Results
Issue paper
2014
The Challenges of Managing Agricultural Price and Production Risks in Sub-Saharan Africa
Agricultural production is prone to several risks which affect both producers and consumers. In order to enhance investment and achieve a sustained increase in production, coherent and integrated long-term strategies and policies are required to reduce risk aversion and build resilience among African rural producers. Furthermore, the critical importance of social protection and its complementarity to risk management initiatives must be recognised.
This paper investigates possible tools and instruments to deal with various production and price risks. Market-based approaches are crucial for risk management options to thrive, but the country experiences examined have highlighted that most of the risk management instruments [...]
Tool
2014
Making Economic Corridors Work for the Agricultural Sector
Developing countries are increasingly using agrocorridors to develop their agricultural sectors. These corridors promote inclusive agribusiness growth, building on a linear agglomeration of people and activities along existing transportation infrastructure. Based on initiatives in Central Asia, the Greater Mekong Subregion, Indonesia, Mozambique, Peru and the United Republic of Tanzania, this report shows how agrocorridors help improve physical connectivity and functioning of markets, while generating economies of scale in agriculture. Agrocorridors do this because they integrate public and private investments in “hardware” (transport and agribusiness infrastructure), “software” (policy and regulatory framework) and “orgware” (institutional strengthening and capacity building). The goal of [...]
Briefs
2014
Food Losses and Waste in the Context of Sustainable Food Systems. Committee on World Food Security (CFS 41, 2014). Policy Recommendations
Food Losses and Waste (FLW) impact the sustainability and resilience of agricultural and food systems and their ability to ensure food security and nutrition for all for this generation and for future generations. Reduction in FLW also supports better use of natural resources. The CFS acknowledges that FLW is a consequence of how food systems function. It calls for all stakeholders – States, including other relevant levels of governance, international organizations, the private sector and civil society – to recognize food security and nutrition as central objectives of sustainable food systems and to individually and collectively address FLW to improve [...]
Brochure
2014
Agricultural Trade Expert Network in Europe and Central Asia
The transformation of agricultural markets as a result of political and economic transition in the post-Soviet countries was accompanied by the process of globalization and deepening trade integration both within the region and with external trade partners. These countries are often engaged in multiple trade negotiation processes at the same time, each with their own challenges and benefits.
Many European and Central Asian countries joined the WTO which helped enhance their participation in global agricultural trade, and the region plays an increasingly important role as a supplier of agricultural commodities to international markets.
The network brings together experts who conduct research, carry [...]
Briefs
2014
The Economic Impacts of Cash Transfer Programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa
Cash transfer programmes in sub-Saharan Africa impact the productive activities of both beneficiary and non-beneficiary households in the communities where they are implemented. These programmes have led to an increase in agricultural activities in beneficiary households, including greater use of agricultural inputs, more land area in crop production and higher crop output. Beneficiary households have increased ownership of livestock and agricultural tools, as well as a greater tendency to participate in non-farm family enterprises. Moreover, households that receive transfers tend to reallocate their labour away from casual agricultural wage labour to household-managed economic activities. In almost all countries, cash transfers have allowed beneficiary households to avoid negative [...]
Issue paper
2014
Agriculture and Nutrition: A Common Future
This framework outlines the potential of agriculture to improve nutrition, sets out the guiding principles and provides a joint strategic response for shaping policy dialogue and ensuring alignment in the design of policies and operational programmes in agriculture and nutrition.
Issue paper
2014
The Water-Energy-Food Nexus. A New Approach in Support of Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture
If a decision is made at the national level to increase the share of bioenergy, what implications does this have for water, land and energy? How do electricity subsidies contribute to groundwater depletion and what can be done about it? How can we ensure that sectoral policies and strategies consider the potential trade-offs for other sectors? Finding answers to these questions is the main challenge of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus. By describing the complex and interrelated nature of our global resource systems, the Nexus approach helps us to better understand and systematically analyze how we can use and manage our resources in light of different, often competing [...]
Tool
2014
Integrating the Right to Adequate Food in National Food and Nutrition Security Policies and Programmes. Practical Approaches to Policy and Programme Analysis
This volume outlines a simple and practical way to analyse the design and implementation of food and nutrition security (FNS) policies and programmes from a right to food perspective. The right to food approach, as an instrument to help formulate FNS policies and programmes, is emphasized. The primary focus is on national overarching FNS policies. The question of how to assess sector policies that may have direct or indirect impacts on food security and nutrition security is also addressed. Good policies need an enabling implementation environment, which includes evidence-based decisions, adequate financial and human resources and sound governance. These aspects [...]
Case study
2014
Policy Responses to High Food Prices in Latin America and the Caribbean: Country Case Studies
This publication presents evidence with regard to the effectiveness of policies and programmes introduced in response to rising food prices in eight selected Latin American countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. The case studies provide insights into the economic and policy environment at the time of the first price spike of 2007–08, analyse the measures that were introduced in response and discuss the evidence on the effects on the food security situation.
As such they provide lessons learned in terms of the effectiveness of the different measures in achieving the intended food security goals, including [...]
Tool
2013
Toolkit: Reducting the Food Wastage Footprint
The aim of the Toolkit is to showcase concrete examples of good practices for food loss and waste reduction, while pointing to information sources, guidelines and pledges favoring food wastage reduction.