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 (stand-alone)
    The future of food and agriculture: Trends and challenges 2017
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    What will be needed to realize the vision of a world free from hunger and malnutrition? After shedding light on the nature of the challenges that agriculture and food systems are facing now and throughout the 21st century, the study provides insights into what is at stake and what needs to be done. “Business as usual” is not an option. Major transformations in agricultural systems, rural economies, and natural resources management are necessary. The present study was undertaken for the quadrennial review of FAO’s strategic framework and for the preparation of the Organization Medium-Term plan 2018-2021.
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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
    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)
    The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024
    Blue Transformation in action
    2024
    The 2024 edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture features the Blue Transformation in action, illustrated by activities and initiatives, led by FAO in collaboration with Members, partners and key stakeholders, to integrate aquatic foods into global food security and sustainability, enhance policy advocacy, scientific research and capacity building, disseminate sustainable practices and technological innovations, and support community involvement. Part 1 of this edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture benefits from significant improvements in data collection, analytical and assessment tools and methodologies to present the most up-to-date review of world fisheries and aquaculture production and utilization. Part 2 highlights the role of FAO and its partners to catalyse the transformational changes required to support aquaculture expansion and intensification, effective management of global fisheries and upgrading of aquatic value chains. Part 3 covers the high-impact challenges and opportunities of the untapped potential of utilizing whole fish and by-products to improve food security and nutrition, expounds on the role of aquatic food systems in providing critical climate, biodiversity and environmentally sound solutions, and highlights the importance of their integration into national and multilateral processes. It also presents an outlook on future trends up to 2032 based on projections. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024 provides the most up-to-date and evidence-based information, supporting policy, scientific and technical insights on challenges, opportunities and innovations shaping the present and future of the sector, for the benefit of a wide and expanding audience of policymakers, managers, scientists, fishers, farmers, traders, civil society activists and consumers.
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    Book (series)
    Improving biosecurity through prudent and responsible use of veterinary medicines in aquatic food production 2012
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    The current trend towards increasing intensification and diversification of global aquaculture has lead to its dramatic growth, thus making aquaculture an important food-producing sector that provides an essential source of aquatic protein for a growing human population. For both developed and developing countries, the sector is recognized as creator of jobs and an important source of foreign export earnings. The expansion of commercial aquaculture, as is the case in commercial livestock and pou ltry production, has necessitated the routine use of veterinary medicines to prevent and treat disease outbreaks due to pathogens, assure healthy stocks and maximize production. The expanded and occasionally irresponsible global movements of live aquatic animals have been accompanied by the transboundary spread of a wide variety of pathogens that have sometimes caused serious damage to aquatic food productivity and resulted in serious pathogens becoming endemic in culture systems and the natura l aquatic environment. The use of appropriate antimicrobial treatments is one of the most effective management responses to emergencies associated with infectious disease epizootics. However, their inappropriate use can lead to problems related to increased frequency of bacterial resistance and the potential transfer of resistance genes in bacteria from the aquatic environment to other bacteria. Injudicious use of antimicrobials has also resulted in the occurrence of their residues in aquacultur e products, and as a consequence, bans by importing countries and associated economic impacts, including market loss have occurred. Since disease emergencies can happen even in well-managed aquaculture operations, careful planning on the use antimicrobials is essential in order to maximize their efficacy and minimize the selection pressure for increased frequencies of resistant variants. The prudent and responsible use of veterinary medicines is an essential component of successful commercial aq uaculture production systems. The FAO/AAHRI Expert Workshop on Improving Biosecurity through Prudent and Responsible Use of Veterinary Medicines in Aquatic Food Production was convened in Bangkok, Thailand from 15 to 18 December 2009, in order to understand the current status of the use of antimicrobials in aquaculture and to discuss the concerns and impacts of their irresponsible use on human health, the aquatic environment and trade. Such discussions became the basis for drafting recommenda tions targeted to the state and private sectors and for developing guiding principles on the responsible use of antimicrobials in aquaculture that will be part of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries Technical Guidelines on Prudent and Responsible Use of Veterinary Medicines in Aquaculture. Since aquaculture is expected to continue to increase its contribution to the world¿s production of aquatic food, offer opportunities to alleviate poverty, increase employment and community de velopment and reduce overexploitation of natural aquatic resources, appropriate guidance to aquaculture stakeholders on the responsible use of veterinary medicines has become essential. Safe and effective veterinary medicines need to be available for efficient aquaculture production, and their use should be in line with established principles on prudent use to safeguard public and animal health. The use of such medicines should be part of national and on-farm biosecurity plans and in accordance with an overall national policy for sustainable aquaculture. This publication is presented in two parts: Part 1 contains 15 technical background papers presented during the expert workshop, contributed by 28 specialists and which served as a basis for the expert workshop deliberations; Part 2 contains the highlights of the expert workshop.
