WELCOME to the FAO Science and Innovation Blog, your source for exploring FAO’s work on science and innovation in support of the transformation of global agrifood systems in alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

During 2025, a series of blogs will delve into the guiding principles of the FAO Science and Innovation Strategy. The guiding principles seek to ensure that FAO’s efforts harness the power of science and innovation to benefit People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership — the five interdependent principles underpinning the 2030 Agenda.  

Each blog post will focus on one of the seven guiding principles, offering clear explanations and showcasing real-world examples of their application: Rights-based and people-centered, Gender-equal, Evidence-based, Needs-driven, Sustainability-aligned, Risk-informed and Ethics-based.  

The guiding principles are one of the key components of the Strategy, grounding its three pillars and 9 outcomes and provide the foundation for thinking about how to go about implementing it. At the same time, the guiding principles are perhaps the least operative component of the Strategy. To promote a dialogue and increase understanding, the Chief Scientist Office is inviting experts and other knowledge holders from around the world to share their reflections on why the guiding principles are important and what each of the principles implies for FAO’s work. 

The content of this blog reflects the views of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views or positions of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).