Agricultural plays a crucial role in the economy of developing countries, and provides the main source of food, income and employment to their rural populations. Improvements in agriculture and land use are fundamental to achieving food security, poverty alleviation and overall sustainable development.
Documents and Tools
SOFA 2005: The State of Food and Agriculture
FAO's annual report includes reviews on policy factors underlying recent agricultural performances at the global and regional levels, discusses issues of current or emerging interest, and presents in-depth analysis of one selected topic of importance to world food and agriculture.
SOFA 2003-2004:Agricultural Biotechnology : Meeting the needs of the poor?
The report presents an analysis of the socio-economic impacts of technological change in agriculture and surveys the current evidence regarding the safety of transgenic crops for human health and the environment. It recommends targeted investments in agricultural research, extension and regulatory capacity to ensure that the potential of agricultural biotechnology is brought to bear on the needs of the poor.
The Role of Agriculture in the Development of LDCs and their Integration into the World Economy
Prepared for the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (Brussels, 14-20 May 2001), the paper examines the role of the agricultural sector in poverty alleviation and in the sustainable economic growth and development of the least developed countries (LDCs).
World Agriculture: Towards 2010
An assessment by FAO of the possible future developments in world food and agriculture, including the crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries sectors, and covering the many technical, socioeconomic and policy facts of food and agriculture.
Cultivating our Futures
The paper was prepared for the FAO/Netherlands Conference on " The Multifunctional Character of Agriculture and Land (MFCAL)" (Maastricht, 12-17 September 1999), which addressed the entire range of environmental, economic and social functions associated with agriculture and related land use.
Dimensions of Need
This FAO illustrated atlas of food and agriculture -- published on the 50th anniversary of the Organization’s founding in 1995 -- reviews the state of the world's food resources, its agriculture, forests and fisheries, and describes the kinds of action being taken to conquer hunger while protecting and conserving the planet's natural resources and environment.
Successes in African Agriculture
This on-going initiative of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) includes an extensive review of success stories in African agriculture and discusses the criteria for success and factors underlying that success.
Roles of Agriculture Project
In 2000, FAO launched this three-year project in order provide policy-makers with specific insight, tools and information with which to analyse the roles of agriculture and the related policy implications for sustainable agricultural and rural development (SARD).
Global Farming Systems Study: Challenges and Priorities to 2030
As part of the the World Bank's review of its rural development strategy, this document evaluates how farming systems might change and adapt over the next thirty years, highlights priorities for investment in food security, poverty reduction and economic growth and identifies approaches and technologies that will contribute to these goals.
Issues in urban agriculture
As cities expand, the frontiers between urban, peri-urban and rural activity are blurring and merging. Studies suggest that up to two-thirds of city and peri-urban households are involved in farming: this offers opportunities for nutrition and income-generating activities, but also poses risks.
Worldwide Initiatives
Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (SARD)
In 1992, the Earth Summit in Rio adopted a blueprint - Agenda 21 - to attain sustainable development this century. Both FAO and UNEP are responsible for reporting on progress for Chapters 10, 12 and 14 of the Agenda which will contribute to preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, September 2002).
World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
As part of its campaign to tackle global environmental deterioration, in particular by combatting the degradation of drylands -- which cover up to one quarter of the world's land surface – the UN has designated 17 June as "World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought".
World Food Day
World Food Day is observed every year on 16 October -- the anniversary of the founding of FAO on 16 October 1945 -- to promote broader public awareness of the problem of global hunger and malnutrition. Celebrations marking World Food Day take place in more than 150 countries and events vary from exhibitions and essay contests to agricultural fairs and on-farm demonstrations.
Joint FAO/IAEA Programme Nucleur Techniques in Food and Agriculture
Nuclear techniques play an increasingly valuable and often unique role in agricultural research and development, being used for such wide-ranging purposes as improving soil and water management, producing better crop varieties, diagnosing animal diseases, controlling insect pests and improving food quality and safety.
Links
The Development Gateway
About 500 resources available, organized in 30 categories (data to news, events, projects, books, statistics, discussions and more), plus a member’s directory, a bulletin board, key issues, weekly highlights, an event calendar and so on. It is also possible to browse through the AIDA project database of almost 8000 food security development projects.
Agriculture 21
FAO’s gateway to resources -- documents, software, databases, e-mail bulletins and conferences and networks -- concerned with various aspects of agriculture, from animal production and health to land and water issues, plant production science, plant genetic resources and agricultural support systems.
Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture
Since 1975, the FAO Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture has been providing regular bulletins on food crop production and markets at the global level and situation reports on a regional and country-by-country basis and also provides reports of joint WFP and FAO crop assessment missions in Africa and Asia.
Biotechnology in food and agriculture
Biotechnology is a collection of diverse tools that are increasingly being used in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and nutrition. This recently launched website highlights the role of biotechnology in food and agriculture and contains an e-mail forum on biotechnology in food and agriculture, a biotechnology glossary and links to other relevant sites.
Organic Agriculture
A website featuring country data, information on projects, a discussion forum and bibliography on organic agriculture - an increasingly important part of the agriculture sector with undoubted environmental and economic benefits for farmers and businesses around the world.
Ethics in Food and Agriculture
A wide range of ethical questions related to food security and sustainable development have come to the fore in recent years due to increasing technological development, changes in the resource base, and economic and market developments. This site aims to promote discussion and debate on these emerging ethical issues.
International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP)
IFAP gathers together nationally representative general farmers organizations from around the world and works to improve the economic and social status of all who live by and on the land.
Rural Advancement Foundation International - Canada (RAFI)
RAFI is an international organization that promotes the conservation and sustainable improvement of agricultural biodiversity, and socially responsible development of technologies useful to rural societies. Its main area of concern is the loss of genetic diversity -- especially in agriculture -- and about the impact of intellectual property on agriculture and world food security.
MSU Global Access
MSU Global Access is an Internet portal to information selected by experts of the Michigan State University Office of International Studies and Programs. It contains a database of links to Websites, features country specific pages, maps, and international news.
International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences (IAAS)
The IAAS is one of the leading agricultural student associations gathering students studying, majoring or researching in agriculture and related areas like environmental sciences, forestry, food sciences, landscape architecture etc. It's main objective is to promote the exchange of knowledge, information and ideas among students, and to improve the mutual understanding between countries and cultures in the 40 countries where it is present.
