FAO.org

The Ex-Ante Carbon-balance Tool (EX-ACT) is an appraisal system developed by FAO providing estimates of the impact of agriculture and forestry development projects, programmes and policies on the carbon-balance. The carbon-balance is defined as the net balance from all greenhouse gases (GHGs) expressed in CO2 equivalent that were emitted or sequestered due to project implementation as compared to a business-as-usual scenario. EX-ACT is a land-based accounting system, estimating C stock changes (i.e. emissions or sinks of CO2) as well as GHG emissions per unit of land, expressed in equivalent tonnes of CO2 per hectare and year. The tool helps project designers [...]

This publication contributes directly to SO1 and under Regional Initiative on Zero Hunger Challenge. Eradication of hunger and malnutrition is a major challenge in Asia. Dietary and production diversity are recognized factors in strategies to improve food security and nutrition. Currently, agriculture has an over-reliance on a handful of major staple crops. Agrobiodiversity offers huge potentials in addressing malnutrition and agricultural sustainability. Future Smart Food (FSF), often referred to as Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS), are rich in Asia. They represent a promising abundance of food resources and constitute the bedrock of the food system diversity. FSF have enormous benefits [...]

There is growing interest in water accounting, why it is needed, what benefits it brings, and equally important, how it can be put into practice. Water accounting is about quantifying water resources and uses of water, much like financial accounts provide information on income and expenditure. Interest in water accounting is based on the premise that ‘We cannot plan and manage what we do not measure’ – a statement that few would disagree with.Society needs more accurate information and answers to the key questions about water supply and demand. More data are needed but simply doing water measurements and assessments [...]

The joint UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Integrating Agriculture in National Adaptation Plans Programme  (NAP-Ag) is a multi-year initiative (2015-2018) funded by the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB). The NAP-Ag is supporting countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to identify and integrate climate change adaptation measures in to relevant national planning and budgeting processes. This integration will help to enhance institutional capacities and processes for operationalizing climate response strategies in the agriculture sectors and facilitate greater partnerships, [...]

This review aims to provide countries and other stakeholders with relevant background and knowledge related to the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA) decision. It introduces the KJWA decision and further developments resulting from the 48th sessions of the subsidiary bodies of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), provides a brief overview of the UNFCCC, and describes how the Convention addresses agriculture. It then looks at the subsidiary bodies and the seven constituted bodies under the Convention: the Consultative Group of Experts on National Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention, the Least [...]

The brochure provides an overview of FAO's Biodiversity Mainstreaming Platform. This includes highlighting the importance of biodiversity mainstreaming across the agricultural sectors, fostering dialogue between the environment sector and the agricultural sectors, the development of a biodiversity strategy of FAO and shaping the global agenda on biodiversity.

There is a growing awareness to the role that natural resources, such as water, land, forests and environmental amenities, play in our lives. There are many competing uses for natural resources, and society is challenged to manage them for improving social well-being. Furthermore, there may be dire consequences to natural resources mismanagement. Renewable resources, such as water, land and the environment are linked, and decisions made with regard to one may affect the others. Policy and management of natural resources now require interdisciplinary approaches including natural and social sciences to correctly address our society preferences.  This series provides a collection of works containing most recent findings on economics, [...]

The Karamoja region, in North East Uganda, is one of the least developed regions of the country, and is highly vulnerable to resource-based conflict and climate change variability. Addressing food insecurity of vulnerable people is a major challenge in the region. Measuring resilience provides more informed policies for withstanding shocks. For this reason, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) developed a Joint Resilience Strategy (JRS) launched in January 2016. The JRS is based on four main pillars: strengthening the productive sector to increase household income [...]

Part of a series of materials that raise awareness on the VGGT among indigenous peoples and local authorities in India, this booklet explains through simple cartoons how the Voluntary Guidelines can be implemented at national and local level. This guideline is only available in Hindi.

This fact sheet describes the course which introduces the CFS Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (also known as the CFS-RAI), a set of ten principles that apply to all types and sizes of agricultural investment including fisheries, forests and livestock. The principles address all stakeholders and apply to all stages of the value chain. As a soft law instrument, they are globally applicable and include actions to address a range of environmental, social and economic issues.