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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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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.

Wheat is of paramount importance in Pakistan, with 80 percent of farmers growing it on a total of about 9 million hectares (ha) - close to 40 percent of the country’s total cultivated land. The crop is grown by predominantly small (0.5 to 5.0 ha) and medium-sized (5 to 10 ha) farmers, whose livelihoods depend on it. Wheat yields in Pakistan remain low, lagging behind those in other countries with comparable agroclimatic conditions. The agro-ecological potential for irrigated wheat in Punjab, Pakistan’s primary production area, suggests that yields of about 6 tonnes/ha could be attained, compared with current yields of 2.5 to 3 tonnes/ha. Assuming that this potential [...]

Malnutrition in all its forms - undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity - imposes unacceptably high economic and social costs on countries at all income levels. "The State of Food and Agriculture 2013: Food systems for better nutrition" argues that improving nutrition and reducing these costs must begin with food and agriculture. The traditional role of agriculture in producing food and generating income is fundamental, but agriculture and the entire food system - from inputs and production, through processing, storage, transport and retailing, to consumption - can contribute much more to the eradication of malnutrition.

This Technical Note seeks to address two central questions relating to negotiations towards further disciplines on domestic support measures: (i) what are the characteristics of domestic support measures that cause such measures to have a potentially trade distortionary effect? and (ii) will further WTO disciplines on domestic support measures be effective in reducing levels of trade distorting support? To provide context, the Note begins by summarizing how domestic support measures are currently disciplined within the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture (UR AoA) and discusses the effectiveness of these disciplines. It then highlights the most significant aspects of the August 2004 Framework [...]

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.

L’égalité des sexes est au cœur du mandat de l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’alimentation et l’agriculture (FAO), qui consiste à assurer la sécurité alimentaire de tous les êtres humains en améliorant les niveaux de nutrition, la productivité agricole et la gestion des ressources naturelles, ainsi que la vie des populations rurales. La FAO ne peut atteindre ces objectifs qu’en menant simultanément une action en faveur de l’égalité hommes-femmes et à l’appui des rôles divers que jouent les femmes dans l’agriculture et le développement rural. L’égalité des sexes n’est pas qu’un moyen essentiel l’accomplissement de la mission de la FAO; c’est aussi et avant tout [...]

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 [...]