FAO Knowledge Repository BETA

The FAO Knowledge Repository is FAO's official open repository, providing access to all of its publications. Through its open access policy, FAO seeks to increase the dissemination of its knowledge and to contribute to the scientific and technical impact of the Organization. 

 

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Trending publications

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    Book (series)
    Respecting free, prior and informed consent
    Practical guidance for governments, companies, NGOs, indigenous peoples and local communities in relation to land acquisition
    2014
    Improving governance of tenure is the objective of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (Guidelines), which serve as a reference and set out principles and internationally accepted standards for responsible practices. The Guidelines state that responsible investments should do no harm, safeguard against dispossession of legitimate tenure right holders and environmental damage, and should respect human rights. This technical guide on Respecting free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) sets out practical actions for government agencies to respect and protect FPIC and for civil society organizations, land users and private investors globally to comply with their responsibilities in relation to FPIC, as endorsed by the Guidelines.
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    Book (series)
    World Food and Agriculture – Statistical Yearbook 2023 2023
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    This publication offers a synthesis of the major factors at play in the global food and agricultural landscape. Statistics are presented in four thematic chapters, covering the economic importance of agricultural activities, inputs, outputs and factors of production, their implications for food security and nutrition and their impacts on the environment. The Yearbook is meant to constitute a primary tool for policymakers, researchers and analysts, as well as the general public interested in the past, present and future path of food and agriculture.
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    Book (series)
    The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024
    Financing to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms
    2024
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    Six years from 2030, hunger and food insecurity trends are not yet moving in the right direction to end hunger and food insecurity (SDG Target 2.1) by 2030. The indicators of progress towards global nutrition targets similarly show that the world is not on track to eliminate all forms of malnutrition (SDG Target 2.2). Billions of people still lack access to nutritious, safe and sufficient food. Nevertheless, progress in many countries provides hope of the possibility of getting back on track towards hunger and malnutrition eradication. Implementing the policies, investments and legislation needed to revert the current trends of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition requires proper financing for food security and nutrition. Despite a broad agreement on the urgent need to increase financing for food security and nutrition, the same cannot be said for a common understanding regarding how this financing should be defined and tracked. The report provides a long-awaited definition of financing for food security and nutrition and guidance for its implementation. There are recommendations regarding the efficient use of innovative financing tools and reforms to the food security and nutrition financing architecture. Establishing a common definition of financing for food security and nutrition, and methods for its tracking, measurement and implementation, is an important first step towards sustainably increasing the financing flows needed to end hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition, and to ensure access to healthy diets for all, today and tomorrow.
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    Book (series)
    Compulsory acquisition of land and compensation 2008
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    Compulsory acquisition is the power of government to acquire private rights in land without the willing consent of the owner or occupant in order to benefit society and is often necessary for social and economic development and the protection of the natural environment. The exercise of these powers is frequently contentious and problematic. The guide explains what compulsory acquisition and compensation are, and what constitutes good practice in this area, examining the consequences of poor legi slation, procedures and implementation. It is likely to be of most use in countries that are seeking to understand good practice in this area and to improve their own legislation, procedures and implementation in compulsory purchase and compensation in the interests of society as a whole.
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    Book (series)
    Edible insects
    Future prospects for food and feed security
    2013
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    This book assesses the potential of insects as food and feed and gathers existing information and research on edible insects. The assessment is based on the most recent and complete data available from various sources and experts around the world. Insects as food and feed emerge as an especially relevant issue in the twenty-first century due to the rising cost of animal protein, food and feed insecurity, environmental pressures, population growth and increasing demand for protein among the middl e classes. Thus, alternative solutions to conventional livestock and feed sources urgently need to be found. The consumption of insects, or entomophagy , therefore contributes positively to the environment and to health and livelihoods. This publication grew from a small effort in 2003 in the FAO Forestry Department to document the role of insects in traditional livelihood practices in Central Africa and to assess the impact of harvesting insects in their natural habitats on the sustainability o f forests. This effort has since unfolded into a broad-based effort to examine the multiple dimensions of insect gathering and rearing to clarify the potential that insects offer for improving food security worldwide. The purpose of this book is to bring together for the first time the many opportunities for, and constraints on, using insects as food and feed

