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Recognizing the importance of invertebrate pollinators, the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Commission) at its Seventeenth Regular Session, in 2019, adopted its Work Plan for the Sustainable Use and Conservation of Microorganism and Invertebrate Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and decided to address pollinators, including honey bees, at its Nineteenth Regular Session. Building on global assessments addressing pollinators published in 2016 and 2019, respectively, by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and FAO, this study provides up-to-date information on the status and trends of invertebrate pollinators, maps relevant regional and international initiatives, and [...]

Biodiversity for food and agriculture comprises all the components of biodiversity that contribute to crop and livestock production, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture – both wild and domesticated, and at genetic, species and ecosystem levels. It is vital to food security and nutrition, livelihoods and the supply of a range of ecosystem services.The Framework for Action on Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture was endorsed by the FAO Council in 2021. It contains more than 50 individual actions grouped into three strategic priority areas: characterization, assessment and monitoring; management (sustainable use and conservation); and institutional frameworks. It was developed in response to [...]

This brochure illustrates the key achievements of the Global Soil Partnership over the past decade which has become an internationally recognized mechanism composed of 194 FAO Members and over 500 partners committed to sustainable soil management. Its mandate is to improve and maintain the health of at least 50 percent of the world’s soils by 2030 and and guarantee healthy and productive soils.

This Global Plan of Action for the Conservation, Sustainable Use and Development of Aquatic Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (GPA) was developed by FAO at the request of the members of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in response to the needs and challenges identified in the first global assessment of the status of Aquatic Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (AqGR). It was developed following broad consultation with the regions and, following endorsement by the Commission, was formally adopted by FAO members at the 168th session of the FAO Council. The GPA is voluntary and [...]

Biodiversity for food and agriculture comprises all the components of biodiversity that contribute to crop and livestock production, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture – both wild and domesticated, and at genetic, species and ecosystem levels. It is vital to food security and nutrition, livelihoods and the supply of a range of ecosystem services. The Framework for Action on Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture was endorsed by the FAO Council in 2021. It contains more than 50 individual actions grouped into three strategic priority areas: characterization, assessment and monitoring; management (sustainable use and conservation); and institutional frameworks. It was developed in response to [...]

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) to raise global awareness on how protecting plants from pests and diseases can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development. The IYPH final report presents the key outcomes and achievements of the Year, and highlights its main legacies.

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration provides a unique opportunity to transform food, fibre and feed production systems to the needs of the 21st century, and to eradicate poverty, hunger and malnutrition. This report presents the case for why we all must throw our weight behind a global restoration effort. Drawing on the latest scientific evidence, it explains the crucial role played by ecosystems from forests and farmland to rivers and oceans, and charts the losses that result from our poor stewardship of the planet. The UN Decade runs from 2021 through 2030 and is led by the United Nations Environment [...]

The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, at its Seventeenth Regular Session, requested its Secretary to prepare for review by the intergovernmental technical working groups on animal, aquatic, forest and plant genetic resources to produce an up-to-date survey of existing legislative, administrative and policy approaches, including best practices, for ABS for the different subsectors of GRFA and traditional knowledge associated with GRFA held by indigenous peoples and local communities, with the aim of identifying typical approaches and lessons learned from their implementation, as well as challenges and possible solutions.The current survey comprises a baseline desktop review of legislation, [...]

The action plan for the implementation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations strategy on mainstreaming biodiversity across agricultural sectors was approved at the 166th FAO Council in 2021 in view of preparations for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.This action plan is based on and serves the purpose of operationalizing the FAO Strategy on Mainstreaming Biodiversity across Agricultural Sectors (Strategy) and is intended to strengthen the work of FAO and its partners, in consultation with Members, to mainstream biodiversity across agricultural sectors.

Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) are essential to sustainable agriculture and food security.  They are the raw materials to meet the current and future needs of crop improvement and adaptation programmes. It is therefore very important to conserve and sustainably use them.WIEWS is the information system used by FAO for the preparation of periodic, country-driven global assessments of the status of conservation and use of PGRFA. WIEWS also monitors, on the basis of country reports, the implementation of the Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, adopted in 2011. National Focal [...]