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Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services











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    Book (stand-alone)
    Corporate general interest
    Advancing rural advisory services in Arab countries to promote market orientation and inclusive transformation
    A regional study
    2023
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    Small-scale family farmers are the backbone of rural communities in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region. Despite their extensive participation in the agricultural sector, these types of farmers and their farms are disproportionately affected by poverty, ultimately constituting about 70 percent of the poorliving in the region. Apart from adverse agroclimatic conditions, smallscale farmers experience several challenges that stem from their limited assets, land fragmentation and weak capacities, with negative impacts on their productivity, profitability and income. Specific constraints include low volume and quality of produce, high transaction costs, high costs of inputs, low prices and weak access to market information and postharvest facilities – all of which adds up to a limited ability to reach and compete in markets. Small-scale farmers need services that enable them to make informed decisions and facilitate their access to quality inputs, post-harvest facilities and more profitable markets. They also need to reinforce their capacities to act collectively and develop effective organizations that can articulate their demands, amplify their voice, and facilitate their access to services and markets. As a result of persisting gender-based social norms, women typically face more challenges than men in terms of owning assets, accessing quality inputs and services, reaching markets and achieving fair prices.
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    Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services Outcome Note 2023
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    FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa in collaboration with International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has organized a regional meeting to discuss the vision, mission and roadmap towards the establishment of the Arab Forum for Rural Advisory Services (AFRAS). The meeting took place in Cairo, Egypt, on 24 and 25 July 2023. The Forum is envisaged to operate under the umbrella of the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS), hence joining the array of existing regional networks of RAS across the globe. Deliberations focused on the roadmap for the establishment of AFRAS which was developed with the support of a voluntary advisory group of experts facilitated by FAO. They also focused on the priority functions for AFRAS, viable institutional format, operational and technical modalities. FAO, jointly with IFAD, will communicate to ministries of agriculture through its country offices the outcomes of the meeting and will solicit interest and support from stakeholders in member countries towards the official a launch of AFRAS, tentatively envisaged in the first months of 2024. The meeting discussed and agreed on the vision and mission of AFRAS as outlined below, as well as on AFRAS values and principles, areas of thematic focus and priority functions.
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    Book (stand-alone)
    Technical study
    Stocktaking and situation analysis of FAO's work with cooperatives and other forms of collective action in the Near East and North Africa region 2025
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    Agricultural cooperatives, Producer and Professional Organizations (PPOs), and Water Users Associations (WUAs) in the North Africa and Near East (NENA) region play a crucial role in supporting small-scale family farming, which is vital for the regional economy. Recognized as a strategic sector, agriculture benefits significantly from the contributions of cooperatives and other forms of collective action. They can help address common challenges faced by NENA countries, such as limited access to arable land, water scarcity, soil salinization, high production costs, market access issues, technical knowledge gaps, and climate change.The FAO has a longstanding commitment to supporting cooperatives, PPOs, WUAs, and other forms of collective action (CA) in the NENA region. This work is primarily carried out at the country level and within subregions. The FAO's approach includes consultative work, capacity development, advocacy and networking, knowledge generation and sharing, and support for the enabling environment. Most specifically, creating an enabling environment is a critical area of FAO's work, assisting governments in revising and developing policies and legislation that support cooperative development. This also involves facilitating policy dialogues and capacity development to help organizations engage in negotiations and understand regulatory impacts.This paper aims at providing a situation analysis of these forms of CA in the region and of FAO’s work towards promotion of CA, with the final aim to inform a regional programme in support of FAO’s work with these organizations.

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    Flagship
    The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021
    Transforming food systems for food security, improved nutrition and affordable healthy diets for all
    2021
    In 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.
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    Technical book
    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 (stand-alone)
    Technical book
    Russian Federation: Meat sector review
    Country highlights prepared under the FAO/EBRD Cooperation
    2014
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    World food demand has seen massive changes, including a shift from staple foods to animal proteins and vegetable oils. In the short to medium term, this trend in global food demand will continue. There will be an increased demand for vegetable oils, meat, sugar, dairy products and livestock feed made from coarse grains and oilseed meals. There are numerous mid-term forecasts for the Russian Federation’s meat sector. Most of them agree on the following trends: (i) the consumption of poultry and p ork meat will increase; (ii) the consumption of beef will decrease or stabilize; and (iii) the Russian Federation will remain a net importer of meat on the world market. According to OECD and FAO projections, meat imports from the Russian Federation will decrease from 3 to 1.3 million tonnes, owing to an anticipated growth in domestic chicken meat and pork production. The country’s share in global meat imports is anticipated to decrease from 12 percent in 2006–2010, to 4 percent in 2021. While t he Russian Federation will continue to play an important role in the international meat market, it will fall from its position as the largest meat importing country in 2006–2010 to the fourth largest global meat importer by 2021, behind Japan, sub-Saharan African countries, and Saudi Arabia.