Empowering communities through education: FAO’s role in advancing SDG 4

This month, the UN Goal of the month is Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.

By supporting education in schools and  within farming communities, enhancing access to training for youth and providing free education for all on sustainable food and agriculture, FAO recognizes and reinforces the critical connection between education, food security and sustainable agriculture and works to empower communities worldwide.

School food and nutrition programmes

© FAO/Manan Vatsyayana

Globally, 148 million children under five suffer from stunted growth,  37 million are overweight, and millions more lack essential nutrients. Poor nutrition affects children's ability to learn and develop, while a lack of education can perpetuate cycles of food insecurity and poverty. Addressing these interconnected issues is critical for improving individual well-being and fostering economic and social development.

Holistic and coherent food and nutrition school programmes and policies are key to achieving children’s human rights to food.  They are also crucial in improving children’s health and school performance. Children who are hungry or malnourished cannot take full advantage of their learning opportunities. Investing in improving nutrition of school-aged children is part of the solution to improving school performance.

Schools are golden settings for advancing nutrition and for development.

Properly planned and implemented school-based food and nutrition programmes can tackle malnutrition and other development challenges, yielding multiple benefits across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Within these programmes, school feeding is an opportunity not only to improve nutrition situation but also to improve school attendance and educational outcomes.

FAO has developed a comprehensive approach to school food and nutrition programmes that adopts a food-systems perspective, aiming to provide healthy diets to schoolchildren through an integrated strategy. This includes: 1) enabling policies, 2) food and nutrition education, 3) improvements in the food environment, and 4) links to local food procurement.

Since the launch of this approach in 2019, FAO has supported countries in the development of landmark legislation, implemented field projects to strengthen national school meal programmes, integrated food and nutrition education in school curricula and linked such programmes to small farmers.

In hand with this, FAO advocates for education systems sensitive to the needs of rural communities. It encourages the adoption of school calendars compatible with seasonal rural work and training curricula that are better adapted to equip rural youth with the skills required in rural labour markets.

These initiatives encourage school attendance, bring direct nutritional and physical development benefits to young children and have long-lasting social, economic and environmental benefits for the community as a whole.

Learn more: Class in session: Healthy and sustainable food pathways for school children

Farmer field schools

© FAO/Peter Safari

FAO’s Farmer field schools (FFS) foster deep ecological learning and hands-on experimentation, , empowering farmers to better understand ecosystems and make informed, sustainable decisions . This participatory  approach encourages farmers to work together to identify local challenges and develop solutions, thereby enhancing their problem-solving skills and confidence  Through hands-on experimentation and discussions, FFS participants learn from each other’s experiences and expertise, creating a sense of ownership and building social cohesion within communities.

FAO has implemented FFS in over 90 countries, covering topics such as soil, crop and water management, integrated pest management, livestock, aquaculture, agroforestry, nutrition and market access. Through the Global Farmer Field Schools Platform, FAO strengthens collaboration and innovation with various organizations implementing FFS, ensuring high-quality interventions and amplifying the impact of these initiatives.

Looking ahead, FAO remains committed to the vision for the future of farmer field schools: ensuring equal opportunities for women and men, regenerating agroecosystems, and nurturing local economies and markets to build more resilient and inclusive food systems.

Learn more:  Farmers taking the lead. Thirty years of farmer field schools

Wish to better understand what are farmer field schools and how they work? Take our free e-learning course on the introduction to the farmer field school approach  

Vocational training for future employment

© FAO

Recognizing the importance of engaging young people in sustainable agriculture, FAO has implemented numerous  vocational training initiatives, focused on equipping young people with the technical and vocational skills needed for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.

For example:

FAO facilitates training for young people using the Junior Farmer Field and Life School (JFFLS) methodology, by training youth facilitators and encouraging peer-to-peer learning. The goal of JFFLS is to empower disadvantaged and vulnerable youth, in particular rural youth, and provide them with employment and livelihood options.

FAO and the Information Training and Outreach Centre for Africa (ITOCA) developed and delivered a course on Capacity Development Approach for Strengthening Interventions at Country Level targeting youth and their organizations in agriculture and rural development in sub-Saharan Africa. This programme is facilitating these individuals and organizations to implement their own effective capacity development development programmes  in future.

Cooperation with universities

© FAO/Roberto Schmidt

FAO collaborates with universities worldwide to generate, translate and disseminate knowledge to help countries achieve their national development goals and train the next generation of agricultural professionals and policymakers. These partnerships facilitate the development of curricula focused on food security, sustainable agriculture, and rural development. They increase academia's engagement in multi-stakeholder processes and dialogues on food security and sustainability issues and raise awareness of key initiatives to improve food security and nutrition, reduce rural poverty and achieve the SDGs.

FAO eLearning academy

The FAO eLearning Academy offers free, high-quality courses designed to improve knowledge in areas related to food security, nutrition, climate change, and sustainable agriculture. These courses cater to policymakers, practitioners, students, and educators, making lifelong learning accessible to a global audience. By leveraging digital technology, FAO enhances educational outreach and ensures that learners worldwide can access relevant and up-to-date information to address agrifood system challenges and promote sustainable development.

The road ahead for achieving SDG 4

As the 2030 deadline for the SDGs approaches, achieving SDG 4 requires strengthened global collaboration, increased investments in education and nutrition, and integrated policies that connect food security with lifelong learning. FAO remains committed to expanding digital education tools, supporting the training of trainers, and fostering community-led initiatives to bridge educational gaps. By ensuring that agricultural education, nutrition awareness, and skills development reach the most vulnerable, FAO empowers future generations to build resilient, sustainable agrifood systems.