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Since 2009, FAO’s MAFAP programme has been working in several developing countries to create sustainable policy monitoring systems and carry out a consistent set of policy and public expenditure analyses across a wide range of agricultural value chains. MAFAP works with government institutions, research organizations and other partners to establish a community of practice on policy measurement, monitoring and analysis by developing institutional capacities to systematically analyse government policies and their effects. MAFAP analyses are used to inform targeted food and agricultural policy reforms that will result in a more conducive environment for agricultural investment and productivity growth, especially for smallholder farmers. MAFAP’s [...]

High levels of investments are required to unleash the potential of agriculture for sustainable development and poverty reduction in developing countries, but low public budgetary allocations to the sector have slowed growth. To address this problem, innovative partnerships that bring together business, government and civil society actors are increasingly being promoted as a mechanism for pooling much-needed financing while mitigating some of the risks of doing business in the agriculture sector. Commonly referred to as public–private partnerships (PPPs), these initiatives are expected to contribute to the pursuit of sustainable agricultural development that is inclusive of smallholder farmers. However, there remain [...]

What is the evidence that climate change is affecting food security and agriculture? What should governments, farmers and food producers do in order to facilitate an effective response to a changing global climate? How can the agriculture sectors contribute to containing greenhouse gas emissions? The 2016 edition of The State of Food and Agriculture provides answers to these and other questions. The report includes an analysis of current and future impacts of climate change, indicating viable paths that a range of stakeholders should pursue in order to respond to them. It also shows how to overcome barriers that could prevent the [...]

Seventy-five percent of the world’s poorest people live in rural areas. The agricultural sector, therefore has a key role to play in poverty reduction and improving rural lives. Maya Takagi, Deputy Leader of the FAO Strategic Programme on Rural Poverty Reduction, together with Ana Paula De La O Campos, Programme Adviser explain the importance of promoting inclusive economic growth; long-term support to the rural poor; social protection; empowerment of rural women; decent rural employment; equitable access to land and resources; and strengthening rural institutions are key in creating new income generating opportunities. They describe the FAO policy work, including key policy [...]

Small-scale producers provide over 70% of the world’s food needs, while agribusinesses are one of the main generators of employment and income worldwide. Improving the sustainability of food value chains can massively benefit the rural poor. Florence Tartanac, Senior Officer of the FAO Nutrition and Food Systems Division together with Eva Gálvez Nogales, Agribusiness Economist of the FAO Agricultural Development Economics Division explain the importance of Integrating smallholders into food value chains to reduce poverty and improve food security for millions of poor households in developing countries. They describe the FAO policy work, including key policy messages.  See all videos in [...]

This document is based on the publication Review of Agricultural Trade Policies in post-Soviet countries 2014-15. In the 2013-2014 period, most countries in the region registered a negative foreign trade balance in agrifood products (HS codes 1-24). The largest deficit in this product category was recorded in the Russian Federation, which had an average annual deficit over the two years of USD 23.9 billion. Available in Russian.

From ending poverty, hunger and malnutrition to sustaining our natural resources to responding to climate change, food and agriculture lie at the very heart of the 2030 Agenda. FAO’s Strategic Framework is aligned with the SDGs, geared towards tackling root causes and Bringing numbers to life building a fairer society.

Approximately 30% of food produced for human consumption around the world is either lost or wasted each year. This is equivalent to 1.3 billion tonnes of food. Robert VanOtterdijk, Agro-Food Industries Officer and Camelia Bucatariu, Technical Officer of the FAO Nutrition and Food Systems Division explain the importance of actively preventing and reducing food loss and waste and its direct contribution to food and nutrition security for all. They describe the FAO policy work, including key policy messages. See all videos in the Policy and Governance series :  AR  CH  EN   FR  RU  SP

Protracted crises exist in over 20 countries potentially affecting half a billion people. In these situations, undernourishment is severe, long-standing and almost three times more frequent than in other developing countries. Julius Jackson, Technical Officer of the FAO Agriculture Development Economics Division together with Luca Russo, Strategic Advisor of the FAO Resilience Management Team describe the complexity of protracted crises situations and explain the importance of strengthening resilience for improved food security and nutrition under these conditions. They describe the FAO policy work, including key policy messages. See all videos in the Policy and Governance series :  AR  CH  EN   FR [...]

Over three quarters of the world’s poor live in rural areas. Most depend on agriculture to earn a living. However, rural employment opportunities are often informal, poorly paid and even hazardous. Peter Wobst, Senior Programme Officer of the FAO Strategic Programme on Rural Poverty Reduction together with Ileana Grandelis, Rural Employment Officer of the FAO Social Policies and Rural Institutions Division explain how promoting full employment and decent work in rural areas can contribute to food security and poverty reduction. They describe the FAO policy work, including key policy messages. See all videos in the Policy and Governance series :  AR [...]