutrition and a diversity of contexts. ALL COURSES ARE FREE. Nutrition, food security and livelihoods: basic concepts An introduction to the basic concepts of food, nutrition; the different forms of malnutrition; the frameworks for food security, nutrition security and livelihoods and their linkages. Understanding these concepts is key to be able to assess the nutrition situation [...]

Agriculture, deforestation and other land use account for roughly 25 percent of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (IPCC, 2014). When the share of industry related to agriculture is included, the agriculture sector is an even greater contributor to climate change. It is thus crucial to identify technologies and practices that ensure a high and sustainable level of agricultural production while reducing GHG emissions from the sector. This report pilots a methodology developed to identify and assess a number of climate technologies that can contribute to the mitigation of GHG emissions in a country’s agrifood sector. The analysis also suggests relevant policy areas that should be evaluated to incentivise the [...]

RuralInvest is a free multilingual methodology and toolkit designed to help with the preparation of sustainable agricultural and rural investment projects and business plans. It is participatory, interactive, bottom-up and decentralized way, involving communities, entrepreneurs, government field technicians, project staff and local financing institutions.  Developed by FAO with the support of national and international development partners, RuralInvest contributes to FAO's Strategic Objective to enable inclusive and efficient agricultural food systems.  Any agency, project, organization or private institution managing funds or mobilizing resources for small- and medium-scale agricultural and rural investment can apply RuralInvest to develop: Income-generating projects in agriculture, livestock, fisheries, fish farming, [...]

Territorial approaches to foster agro-industrial investment at local, country and regional levels are becoming increasingly relevant as policy-makers acknowledge the influence of place-specific factors – the endowment of natural and other productive resources together with social, institutional and knowledge capital. As a consequence, a number of instruments to attract agro-industrial investments into specific locations are becoming mainstream, namely agrobased corridors, clusters and special economic zones, as well as agro-industrial parks and incubators.  This sourcebook appraises these instruments and considers their nature and objectives, their potential benefits and challenges and the approaches used to implement them. It also examines the practices that have led to both successful and unsuccessful outcomes. The [...]

The Commodity Policy Developments tool is maintained by commodity analysts of the FAO Trade and Markets Division. The tool provides concise accounts of national policy changes deemed relevant to markets of basic foodstuffs. Its coverage is global, with emphasis given to policy developments – grouped by major policy domains – affecting cereal, oilcrop, meat, dairy and sugar markets since 2011. The policy records included in the tool act as a supplement to more exhaustive commodity market appraisals prepared by the Division, such as the AMIS Market Monitor, the Food Outlook, the Oilcrops Monthly Price and Policy Update, the Monthly News [...]

FAO’s best-selling 2011 publication, Save and Grow, proposed a new paradigm of agriculture, one that is both highly productive and environmentally sustainable. This new book looks at the application of “Save and Grow” practices and technologies to production of the world’s key food security crops – maize, rice and wheat. With examples drawn from developing countries worldwide, it shows how eco-friendly farming systems are helping smallholder producers to boost cereal yields, improve their  incomes and livelihoods, conserve natural resources, reduce negative impacts on the environment, and build resilience to climate change. The book will be a valuable reference for policymakers [...]

Pastoralists produce food in the world’s driest, coldest, hottest as well as mountainous environments, yet they are often misunderstood and marginalized. They not only sustain vibrant and culturally unique communities, but are also linked with many other people who depend on their activities. Pastoral production systems produce a variety of products and services from multiple sources in the ecosystem. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supports pastoralists and agro-pastoralists worldwide in a wide range of areas to promote food security, resilient livelihoods, pastoral economies and healthy environments. This product is part of a broader series composed by several [...]