Guided by innovation

The strategic deployment of innovation is a crucial enabling factor for agrifood systems transformation, and acts as an engine for ensuring inclusive, resilient and sustainable rural development. 

On World Creativity and Innovation Day (21 April), dive into this selection of FAO’s latest resources showcasing the Organization’s work across different areas of expertise to advance innovation and achieve a world free from hunger and malnutrition.

Investing in trade digitalization: the case of ePhyto
This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the costs and benefits of the electronic phytosanitary certificate (ePhyto) solution, developed by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat for both the private sector and society. It highlights the potential for trade cost reductions, and underscores ePhyto’s positive impact on trade at the global level.

Leveraging space technology for agricultural development and food security
This publication sheds light on the transformative potential of space technologies in enhancing agricultural productivity and ensuring food security. It advocates for collaborative approaches, addressing risks like space debris, and is structured in segments focusing on space infrastructure, data management, and practical applications of satellite data for sustainable development.

Multistakeholder policy dialogue to promote innovation in agrifood systems – A training guide
Despite their widely recognized importance, there is little guidance available to date on how to organize effective policy dialogues that are inclusive of diverse stakeholders. This training guide has been developed to address this gap by providing clear and comprehensive guidance on multistakeholder policy dialogue in the context of agrifood systems, with a focus on innovation.

Precision fermentation – With a focus on food safety
This publication examines the emerging topic of precision fermentation, used for the efficient production of food ingredients, often as alternatives to animal-derived compounds. Drawing on a literature review and regulatory examples from various countries, the document outlines a generic production process and highlights shared approaches to food safety oversight. It provides a valuable reference for policymakers exploring regulatory pathways for precision fermentation-derived food products. 

Further reading

• FAO Science and Innovation Strategy
• Curriculum for training of Multi-actors Agricultural Innovation Platform facilitators
• Institutionalizing multi-actors agricultural innovation platforms to foster field-level agricultural innovation systems by empowering smallholder farmers
• Shaping sustainable agrifood futures: pre-emerging and emerging technologies and innovations for impact
• Foresight for the transformation of agrifood systems through agroecology – Guidance document for decision makers and practitioners
• Status, technological innovations, and industry development needs of mud crab (Scylla spp.) aquaculture

Additional resources

• FAO Science, Technology and Innovation website
• FAO Office of Innovation website
• FAO Science and Innovation Strategy e-learning course
• The FAO Acceleration Zone