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 The FAO-ITU E-agriculture strategy guide is actively being used to assist countries in the successful identification, development and implementation of sustainable ICT solutions for agriculture. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, and connected analytics has great potential to support and address some of the most pressing problems faced by agriculture in terms of access to actionable real-time quality data. Goldman Sachs predicts that the agriculture sector will be the second largest user of drones in the world in the next five years. Sensor networks based on the Internet of things (IoT) are increasingly being used in the [...]

The main objective of this report is to provide a regional synthesis of the current climate change mitigation and adaptation commitments in the agriculture sectors of the Southern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia (SEECA) region, as set forth in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and to identify opportunities for enhancing mitigation and adaptation ambitions, capturing their synergies and leveraging climate finance and international support options in the region. This analysis builds on FAO’s previous regional analysis and enhances its methodology and findings. It aims to guide FAO – and policy makers and practitioners in the region – committed to [...]

This paper, now also available in Chinese, explores the intra-industry trade in ethanol between the United States and Brazil, highlighting the lack of policy alignment and suggesting a “book and claim” system to cater to differing national objectives. See here all FAO Agricultural Development Economics Working Papers.

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.

As urban food markets have grown rapidly in recent decades, so too have rural–urban food supply chains. Urbanization and higher incomes are shifting dietary patterns away from staples and towards higher-value products (fish, meat, eggs, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, and more processed foods), thus driving transformations upstream in the food system. See the complete series here.

This brief provides an overview of the evolution in bound and applied tariffs with a focus on tariff escalation. 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).

This brief aims to help regulators and policymakers to achieve a correct understanding of the legal aspects of contract farming (CF). It is based on information extracted from the Legal Guide on Contract Farming (UNIDROIT/FAO/IFAD, 2015), and from field experience in the implementation of contract farming projects by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). See also Legal Guide on Contract Farming

To respond to the diverse effects of climate change on food systems requires close dialogue and interaction between the research community and policy-makers. Strengthening this relationship will ensure that research findings are relevant to policy debates, and that policies are informed by up to date and rigorous analysis. This brief summarizes key findings from a multidisciplinary team of agronomists, livestock scientists, climatologists and economists for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) working in Malawi and Zambia. The findings presented here seek to spark a fruitful continued discussions on how policies can make use of these findings, [...]

Since the 1990s, rural transformations have helped millions of people to rise out of poverty while remaining in rural areas. This underscores an important fact: revitalizing rural economies helps create jobs for rural people, offering an alternative to those who might turn to migration in search of a better life.  However, these rural transformations have not happened everywhere.  For the countries that lag behind, The 2017 State of Food and Agriculture argues that it is not too late. By tapping into the potential of food systems and recognizing the role of small cities and towns in integrated rural-urban planning, inclusive transformations are [...]