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Small Island Developing States, Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Developing Countries

Accelerating agrifood systems transformation for inclusive growth in LLDCs

Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs)

LLDCs are 32 nations, including 16 Least Developed Countries (LDCs), that face distinct development challenges due to their lack of direct access to the sea. This geographical constraint raises trade and transport costs, limits integration into global markets, and slows economic growth. These countries depend heavily on neighbouring states for transit, making them vulnerable to external shocks and logistical bottlenecks. Inadequate infrastructure, limited productive capacity, and reliance on a narrow range of commodities further hinder sustainable development.

Agrifood systems offer LLDCs a strategic opportunity to overcome these limitations and foster economic diversification. By investing in sustainable agriculture, improving infrastructure, and strengthening regional trade integration, they can reduce vulnerability and build more resilient food systems.

FAO's support to LLDCs
Recognizing the persistent structural challenges faced by Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), FAO supports the design and implementation of innovative, country‑led approaches to transform agrifood systems. Through tailored technical assistance and policy support, FAO works closely with governments and local stakeholders to enhance agricultural productivity, diversify livelihoods, and strengthen value chains in a sustainable and inclusive manner. A core pillar of this support is the promotion of climate‑smart practices that build resilience to increasingly erratic climate conditions. FAO also advances institutional capacity‑building, digital and logistical solutions, and improved access to finance and regional markets, helping LLDCs address structural constraints, strengthen food security and nutrition, and progress towards sustainable development.

Insights from LLDCs

News
FAO Launches Asian Landlocked Developing Countries Network to Mobilize Investment for Sustainable Agrifood Systems

FAO together with participating Asian LLDCs launched the Asian LLDCs Network at the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17). The Network brings together Bhutan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mongolia and Nepal, building on a proposal introduced at the 38th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC38), where it received strong support from Ministers.

Feature story
The woman who grows Tajikistan

In Tajikistan, rural women have long been central to agriculture—planting, weeding, tending livestock and managing household food production. As more men migrate in search of work, women are increasingly taking on additional responsibilities, often managing entire farms on their own. Yet despite now forming the backbone of the agricultural workforce, many women remain unrecognized and unpaid, with limited access to the knowledge, finance, tools and resources needed to make agriculture a reliable source of income.

Feature story
Linking school meals and smallholder farmers in Bhutan

Initiated by the Royal Government of Bhutan with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the One‑Child, One‑Egg (OCOE) initiative links smallholder poultry farmers directly with school feeding programmes. The two‑year pilot addresses child malnutrition while creating a stable and reliable market for rural producers, currently supplying eggs to 32 000 students in 343 schools across the country.

Voices from the field

MELBA Malawi: enhancing ecosystem-based adaptation in Malawi
24/07/2026

Malawi is strengthening how it monitors and learns from climate adaptation efforts through the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Framework for Ecosystem-Based Adaptation in Forests and Agriculture (MELBA) Project.

List of LLDCs