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Evaluation of FAO’s contributions to Sustainable Development Goal 2

Agroecology











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FAO. 2021. Evaluation of FAO's contribution to Sustainable Development Goal 2 - Agroecology. Rome.


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    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Evaluation report
    Evaluation of FAO’s contributions to Sustainable Development Goal 2
    Support to agricultural investment
    2021
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    Agricultural investment is key to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2). This study – part of the evaluation of the role of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in supporting SDG 2 – examines the FAO Investment Centre’s role in promoting agricultural investment in Africa, focusing on investment programme design and implementation. The study finds that despite an increase in lending, international financial institutions have less and less capacity to prepare and supervise ever more complex operations and are particularly short of in-country capacity. This makes it difficult to contextualize interventions for sustainability and results. In-country specialists who understand and have experience of working with farmers are therefore needed, making the Investment Centre a critical resource. Notwithstanding recent infusions of support, however, it remains understaffed and underfunded. As far as the Investment Centre’s 2018 cooperative agreement with the African Development Bank is concerned, the study finds that while the Centre has undertaken some work under the agreement, financial and political constraints may be why it has not yet gained significant programmatic traction. It also finds that the Centre’s World Bank partnership is strong, but faces a number of challenges. The Investment Centre is working with the Office of FAO’s Chief Economist to develop a programme of engagement, which will give World Bank country managers the data they need to make informed decisions on agricultural investment. The study also calls for greater FAO senior management and country office support in FAO’s interactions with the World Bank.
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    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Evaluation report
    Evaluation of FAO’s contributions to Sustainable Development Goal 2
    Farmer field schools and their derivatives
    2021
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    Studies and reports on the farmer field school (FFS) approach show that it develops the skills and knowledge of farmers, allowing them to create more efficient and sustainable production systems and, thus, contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As far as SDG 2 is concerned, while there is an indirect link to targets 2.1 and 2.2, the largest FFS contributions are to be found in relation to targets 2.3 and 2.4, which focus on increasing agricultural productivity and income, and sustainable production systems and agricultural practices, respectively. The main objective of this review was to inform the SDG 2 Evaluation on the relevance and contribution of the FFS approach to the SDG 2 targets and the principles of the 2030 Agenda. It found that in addition to developing the methodology at the heart of the approach and exporting it to countries and regions to support small-scale farmers, FAO achieved significant results and brought about substantial change on various levels. The review concluded that FFS went beyond the mere sharing of information and focused more on knowledge discovery through direct experience and community co-creation. The review recommends that FAO continue its work to support national governments in scaling-up the approach while ensuring the quality of the methods. FAO should also ensure that the benefits to farmers’ empowerment continue and contribute to greater coordination and monitoring of results and progress made.
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    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Evaluation report
    Evaluation of FAO’s contributions to Sustainable Development Goal 2
    South-South and triangular cooperation
    2021
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    This document presents the results of a brief study of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) work on South–South and triangular cooperation. It was conducted as part of the strategic evaluation of FAO’s contributions to Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2), with a view to understanding the relevance of South–South and triangular cooperation as a mechanism for mobilizing resources and partnerships to support Members in achieving SDG 2, as well as to identify key challenges and opportunities for FAO to expand this mechanism in the context of the 2030 Agenda. South–South and triangular Cooperation is a relevant and effective means of implementing the SDGs, as highlighted by the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. This study confirmed that South–South and triangular cooperation is an excellent mechanism for mobilizing partnerships, pooling resources for sustainable development and conveying innovative solutions. Within FAO, South–South and triangular cooperation has achieved significant milestones, especially in terms of structural change. However, its potential has not been fully explored. Challenges such as the high turnover of top management, inadequate visibility by senior management and insufficient resources may have hampered the consolidation of a South– South and triangular cooperation strategic vision and plan for the Organization. There is momentum and plenty of opportunity for FAO to tackle certain systemic challenges and strengthen its South– South and triangular cooperation work to accelerate progress on achieving SDG 2.

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