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Policy briefPolicy briefLeveraging environment-related provisions linked to agriculture, fisheries and forestry in regional trade agreements to strengthen environmental governance 2025
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No results found.Environment-related provisions for agriculture, fisheries and forestry (Ag-ERPs) have become an increasingly important instrument for aligning trade commitments with environmental sustainability objectives, influencing policy trajectories across a wide range of agrifood sectors. Their rapid expansion over recent decades reflects deeper forms of economic integration, with RTAs now incorporating provisions on issues such as sustainable water use, pesticide management, responsible fishing practices and deforestation. Evidence indicates that Ag-ERPs can reinforce domestic regulatory reforms and foster institutional cooperation, although implementation remains constrained by fragmented mandates, limited resources and overlapping trade and environmental obligations. Future developments will be shaped by the capacity of national institutions to manage coordination challenges, establish effective monitoring systems, and ensure inclusive engagement of stakeholders. Continued proliferation of RTAs may intensify the complexity of commitments, underscoring the importance of multilateral cooperation to reduce inconsistencies, improve alignment across agreements and strengthen national implementation frameworks. This brief provides an overview of recent trends in Ag-ERP inclusion and examines the main challenges and enabling conditions that will influence their contribution to sustainable agrifood systems in the coming years. -
Book (stand-alone)Technical studyAg-ERPs database: a novel repository of environment-related provisions for agriculture, fisheries and forestry in regional trade agreements 2024
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No results found.The relationship between trade and the environment is intricate. Trade can improve the allocation of production among countries, with an efficiency-enhancing role in natural resources use. Likewise, open markets can improve access to new technologies that make domestic production processes more cost-efficient and reduce the use of inputs as well as other environmentally harmful substances. However, economic growth due to trade expansion can have a direct impact on the environment by increasing pollution and contributing to natural resource degradation. Trade liberalization may also lead to specialization in pollution-intensive activities in some countries, especially when environmental policies are not stringent. In recent years, there has been a significant shift in how trade policies are being approached, with a renewed emphasis on balancing sustainable development and market liberalization to ensure that trade policies and environmental protection are coherent and mutually supportive. Since the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995, regional trade agreements (RTAs) have become a common option to further liberalize trade, growing significantly in number. RTAs have also expanded rapidly in terms of regulatory coverage and have evolved to directly referencing sustainable development and including provisions linking the environment to the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors. Based on novel dataset, this research looks into the trends in inclusion of environmental provisions related to the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors (“Ag-ERPs”) in RTAs and provides policy recommendations. -
Book (stand-alone)Technical bookEnvironmental outcomes in agriculture: the effects of environment-related provisions in regional trade agreements 2024
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No results found.The agriculture sector is both a contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is affected by trade policies. As more and more regional trade agreements (RTAs) include environment-related provisions (ERPs), this technical note explores whether agriculture-related ERPs in RTAs are associated with reduced GHG emissions from agriculture. The research applies a novel dataset on ERPs related to the agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors (Ag-ERPs) to analyse this relationship in a panel of 195 countries and territories in RTAs notified to the World Trade Organization from 1995 to 2019. The findings show that there is indeed a significant reduction in agriculture-related GHG emissions in countries that enter into RTAs with more Ag-ERPs with their relevant trading partners in agricultural products. A mediation analysis reveals that this association is partly driven by stricter domestic environmental regulation, and partly by a reduction in agricultural land use. However, a large part of the overall association between RTAs with more Ag-ERPs and the reduction in agriculture-related emissions is still unexplained by these two channels. This suggests that lower GHG emission production methods are implemented at given levels of domestic environmental regulation and agricultural land use in countries with more Ag-ERPs in their relevant RTAs.
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Book (series)FlagshipThe State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025
Addressing high food price inflation for food security and nutrition
2025While some progress and recovery have been made in recent years, the world is still above pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels and far from eradicating hunger and food insecurity by 2030 (SDG Target 2.1). Similarly, despite some progress in the global nutrition targets, the world is not on track to achieve SDG Target 2.2. Among other factors, persistent food price inflation has slowed this momentum.The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 highlights how elevated inflation in many countries has undermined purchasing power and, especially among low-income populations, access to healthy diets. The report documents how high food price inflation is associated with increases in food insecurity and child malnutrition. Vulnerable groups, including low-income households, women, and rural communities, can be particularly affected by food price inflation, risking setbacks in the fight against hunger and malnutrition.In response to these challenges and to prevent future price shocks, the report examines policy measures adopted by countries, and outlines what is necessary going forwards. It stresses the importance of coherent implementation of fiscal and monetary policies to stabilize markets, promote open and resilient trade, and protect vulnerable populations. Additionally, it calls for better data systems and sustained investment in resilient agrifood systems to build long-term food security and nutrition. These coordinated actions are vital to reignite progress towards ending hunger and malnutrition by 2030. -
BookletCorporate general interestFAOSTYLE: English 2024The objective of having a house style is to ensure clarity and consistency across all FAO publications. Now available in HTML, this updated edition of FAOSTYLE: English covers matters such as punctuation, units, spelling and references. All FAO staff, consultants and contractors involved in writing, reviewing, editing, translating or proofreading FAO texts and information products in English should use FAOSTYLE, together with the practical guidance on processes and layout questions provided in Publishing at FAO – strategy and guidance.