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    Document
    Non-wood news
    An information bulletin on Non-Wood Forest Products
    2007
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    Behind the new-look Non-Wood News is the usual wealth of information from the world of NWFPs. The Special Features section covers two different aspects of NWFPs: a specific product (bamboo) and a developing market (cosmetics and beauty care). Bamboo is versatile: it can be transformed, for example, into textiles, charcoal, vinegar, green plastic or paper and can also be used as a food source, a deodorant, an innovative building material and to fuel power stations. Reports indicate that natural c osmetics and beauty care are a huge global market, with forecasts indicating an annual growth of 9 percent through 2008. The Special Feature on Forest cosmetics: NWFP use in the beauty industry builds on this and includes information industry interest and marketing strategies (consumers are being drawn to natural products and thus their content is emphasized). As can be seen from the articles on shea butter in Africa and thanakha in Myanmar, many societies have always used and benefited from nat ural cosmetics. This issue includes other examples of traditional knowledge, such as the uses of the secretions of a poisonous tree frog in Brazil and the use by the traditional healers in India of allelopathic knowledge.

Recently added

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    Book (stand-alone)
    国际农药管理行为守则
    农药许可制度导则
    2025
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    这份新指南将补充已经制定的技术指导文件,以实施FAO/WHO国际农药管理行为守则。它是与WHO共同开发的。该文件旨在指导农药监管机构,特别是低收入和中等收入国家的农药监管机构,设计和实施国家农药许可计划,概述希望建立或加强农药生命周期相关活动许可计划的国家的要素、要求和选项。
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    Book (stand-alone)
    Workshop Report on Training for Policymakers on Agrifood Systems Transformation
    In support of Rwanda’s Fifth Strategic Plan for Agriculture Transformation
    2025
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    This report provides a detailed account of the training workshop on "Policymaking for Agrifood Systems Transformation" in Rwanda. Tailored to Rwanda's unique needs, theworkshop brought together government officials, stakeholders, and experts to enhance their understanding of agrifood systems and explore strategies for transforming thesesystems to be more resilient and sustainable. The publication outlines the workshop's focus on Rwanda’s agrifood challenges – such as malnutrition, climate change, lowproduction, and market access – while emphasizing the importance of adopting a systems approach to policy design.It directly contributes to FAO’s mission by equipping stakeholders with the skills and knowledge necessary to address complex, "wicked" problems in agrifood systems – problems that span multiple sectors and require coordinated action from various actors. Through this, the report supports FAO’s goal of achieving better production, betternutrition, a better environment, and a better life.The report is designed for policymakers, government officials, academics, and stakeholders working within agrifood systems, both in Rwanda and beyond. Its added value liesin its practical guidance on using systems thinking to create innovative, evidence-based policies that respond to the interconnected challenges of modern agrifood systems.Furthermore, the publication highlights Rwanda’s experiences in policy experimentation and stakeholder engagement, offering valuable lessons for other countries seeking totransform their agrifood systems.
