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In Lesotho, social protection plays an important role in protecting poor and vulnerable people from natural hazards saving lives and livelihoods, while also enhancing families’ capacity to cope, respond and withstand threats and crises.  In 2009 rural poor in Lesotho started receiving cash transfers through the Child Grant Programme. This brought positive impacts on the local economy, education and school enrolment, children living standards and agriculture production.  Cash transfers are a powerful tool to combat hunger and poverty. This video highlights and raise awareness on how social protection impacts can be maximized. 

Les écarts entre l’engagement politique en faveur de l’égalité entre les hommes et les femmes et leur concrétisation, et la disponibilité limitée de données ventilées par sexe et d’indicateurs sensibles au genre pour éclairer l’élaboration des politiques et des programmes et l’allocation des budgets, contribuent à la marginalisation des femmes dans de nombreux secteurs. Le manque d’une situation de référence basée sur des données fiables empêche de mesurer les progrès accomplis vers l’autonomisation des femmes dans l’agriculture, la sécurité alimentaire et la nutrition, le développement rural et la gestion des ressources naturelles. Ce rapport a été conjointement préparé par la FAO et la Commission de la [...]

This technical note explores the impact of trade on nutrition, addressing the role of trade in the “nutrition transition” and the extent to which trade policies affect nutritional objectives.  See all Trade Policy Technical notes

This publication provides a list of food system-based intervention options to improve nutrition and a set concrete entry points for maximizing the impact of each intervention. Developed through leveraging different expertise in FAO, it is a key resource to assist professionals involved in different areas - from breeding to production; from food transformation and packaging to transportation and trade; from marketing and value chain to food safety; from food labelling to consumer education - to u nderstand the linkages with nutrition, and to increase their contribution for a world free from malnutrition in all its forms.Also Available in Spanish French [...]

This introduction frames the entire series of guidance notes "Improving food security and nutrition in protracted crises – guidance to implement the CFS-FFA", providing background on protracted crises and the Framework for Action for Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Crises (CFS-FFA) and also presenting the objectives of the series. Protracted crises are situations in which a significant proportion of the population is acutely vulnerable to death, disease, and disruption of livelihoods o ver a prolonged period of time. Available in French.

FAO recognizes that crop improvement through innovative technologies, including both conventional breeding and modern biotechnologies, is an essential approach to achieving sustainable increases in crop productivity and thus contributes to food security. Scientific evidence has shown that modern biotechnologies offer potential options to improving such aspects as the yield and quality, resource use efficiency, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and the nutrition value of the crops. FAO is also aware of the public perception and concerns about the potential risks to human health and the environment associated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). FAO underlines the need to carefully evaluate [...]

FAO supports member countries to meet the challenges of an urbanizing world by promoting the integration of Urban and Peri-urban Horticulture (UPH) into national and local agricultural development strategies, food and nutrition programmes and urban planning. UPH is the cultivation of a wide range of crops – including fruit, vegetables, roots, tubers and ornamental plants – within cities and towns and in their surrounding areas. It is a key component of robust and resilient urban food systems whi ch empower the urban poor. UPH is already widely practised in developing countries, accounting for more than half of the fruit and [...]

While countries in Europe and Central Asia have made significant progress reducing the prevalence of undernourishment, 14.3 million people still experience severe food insecurity. Malnutrition – in one or more of its three main forms – is present throughout the region. Demand for food is growing, consumption patterns are changing and urbanization is accelerating. The effects of climate change pose considerable challenges to agricultural production. The Sustainable Development Goals provide a fra mework for assessing and tackling these challenges and monitoring progress. Currently only a few countries have policy frameworks that address all four pillars of food security – availability, [...]

Smallholders and traders are key stakeholders in fruit and vegetable supply chains supplying local mass markets across South Asian countries. Training these stakeholders and introducing simple technical innovations into these supply chains can dramatically improve the quality and shelf-life of fresh produce and reduce losses, thereby generating economic benefits for producers, supply chain stakeholders and consumers as well as improving nutrition. Consequently, greater support is called for to a ddress the challenges faced in traditional supply chains. This policy brief aims to provide information on applying the principles of post-harvest management of fruit and vegetable supply chains for quality and [...]

This note focuses on the topic of forced migration in protracted crises, presenting the challenges and some possible approaches to address root causes of forced migration and support displaced and host populations, illustrated by case studies from FAO’s interventions in such contexts. Improved food security, sustainable agricultural practices, access to and management of natural resources, employment and social protection benefits are key in supporting populations affected by displacement and to  ease the strain on host communities. Although forced migration poses many challenges, the long-lasting presence of forcibly displaced can create opportunities for local economies and bring skills, capital and connectivity [...]