Sustainable agricultural development lies at the very heart of FAO’s mission to achieve food security and ensure that people everywhere have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active and healthy lives.

Agrifood systems are driven by the men and women whose daily lives are dedicated to working on the land and on waters and to managing food systems. Their skills, toil and years of accumulated experience are the backbone of food systems — they propel communities and countries. The efforts of agricultural workers represent a vital force moving us towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. South-South exchanges are a key means to support and develop these efforts and are particularly needed in developing countries. Most countries in the global South face a range of challenges in achieving the SDGs, including SDG1 No poverty and SDG2 Zero hunger, and these challenges are increasing in the wake of threats to food security and nutrition caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, these countries are also reservoirs of home-grown development solutions in the areas of agriculture and food security that could be further replicated and scaled up through South-South and triangular cooperation (SSTC).