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    Book (stand-alone)
    Guide méthodologique des empreintes carbone et eau dans la production bananière 2025
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    Le Forum mondial de la banane a publié un guide méthodologique visant à réduire les empreintes carbone et eau des plantations de bananes à l’échelle mondiale. Les membres du Groupe de travail sur les systèmes de production durable et l’impact environnemental reconnaissent que la production bananière contribue aux émissions mondiales de gaz à effet de serre et à la consommation d’eau douce. Ces enjeux, mis en lumière lors de la Conférence de Paris sur le climat en 2015 (COP21), font du secteur agricole un levier essentiel pour l’atténuation du changement climatique. Dans cette perspective, le groupe de travail entend participer activement à la lutte contre le changement climatique et à la promotion d’une gestion durable des ressources naturelles. Il développe ainsi des outils pratiques pour renforcer les efforts de l’industrie bananière mondiale en matière de réduction de son empreinte carbone et eau. Face aux difficultés rencontrées par les producteurs de bananes pour s’adapter aux changements climatiques, ce projet vise à favoriser et soutenir l’adoption des meilleures pratiques agricoles adaptées au climat, ainsi qu’une gestion efficace de l’eau dans la chaîne de valeur de la banane, en cohérence avec les stratégies environnementales des organisations. Les initiatives visant à réduire l’empreinte carbone et eau dans l’industrie bananière restent encore limitées et sont principalement portées par des multinationales. Cette situation s’explique notamment par les coûts de mise en œuvre, la complexité du sujet pour les producteurs, le manque d’outils de mesure adaptés, ainsi que par le fait qu’il s’agit encore d’une approche peu connue des consommateurs. Bien que la nécessité d’analyser et de réduire les empreintes carbone et eau dans l’industrie bananière soit largement admise, les incitations financières restent insuffisantes, tant de la part des gouvernements que du marché mondial.
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    Book (series)
    Fish stocking in inland waters in Europe and Central Asia
    Issues and solutions
    2025
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    Fish stock enhancement through formal stocking programmes has long been recognized as an important tool to compensate the loss of productivity and diversity. Fish stocking is widely implemented across Europe and Central Asia to increase or maintain fish productivity. However, there are concerns about the benefits and successes associated with stocking fishes, as well as the potential risks, particularly with respect to ecological impacts from stocking, competition and predation, changes in ecosystem functioning, changes in community structure, disease transmission and losses of genetic integrity. Consequently, there is a need to review the factors that drive successes and failures of fish stocking programmes and the risks from stocking, so stock enhancement programmes are carried out in the most effective way.This report summarizes the main conclusions of a review of the benefits and impacts of fish stocking. It provides a framework to mitigate the negative impacts and maximize the benefits of fish stocking activities.
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    Book (series)
    Report of the Asia Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association–FAO Expert Workshop on Broad-based Reporting Requirements on Credit to Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Aquaculture
    Bangkok, Thailand, 25–26 November 2024
    2025
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    The Asia Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association–FAO Expert Workshop on Broad-Based Reporting Requirements on Credit to Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Aquaculture, was held in Bangkok, Thailand, on 25–26 November 2024. Twenty-four agriculture credit experts from Cambodia, India, the Philippines and Thailand participated in the workshop. The workshop discussed options for harmonizing reporting on credit extended to agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture. The experts shared information on their data collection and reporting systems on credit. Innovative systems of credit data collection and processing were presented. The agriculture credit experts worked together on the development of Guidelines on broad-based reporting of credit to agriculture, forestry, fishing and related subsectors. The guidelines encourage financial service providers and business partners to incorporate the United Nations International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) of all economic activities in their credit and investment operations and reporting practices.The guidelines will be multipurpose as they: 1) enhance loan portfolio management, 2) improve general reporting on loans to subsectors of the agriculture sector, 3) contribute to environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting, 4) increase data availability for reporting on the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and 5) facilitate harmonization of regional credit reporting approaches.