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/ Guidelines & methodologies
Save and Grow. A Policymaker’s Guide to the Sustainable Intensification of Smallholder Crop Production
With the publication of Save and Grow in 2011, FAO proposed a new paradigm of intensive crop production, one that is both highly productive and environmentally sustainable.
Save and Grow calls for “greening” the Green Revolution through an ecosystem approach that draws on nature’s contributions to crop growth, such as soil organic matter, water flow regulation, pollination and bio-control of insect pests and diseases.
This third reprint of Save and Grow comes following the Rio+20 Conference in June 2012 and the launch of the Zero Hunger Challenge by the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. The challenge has five elements: guarantee year-round access to adequate food, end stunting in children, double small farmer productivity, foster sustainable food production systems, and reduce food waste and loss to zero. In assisting countries to adopt Save and Grow policies and approaches, FAO is responding to that challenge and helping to build the hunger-free world we all want.