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Fighting hunger is not only about producing more food. It also means protecting food sources from diseases that can spread across borders. The Emergency Prevention System (EMPRES), is a surveillance and early warning system established with the objective of preventing food chain emergencies caused by transboundary threats. These may be animal or plant pests and diseases or food safety threats and can have a great impact on food security and food safety. Threats to the food chain affect not only  food security livelihoods and human health, but also national economies and global markets. This is why surveillance, early detection, early [...]

Over 700 thousand people lost their lives as a result of disasters between 2005 and 2015. Approximately 23 million were made homeless. The total economic loss is estimated at more than US $1.3 trillion. Stephan Baas, Strategic Advisor of the FAO Resilience Management Team together Nina Koeksalan, Climate Change Officer describe the importance of reducing risks and strengthening resilience for improved food security and nutrition in rural communities particularly vulnerable to natural hazards and disasters. They describe the FAO policy work, including key policy messages. This video forms part of a series of policy and governance videos being produced by [...]

During the review period (2007 – 2016), Pakistan has undergone a considerable shift from an agrarian to a service-led economy, and the agricultural share of GDP has experienced a declining trend. Since 2007, the government has been assisting farmers with enhancing access to formal credit, strengthening disaster risk management, scaling up fertilizer subsidies and ensuring wheat price support through public procurement.  For more country policy briefs by FAPDA please see here.

Transboundary animal diseases (terrestrial and aquatic), plant pests and diseases (agriculture and forest plants) and Food safety hazards, are raising public awareness for their potential impact on food and nutrition security, human health, livelihoods, and trade. The ability to predict FCC threats through a forecasting process is imperative for Governments to act quickly by taking necessary measures to prevent these threats, limit their geographic spread and minimize their impact. To address this challenge, FAO Food Chain Crisis-Intelligence and Coordination Unit (FCC-ICU) developed an Integrated Forecasting Approach. See also the quarterly Early Warning Bulletins that integrate information on threats to the food chain [...]

This fact sheet presents an overview of current gender equality and women’s empowerment issues in the fisheries sector. Women’s engagement in fisheries can be viewed from social, political and technical perspectives, all of which show that the role of women is often underestimated. This inadequate recognition of women’s contributions hampers the sustainable development process, resulting in increased poverty and food insecurity. This fact sheet provides information on policy, institutions and planning processes; statistical dimensions in gender analysis; and specific concerns in the field of fisheries industries. It identifies lessons learned and opportunities for gender mainstreaming at macro, meso and microoperational levels. The information provided does not represent an exhaustive analysis of the subject, [...]

The SSF Guidelines are based on internationally accepted human rights standards and are to be interpreted and implemented in accordance with those standards. Their objectives are to be met through the promotion of a human rights-based approach (HRBA). This approach seeks to ensure the participation of small-scale fishing communities in nondiscriminatory, transparent and accountable decision-making processes by putting particular emphasis on the needs of vulnerable and marginalized groups and developing countries. While the HRBA has been recognized by FAO as a principle that informs the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes and projects, there is still limited experience in its practical application in the context of small-scale [...]

FAO recognizes the potential of rural women and men in achieving food security and nutrition and is committed to overcoming gender inequality, in line with the pledge to “leave no one behind”, which is at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda. The publication illustrates the consistent and sustained work of FAO towards gender equality and women’s empowerment, which are at the core of the Organization’s work to eliminate hunger and rural poverty. Each chapter highlights the relevance of gender work to achieving the FAO Strategic Objectives, and describes main results achieved, showcasing activities implemented [...]

At FAO, increasing the resilience of agriculture-based livelihoods against threats and crises is a corporate priority. FAO’s resilience work is multisectoral, encompassing all aspects of agriculture: crops, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture, forestry, natural resource management and value chains. FAO assists countries to increase the resilience of households, communities and institutions to more effectively prevent and cope with threats and disasters that impact agriculture, food security and nutrition.

This report provides a global analysis of the El Niño-related disasters and their impact on agriculture, food security and nutrition.  Analysis in the report is divided between FAO high priority countries and other countries at risk.  Countries were selected based on a combination of analysis of the El Niño event and FAO priorities for strengthening the resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is a set of standardized tools that aims at providing a "common currency" for classifying the severity and magnitude of food insecurity. The IPC draws from existing data and information produced by governments, UN Agencies, NGOs and other agencies located in-country. It is based on consensus-building processes to provide decision makers with a rigorous analysis of food insecurity along with objectives for response in both emergency and development contexts.  The purpose of this document is to address this challenge by outlining standardized guidance to country gFSC and IPC Technical Working Groups (TWG) on [...]