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    Journal, magazine, bulletin
    Major Tropical Fruits. Market Review 2023 2024
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    The Major Tropical Fruits Market Review is issued on an annual basis to Members and Observers of the Sub-Group on Tropical Fruits of the Intergovernmental Group on Bananas and Tropical Fruits, which is a subsidiary body of the Committee on Commodity Problems (CCP). The review describes full-year results on developments in global major tropical fruit trade in 2023 and represents an update to the Major Tropical Fruits Market Review Preliminary Results 2023. The analysis contained in this review is based on data on trade quantities that were compiled from various sources as outlined in the note on methodology. The findings incorporate revised data and information as available up to the end of May 2024. All data in this report should be considered as provisional. FAO is continuously monitoring global trade flows of major tropical fruits and will update these results should revisions of officially reported data be released.
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    Book (stand-alone)
    The role of microbiome science in addressing malnutrition and noncommunicable diseases 2024
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    Despite significant progress in certain areas, the world is off track for meeting global nutrition targets. It has long been known that exposure to an unhealthy (i.e. inadequate, unsafe and unbalanced) diet is a direct risk factor for all forms of malnutrition and health-related outcomes. Studies also suggest that the “dietary energy imbalance” concept (i.e. an excess of dietary energy consumed, as compared to actual energy expenditure) is far from sufficient to explain, manage and reverse the obesity epidemic and address undernutrition.A growing body of evidence shows that humans have a symbiotic relationship with the community of billions of microorganisms present in their intestines – the gut microbiome – and that this may have important implications for nutrition and health. This narrative review presents the state of knowledge regarding interconnections between the gut microbiome and human health, focusing in particular on obesity, undernutrition and diet-related NCDs. The paper also explores how changes in lifestyle and diet – especially early in life – can disturb or positively enhance the gut microbiome, and have potentially major impacts on human health (see Figure 1).It presents and discusses emerging innovations based on microbiome knowledge, and the potential implications of current evidence for actions to prevent various forms of malnutrition and related health outcomes. Major research gaps and needs, recommendations and policy implications are also addressed.
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    Book (series)
    Terminal evaluation of the project “Pesticide Risk Reduction in Malawi”
    Project code: GCP/MLW/052/GFF - GEF ID: 5109
    2024
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    This evaluation report of project GCP/MLW/052/GFF highlights the economic, environmental and social risks and challenges associated with the use of chemical pesticides in the agricultural sector in Malawi and provides a comprehensive assessment of the contribution of the project to reduce these risks, as well as to promote sustainable agricultural systems. The information comes from investigations conducted by a team of independent evaluators through a detailed analysis of project documents, interviews with project stakeholders and field visits. The report highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the project in terms of design, implementation, and achievement of results. It draws lessons and identifies the conditions to be put in place or strengthened to promote the consolidation of achievements, progress towards impact and sustainability in the context of Malawi. Recommendations addressed to the actors concerned are formulated in the report for this purpose.
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    Article
    Genetic investigation of population structure in Atlantic chub mackerel, Scomber colias Gmelin, 1789 along the West African coast 2024
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    Sustainable management of transboundary fish stocks hinges on accurate delineation of population structure. Genetic analysis offers a powerful tool to identify potential subpopulations within a seemingly homogenous stock, facilitating the development of effective, coordinated management strategies across international borders. Along the West African coast, the Atlantic chub mackerel (Scomber colias) is a commercially important and ecologically significant species, yet little is known about its genetic population structure and connectivity. Currently, the stock is managed as a single unit in West African waters despite new research suggesting morphological and adaptive differences. Here, eight microsatellite loci were genotyped on 1,169 individuals distributed across 33 sampling sites from Morocco (27.39 N) to Namibia (22.21 S). Bayesian clustering analysis depicts one homogeneous population across the studied area with null overall differentiation (FST = 0.0001ns), which suggests panmixia and aligns with the migratory potential of this species. This finding has significant implications for the effective conservation and management of S. colias within a wide scope of its distribution across West African waters from the South of Morocco to the North-Centre of Namibia and underscores the need for increased regional cooperation in fisheries management and conservation.
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    Book (series)
    Evaluation of the project "Agriculture for Economic Growth and Food Security/Nutrition to mitigate migration flows"
    Project code: GCP/GAM/040/EC
    2023
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    This terminal evaluation reviews the "Agriculture for Economic Growth and Food Security/Nutrition to mitigate migration flows” project. The objective of the project was to “Contribute to inclusive and equitable sustainable growth in the agricultural sector and reduce food insecurity and malnutrition to mitigate migration flows to Europe”. The project was pivotal in supporting the first-ever key policies such as the National Cooperative Policy which was a necessity in the agriculture sector and laid the foundation for the development of strong policies and strategic plans (the national extension policy, the national seed policy) that enhanced the institutional capacities. FAO reinforced the national capacities by supporting institutions at all levels, including capacity development, to prepare, implement, monitor, and evaluate evidence-based policies and programmes, and leverage investments. The project enhanced the participation of various agriculture value chain actors that contributed to the structuring of the value chain system to make it more responsive.