FAO.org

This document summarizes the online Consultation for the development of the CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment in the context of Food Security and Nutrition held on the FAO Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum) from 16 September to 30 November 2021. The consultation was facilitated by Françoise Trine, Marina Calvino and Alyson Brody from the Secretariat of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS). This online consultation was part of a broader consultative process on the Zero Draft of the Voluntary Guidelines, which also included six regional consultations. Online consultation participants [...]

Launched at the World Food Systems Summit, the Food is Never Waste is a multi-stakeholder partnership committed to decreasing food loss and food waste with a wide range of actors all along the agri-food system. The partnership will promote best practices, science, data and innovation that will help decrease food loss and food waste globally.

Food insecurity in the African context is a critical issue; yet total food losses are estimated at 15.9% and 17.2% in quantity and in caloric value, respectively (FAO, 2019). Currently across the continent, there is insufficient funding and the lack of policy mechanisms to support interdisciplinary analytical approaches and data collection systems to better inform the reduction of food loss. This paper highlights the critical need for a paradigm shift of current research and development programs aimed at food loss reduction, as demonstrated by findings of a project implemented in Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda by the [...]

The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2022 (SOCO 2022) discusses how trade policies, based on both multilateral and regional approaches, can address today’s challenges for sustainable development. Trade policies in food and agriculture should aim to safeguard global food security, address the trade-offs between economic and environmental objectives, and strengthen the resilience of the global agrifood system to shocks, such as conflicts, pandemics and extreme weather. The report discusses the geography of trade, analysing food and agricultural trade and its patterns across countries and regions, its drivers and the trade policy environment. Comparative advantage, trade policies and trade costs shape the [...]

The In Brief version of the FAO flagship publication, the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022, contains the key messages and main points from the publication and is aimed at the media, policy makers and a more general public.The following complementary information is available:See the interactive storyRead the full report

This year’s report should dispel any lingering doubts that the world is moving backwards in its efforts to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms. We are now only eight years away from 2030, but the distance to reach many of the SDG 2 targets is growing wider each year. There are indeed efforts to make progress towards SDG 2, yet they are proving insufficient in the face of a more challenging and uncertain context. The intensification of the major drivers behind recent food insecurity and malnutrition trends (i.e. conflict, climate extremes and economic shocks) combined with [...]

Agriculture is becoming more knowledge-intensive. Access to timely, accurate information tailored to specific locations and conditions is critical to helping farmers make the most of their resources in changing circumstances. Digital technologies help overcome these challenges by bridging the information gap, improving access to market information, enhancing access to micro-finance, providing actionable advisories on managing pest and disease as well as improving agriculture human capital. However, sustaining digital interventions needs a holistic approach that includes the right policies, frameworks, ecosystem and capacities. This publication highlights some successful initiatives in leveraging digital technologies, improving value-chain processes and building capacity to bring about [...]

This investment brief highlights the importance of youth as change agents and key stakeholders contributing to sustainable agrifood systems. It provides an overview of the Investment guidelines for youth in agrifood systems in Africa developed jointly by FAO and the African Union Commission through a multi-stakeholder and participatory process. The guidelines aim to accelerate investments in and by youth in agrifood systems by providing practical guidance, including tools and examples, to design, develop, implement, monitor and evaluate youth-focused and youth-sensitive investment programmes and to engage youth fully as partners throughout the entire process. The brief calls for wide dissemination of [...]

The Investment guidelines for youth in agrifood systems in Africa, developed jointly by FAO and the African Union Commission (AUC) through a multi-stakeholder and participatory process, highlight the importance of youth as change agents and key stakeholders contributing to sustainable agrifood systems. The guidelines aim to accelerate investments in and by youth in agrifood systems by providing practical guidance - including tools and examples - to design, develop, implement, monitor and evaluate youth-focused and youth-sensitive investment programmes and to engage youth fully as partners in the entire process.The guidelines were prepared with the support of the AUC and FAO Technical [...]

For almost 60 years, the FAO Investment Centre has helped countries make more and better agrifood investments to reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition, improve rural livelihoods and protect the environment. This review looks at the centre’s achievements in 2021. Working in over 120 countries, the centre continued to provide a full suite of investment support. It acted as a bridge between member countries and financing partners to scale up investment for greater impact; support better enabling conditions for policy and investment; and integrate FAO’s vast knowledge and expertise into national investment planning. With ambitions of being the go-to place for [...]