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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 [...]

The aim of this policy brief is to increase awareness among policy makers and the general public about the vital role of tropical forests in providing environmental services and the increasing need for beneficiaries to compensate forest owners or managers for those services. The brief builds on the insights gained at the International Forum on Payments for Environmental Services of Tropical Forests, which was held in San José, Costa Rica, in April 2014. It sets out the rationale for, and the constraints faced by, PES schemes, and key recommendations for scaling them up.

The World Livestock 2013: Changing disease landscapes looks at the evidence of changing disease dynamics involving livestock and explores three key areas:  the pressure, including drivers and risk factors that contribute to disease emergence, spread and persistence; the State, describing the disease dynamics that result from the Pressure and their subsequent impact; and the Response, required both to adapt and improve the State and to mitigate the Pressure.  The report argues that a comprehens ive approach for the promotion of global health is needed to face the complexities of the changing disease landscapes,  giving greater emphasis on agro-ecological resilience, protection [...]

In rural societies, where local culture and traditions are still very vibrant, responsibilities and tasks are often assigned to women and men on the basis of traditional gender roles, defined as those behaviours and responsibilities that a society considers appropriate for men, women, boys and girls. These roles change over time, have different characteristics in every local context and are shaped by ideological, religious, cultural, ethnic and economic factors. They are a key determinant of the distribution of resources and responsibilities between men and women . In many cases gender roles are biased and favour certain social constituencies at the expense of others. Rural women, for instance, face [...]

As renewed international efforts are needed to curb greenhouse gas emissions, the livestock sector can contribute its part. An important emitter of greenhouse gas, it also has the potential to  significantly reduce its emissions. This report provides a unique global assessment of the magnitude, the sources and pathways of emissions from different livestock production systems and supply chains.  Relying on life cycle assessment, statistical analysis and scenario building, it also prov ides estimates of the sector’s mitigation potential  and identifies concrete options to reduce emissions. The report is a useful resource for stakeholders from livestock producers to policy-makers, researchers and [...]

Par ses activités de réduction des risques de catastrophe, la FAO s’efforce de protéger les moyens d’existence contre les chocs, de rendre les systèmes de production alimentaire plus résilients et capables d’absorber l’impact d’événements perturbateurs et de s’en relever. La réduction des risques de catastrophe a pour effet de protéger les investissements consentis dans l’agriculture, l’élevage, les pêches/l’aquaculture et la forêt au service du développement, ce qui aide les plus vulnérables à accéder à la sécurité alimentaire. La réduction des risques de catastrophe est vitale pour garantir l’un des droits humains les plus fondamentaux, à savoir le droit à l’alimentation, et son [...]

Les présentes directives ont pour objet d’expliquer comment la FAO et les Ministères de l’agriculture des différents pays5 peuvent soutenir et utiliser la Convention, au niveau national, en tant qu’instrument d’élaboration et de programmation des politiques, de manière à assurer l’égalité entre les hommes et les femmes, dans le domaine de l’agriculture et du développement rural.

Cette sourcebook globale sur l' agriculture intelligente face au climat (CSA), produit par l'Organisation pour l' alimentation et l' agriculture, se compose de dix - huit modules couvrant tous les aspects de la planification et la mise en œuvre des politiques et des projets CSA.  Destiné principalement aux pays en développement, le module d'ouverture décrit le cas pour CSA (y compris la sylviculture et de la pêche), de discuter des questions telles que la sécurité alimentaire, les systèmes résilients, et l' efficacité du système. Le sourcebook fait valoir que si nous voulons répondre à la demande croissante tout en luttant [...]

New information and knowledge are critical inputs for the practice of agriculture the world over. This is especially true for resource-poor farmers living in rural areas in Asia. Yet most of these farmers are not only resource poor but also information poor. Mobile technology holds great promise in delivering information to resource-poor farmers and as a consequence to improving their livelihoods. The number of mobile connections is presently six billion and growing. There are many examples of mobile-based interventions in agriculture, health, education and rural livelihood projects in Asia. Of these, however, few have moved from the pilot phase to [...]

Dans le secteur de la pêche artisanale, les coopératives permettent d’optimiser les avantages à long terme qu’en tirent les communautés pour faire face aux menaces résultant de la mauvaise gestion de la pêche, de l’insécurité des moyens d’existence et de la pauvreté, une dure réalité pour de nombreux petits pêcheurs du monde entier. Les communautés qui ont déjà leurs propres organisations s’en sortent mieux que les autres (Ostrom, 1990). Il est possible, tout à fait faisable et souhaitable de créer des coopératives performantes qui jouent un rôle important dans le développement local. Les coopératives ont la capacité d’autonomiser les petits [...]