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DocumentOther documentThe rangelands of the arid/semi-arid areas: Challenges and hopes for the 2000s 1998
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No results found.Do we need to worry about the rangelands in the arid and semi-arid areas? Is there hope for these resources in the year 2000 and beyond? Is it valid to assume that the world's marginal rangelands will survive the extraordinary pressures which started around the mid-1950s as a result of the sharp increase in human population density? What can modern technologies bring to these areas, other than disaster and over-use? Nowadays, domestic animals are trucked to the remotest corners of the ea rth and plants that used to flourish under very irregular and scanty rain hardly get a chance to germinate. The seed banks are depleting rapidly, and the seasonally-rich grazing areas are turning irreversibly into barren lands. These are the cries of the times, and the agonies of the helpless. However, nature has its own defense mechanisms and strategies which it has maintained throughout the history of our planet. This paper explores the fore-mentioned issues from a historic and stati stical perspective. Issues relating to the validity and long-term sustainability of approaches to monitor and manage the extensive rangelands in a changing world are substantiated and discussed. Attention is also given to the socio-economic and technical relevance of high tech and conventional approaches towards understanding the dynamics of vegetation and livestock, the consumption habits of graziers, and the market forces. Consideration is given to the balance between natural and man -made defenses and strategies and responsibilities at national and regional (e.g., GCC) levels are explored, proposed and/or recommended. -
BookletTechnical studyIncreasing sustainable livestock productivity for healthier diets in arid and semi-arid lands in Kenya
Investment case
2024Also available in:
No results found.In Kenya, the livestock sector accounts for an estimated 4.4 percent of the country's GDP but it employs about 50 percent of the agriculture labour force, alongside other jobs created along value chains. While livestock production in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) has high potential for improving the livelihoods of pastoral households, its contribution towards national development is largely underestimated and receives less attention. Pastoralist food systems suffer from diminished natural resources and extreme weather conditions resulting in spikes of food insecurity and acute malnutrition. This investment case portrays the multiple social, economic and health benefits derived from sustainably increasing the productivity of milking animals among pastoralist communities, especially with the engagement of women as agents of change and caregivers. It provides entry points to remove barriers for upscaling this type of investment, taking into account the needs for climate change adaptation and mitigation in pastoralist settings. -
No Thumbnail AvailableBook (stand-alone)Technical bookEnvironmental Impact Assessment (Volume I) of Livestock Production in Grassland and Mixed Rainfed Systems in Temperate Zones and Grassland and Mixed-Rainfed Systems in Humid and Subhumid Tropic and Subtropic Zones (Except Africa)
Volume I - Executive Summary, Delineation of Zones-Production Systems and Appendix
1996Also available in:
No results found.Concerns about degradation of forests and other natural resources, growing awareness about potentially adverse climate changes, and a greater consciousness worldwide about the need for protection of the earth’s environment have led to increased attention on agricultural and animal husbandry practices. These concerns are a natural and predictable reaction as human population continues to increase at unparalleled numbers each year. For example, in 1950 there were just 2.5 billion people in the wor ld. Forty years later, in 1990, this planet had 5 billion. By 2025 human population is expected to reach 8.5 billion people. In just seventy-five years-the life span of an average person in an economically developed country-population will have increased more than it did in all the previous history of the world. Little wonder that agricultural scientists as well as non-agriculturalists feel the time has come to take bold action to save our remaining forest habitat, prevent and even reverse land degradation, and develop a plan which will assure future generations of sustainable agricultural practices. This report focuses on worldwide livestock grazing and mixed farming systems in Temperate and Humid-Subhumid Tropic and Subtropic Agroecological Zones. Excluded are all lands of Africa, all Tropical Highlands, and Arid and Semiarid Tropics and Subtropics. The scope of this focus is massive as it includes 60 percent of the world’s people, 50 percent of the pasture land, 65 percent of t he arable land, 59 percent of the world’s cattle, 44 percent of the sheep and goats, as well as similar proportions of other forage-consuming animals.
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Book (stand-alone)Technical bookNon-Wood Forest Products In The Gambia
EC/FAO ACP Data Collection Project technical report - AFDCA/TN/02
1999Also available in:
No results found.An overview of NWFPs in The Gambia, covering honey, foodplants, bushmeat and medicines. -
Book (series)FlagshipThe State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021
Transforming food systems for food security, improved nutrition and affordable healthy diets for all
2021In recent years, several major drivers have put the world off track to ending world hunger and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. The challenges have grown with the COVID-19 pandemic and related containment measures. This report presents the first global assessment of food insecurity and malnutrition for 2020 and offers some indication of what hunger might look like by 2030 in a scenario further complicated by the enduring effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also includes new estimates of the cost and affordability of healthy diets, which provide an important link between the food security and nutrition indicators and the analysis of their trends. Altogether, the report highlights the need for a deeper reflection on how to better address the global food security and nutrition situation.To understand how hunger and malnutrition have reached these critical levels, this report draws on the analyses of the past four editions, which have produced a vast, evidence-based body of knowledge of the major drivers behind the recent changes in food security and nutrition. These drivers, which are increasing in frequency and intensity, include conflicts, climate variability and extremes, and economic slowdowns and downturns – all exacerbated by the underlying causes of poverty and very high and persistent levels of inequality. In addition, millions of people around the world suffer from food insecurity and different forms of malnutrition because they cannot afford the cost of healthy diets. From a synthesized understanding of this knowledge, updates and additional analyses are generated to create a holistic view of the combined effects of these drivers, both on each other and on food systems, and how they negatively affect food security and nutrition around the world.In turn, the evidence informs an in-depth look at how to move from silo solutions to integrated food systems solutions. In this regard, the report proposes transformative pathways that specifically address the challenges posed by the major drivers, also highlighting the types of policy and investment portfolios required to transform food systems for food security, improved nutrition, and affordable healthy diets for all. The report observes that, while the pandemic has caused major setbacks, there is much to be learned from the vulnerabilities and inequalities it has laid bare. If taken to heart, these new insights and wisdom can help get the world back on track towards the goal of ending hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition in all its forms. -
BookletHigh-profileFAO Strategy on Climate Change 2022–2031 2022The FAO Strategy on Climate Change 2022–2031 was endorsed by FAO Council in June 2022. This new strategy replaces the previous strategy from 2017 to better FAO's climate action with the Strategic Framework 2022-2031, and other FAO strategies that have been developed since then. The Strategy was elaborated following an inclusive process of consultation with FAO Members, FAO staff from headquarters and decentralized offices, as well as external partners. It articulates FAO's vision for agrifood systems by 2050, around three main pillars of action: at global and regional level, at country level, and at local level. The Strategy also encourages key guiding principles for action, such as science and innovation, inclusiveness, partnerships, and access to finance.