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FAO supports member countries to meet the challenges of an urbanizing world by promoting the integration of Urban and Peri-urban Horticulture (UPH) into national and local agricultural development strategies, food and nutrition programmes and urban planning. UPH is the cultivation of a wide range of crops – including fruit, vegetables, roots, tubers and ornamental plants – within cities and towns and in their surrounding areas. It is a key component of robust and resilient urban food systems whi ch empower the urban poor. UPH is already widely practised in developing countries, accounting for more than half of the fruit and [...]

FAO has prepared this Programme for Action to help support Sustainable Management of FAW in Africa. FAO works closely with its development and resource partners to maximize coordinated results and minimize duplications.  FAO proposes a five-year programme of action to help farmers, their organizations, their public institutions, national governments and development partners quickly respond the challenges of FAW infestation in smallholder farmers’ fields across Africa.

The agricultural sector in Lebanon is faced by a series of challenges made more acute by the effect of the Syrian crisis on the country, especially in rural areas. Farmers have increasingly abandoned their livestock as they are unable to cope with rising feed prices and the declining prices of animals and animal products. It is essential to strengthen the dairy sector to ensure that it continues as a viable source of livelihood and employment, particularly for women. The project enhanced the liv elihood and food security of Lebanese women by providing household dairy production materials, and by improving the [...]

This report captures the State of Food Security and Nutrition in Africa. The Official annual Regional Panorama for Africa In sub-Saharan Africa good progress was made in reducing hunger until 2010, after which time the decline in the prevalence of undernourishment came to a halt and then rose to 22.7 percent in 2016, while the number of undernourished rose to 224.3 million. In many countries, the worsening situation in 2015 and 2016 can be attributed to adverse climatic conditions, often linked to the El Niño phenomenon, resulting in poor harvests and threatening livestock populations. Conflict, sometimes in combination with drought [...]

This document summarises the online discussion "What role can agricultural extension and advisory services play in realizing gender equality and improved nutrition?" which invited to reflect on the role that agricultural extension and advisory services (AEAS) can play in contributing to reducing gender inequities and improving nutrition. The online discussion was hosted on the FSN Forum from 16 June to 9 July 2017.  See all ongoing and past discussion on the Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition • FSN Forum  

Strong market interventions and regulations of agricultural products have been part of the import substitution strategy implemented by the previous government until 2015, when the new administration reversed it by opening the market. Throughout the review period (2007-2017), the country prioritized social spending through various programmes, all of which were sustained by the new administration.

Based on a joint FAO-WTO publication, this brief emphasizes the importance of applying international food safety standards, and the need for countries to invest in building their own capacity in this regard. This would allow trade to take place smoothly and without distortions. Also available in French. See the complete series: Trade Policy Briefs

Knowledge Tank for agriculture sectors’ adaptation to climate change This NAP-Ag Knowledge Tank: Contains tools, methods, case studies and other knowledge materials on climate change adaptation in the agriculture sectors (crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture). Targets national planners, development actors and decision makers. Supports countries in highlighting key resources for adaptation planning and budgeting, especially in formulating and implementing National Adaptation Plans (NAP).

Preventing animal disease and plant pest outbreaks and food safety incidents before they occur is essential to protecting the food chain. Most food chain crises are preventable with timely actions and the right investments. The Food Chain Crisis - Emergency Prevention System, known as FCC-EMPRES, is FAO’s approach to pursuing just that. This publication, based on 23 FCC-EMPRES information sheets published on a monthly basis by the FCC Intelligence and Coordination Unit of the FAO Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department, showcases some of the best practices currently in use. This publication promises to help experts, policy makers, national institutions, and development [...]

This publication explains how international food safety standards are set through the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) Food Standards Programme – the Codex Alimentarius Commission – and how these standards are applied in the context of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreements on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) and on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement).Through the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius, members establish science-based, internationally agreed food standards.  The publication describes the two organizations, how they operate together, and how countries can and should engage to keep international food [...]