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BookletCorporate general interestBusiness profiling and nutrition assessment of agrifood small and medium-sized enterprises in Ethiopia, Malawi and Mali
Report
2024Also available in:
No results found.This report presents the findings of an analysis of the business profiling information and capacity gaps of agrifood small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and enterprise support organizations (ESOs) across Ethiopia, Malawi and Mali. The data collected and the analysis provide valuable insights to policymakers and practitioners on the capacity and learning gaps to be addressed and on the challenges that SMEs and ESOs face in the targeted countries. The results showed that most of these enterprises are micro-enterprises, almost half are managed by women, and they develop a diversified portfolio of activities including production, processing, and retailing mostly in grain value chains. Most agrifood SMEs mentioned the following as their primary business challenges: limited access to finance, input costs and infrastructure development. -
Book (stand-alone)Technical bookPromoting the digitalization of small and medium-sized agrifood enterprises in Asia and the Pacific 2023
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No results found.Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute the large majority of businesses both globally and in Asia and the Pacific. Despite their undeniable importance, the literature on SMEs in general, and agrifood SMEs in particular, is relatively limited. One specific area that deserves deeper consideration is the extent of digital engagement of agrifood SMEs along the agrifood value chain, from farm to retail and food services, in countries in Asia and the Pacific. The goal of this publication is to understand the current status of digitalization of agri-SMEs in Asia and the Pacific, what this process looks like and how to improve it. A value-chain approach was adopted to evaluate the digital maturity of all types of agri-SMEs across previously siloed categories – from farm to fork, and in the core and the extended value chain. The report analyses the benefits of digital transformation for agri-SMEs and the challenges they face in this process. Next, the report outlines practical and actionable measures that governments and other stakeholders may undertake to help agrifood SMEs stay ahead in the digital age. Special attention is given to the creation of a digital environment that enables agri-SMEs to increase the efficiency of their operations and allow them to grow. This is particularly important given that many agri-SMEs are located in rural agricultural areas, (where more than half of the population in Asia and the Pacific still resides), but where the environment is less favourable to digital transformation. -
Brochure, flyer, fact-sheetBrochureMicro-, small and medium-sized enterprises increase supply of nutritious food in local markets
Success stories from Kenya and Malawi
2025Also available in:
No results found.Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are key players in local food supply chains, handling about 65% of the food consumed in regions like Africa and South Asia. Therefore, they are a key entry point to promote and increase the local availability of nutritious food and improve the food environment, while being a source for income and employment, and instrumental for the economic inclusion and self-reliance of women and youth.The success stories presented in this publication showcase MSMEs in Kenya and Malawi increasing their production of nutritious food and suppling these to the local markets as the result of a specifically designed mentoring and coaching program. The program promoted their knowledge and skills in production, food safety, conservation and proper handling, diversification of products, and marketing of nutritious food, complemented by general business and financial management skills and reinforced by the investment in basic equipment. The success stories show that MSMEs enhanced their capacities to introduce and sustain strategic improvements that increase their supply of nutritious food; that unmet local demand for nutritious and diverse food bears opportunities for MSMEs; that the mentoring and coaching program, by identifying individualized business solutions, is applicable to all food products and stages of the food supply chains, and that these activities are therefore adaptable to the food system priorities of each territory.
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No Thumbnail AvailableFrom Shelf to Screen: Digitizing the FAO Library for Future Generations 2025
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Book (stand-alone)Technical bookPicturing progress – Four betters in focus 2025This commemorative volume marks the 80th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), tracing its journey from a founding conviction – that hunger is not inevitable – to today’s global mission of transforming agrifood systems. Through a rich collection of photographs and narratives, the book illustrates how FAO works alongside farmers, fishers, scientists, governments, Indigenous Peoples, youth and civil society to advance sustainable solutions that nourish both people and planet.Organized around FAO’s vision of the four betters – better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life – the book highlights concrete progress: from regenerative farming and climate-smart livestock, to school feeding programmes, land restoration and inclusive digital innovation. It reflects on both the challenges and the opportunities facing agrifood systems, including climate volatility, conflict and inequality, while showing how collaboration, knowledge and innovation create pathways for resilience and hope.Arriving at a moment of reflection and renewal, this volume is both tribute and testimony: to the millions of people whose daily efforts sustain our world, and to FAO’s enduring commitment to building sustainable, inclusive and equitable agrifood systems that leave no one behind.
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