MAJOR PROGRAMME 2.2: FOOD AND AGRICULTURE POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT

324.      Major Programme 2.2 is implemented by the Economic and Social Department, and the Library and Documentation Systems Division (GIL) which maintains the World Agricultural Information Centre (WAICENT). This Major Programme responds to global and regional priorities expressed by Governing Bodies and by major international conferences, including the World Food Summit, the World Food Summit: five years later, WTO Ministerial Conferences, the Financing for Development Conference in Monterrey, and fora of Food Safety Regulators. In this context, the Major Programme plays a key role in the analysis of the reasons for insufficient progress in combating hunger and malnutrition by building on its core statistical base, rich collection of technical information, and strong analytical capacities. It proposes as well as supports actions that can be taken, nationally and internationally, to improve the situation. The Major Programme also plays a significant role in ensuring greater participation of developing countries in the formulation of a rules-based food and agricultural trading system. It contributes to the important goal of the whole membership toward ensuring improved quality and safety of food and nutrition for consumers. By addressing the gap that separates the poor and hungry in rural areas from advanced information and knowledge, it helps bridging the rural "digital divide".

325.      These overriding thrusts translate into the following key objectives:

• raised awareness of the benefits of alleviating hunger and poverty, and identification of priority action areas for public investment and policy intervention; also taking account of emerging food security challenges from a transforming food economy;
• identification, characterisation and targeting of the food insecure and vulnerable in collaboration with FIVIMS partners and assistance to countries to strengthen information systems for improved decision making;
• sustained improvement in nutritional well-being through community-based actions, national and sectoral policies and programmes, capacity building and nutrition education for the public;
• promotion of food safety throughout the food chain and consumer awareness and protection, particularly through science-based advice and servicing of the Codex Alimentarius Commission;
• facilitation of the integration of developing countries into international markets, including as well-informed and equal partners in multilateral trade negotiations;
• furnishing to the international community of high quality and comprehensive statistics, regular and timely assessments of food supply/demand situations, the outlook for agricultural commodities and strategic analyses and perspectives;
• improved preparedness for and response to food emergencies;
• facilitating the uptake and use by Members of standards, methodologies and tools for agricultural information management under the WAICENT Framework.

PROGRAMME 2.2.0: RESPONDING TO FOOD SECURITY CHALLENGES IN LIGHT OF THE TRANSFORMING FOOD ECONOMY

Prog. Entity	Time Frame	Title	PWB 2004-05	MTP 2006-07	MTP 2008-09	MTP 2010-11	MTP Total
220A1(1)	2004-2009	Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information for Better Policy Targeting (FIVIMS)	4,179	4,157	4,054	-	8,211
220A3	2006-2011	Demographic Change and Urbanization: Impact on Consumption Patterns	-	150	150	150	450
220A4	2006-2011	Managing Nutrition in a Transforming Food Economy	-	50	50	50	150
220A5	2006-2011	Evolution of Commodity Value Chains and Impact on Markets, Trade and Food Security	-	800	800	800	2,400
220A6	2006-2011	Analysis of the Impact of the Changing Structure of the Food Economy	-	376	376	376	1,128
220P1	Continuing	World Food Summit and Millennium Development Goals Monitoring and Action	1,425	1,313	1,313	1,313	3,939
220S1	Continuing	Servicing the Committee on World Food Security	684	684	684	648	2,016
Programme Reserve			-			4,054
Total Programme of Work			6,288	7,530	7,427	7,391	22,348
Less External Income			-	-	-	-	-
Net Appropriation			6,288	7,530	7,427	7,391	22,348
Real Growth				500	1,000	1,500	3,000
Net Appropriation with Real Growth				8,030	8,427	8,891	25,348
Growth in Net Appropriation (Percentage)				6.6%	13.5%	20.3%	13.4%
(1) - Although the title of the entity has changed, there has been no substantive change in its formulation

326.      This Programme is to be renamed and strengthened. It would still remain primarily an intra-departmental programme, clustering those entities that relate most directly to the WFS target of halving the number of undernourished by 2015. It retains three of the four entities hitherto located there: 220A1, 220P1 and 220S1, while four new entities are also introduced. These are to address more specifically recommendations from the Governing Bodies for more practical analyses on the management of social, agricultural and economic transitions, and a more focused assessment of their impact.

327.      Thus, the programme will comprise:

• 220A1: Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information for Better Policy Targeting (FIVIMS): the focus of which will shift from information supply to consideration of the needs of end users. The intent is to make the outputs more responsive to needs and contribute to better targeted and more effective interventions and policies to reduce food insecurity at the national and international level. The State of Food Insecurity in the World is published annually under this entity.
• 220A3: Demographic Change and Urbanization: Impact on Consumption Patterns: This new entity is to identify upcoming problems associated with long-term changes in the composition and geographic location of populations and their impact on food demand and diets.
• 220A4: Managing Nutrition in a Transforming Food Economy: This new entity will address the need to build capacity in developing countries for collection, analysis and dissemination of data which make a link between dietary changes and rising risks of non-communicable diseases. It will document dietary transition more adequately and convincingly, and support programmes that promote successful healthy diets.
• 220A5: Evolution of Commodity Value Chains and Impact on Markets, Trade and Food Security: This new entity is to address important issues frequently raised by Members regarding the changing nature of commodity value chains and the distribution of rewards within those chains, notably between developing country producers/exporters and large international trading/processing and retailing enterprises. This includes analyses of price transmission and the make-up of the final prices.
• 220A6: Analysis of the Impact of the Changing Structure of the Food Economy: This new entity will cover evolving structural transformations, e.g. the rapid development of the food economy, including the spread of supermarkets, and the resulting opportunities and threats posed by these changes to small producers in developing countries.
• 220P1: World Food Summit and Millennium Development Goals Monitoring and Actions: the scope of which is to be expanded to include FAO's contribution to monitoring of MDGs and participation in the Millennium Project (resources are to be increased accordingly).
• 220S1: Servicing the Committee on World Food Security (unchanged).

328.      It is also foreseen that another new entity, 220A7: Improved Information and Analyses on Food Insecurity and Vulnerability: may start in 2010-11, building on the achievements of 220A1 (terminating in 2009) in line with the recommendations of a recently completed External Assessment of the Inter-agency Working Group on Food Insecurity Vulnerability Information Mapping Systems (IAWG-FIVIMS) Initiative. The new entities commencing in 2006 are described below.

Entity

A1

A2

A3

B1

B2

C1

C2

D1

D2

E1

E2

E3

220A1

220A3

220A4

220A5

220A6

220P1

220S1

Legend:

less than US$ 750,000

US$ 750,000 to US$ 2 million

more than US$ 2 million

Real Growth Proposal

Under a Real Growth budget, Entity 220A1 would be able to improve the use of food insecurity and vulnerability information in the design and monitoring of policies and interventions. More specifically, it would step up capacity development in gathering and analyzing data (e.g. dietary assessment data) as well as guidelines on the effective use of FIVIMS information (e.g. in national planning and monitoring). An in-depth analysis would be conducted of the performance of national FIVIMS to highlight lessons learned which can be shared with all Members.

220A3: Demographic Change and Urbanization: Impact on Consumption Patterns

Development problem to be addressed:

329.      The entity will focus on the identification of upcoming problems associated with long-term developments in world food and nutrition due to changes in population composition (e.g. aging) and in the location of population (increasingly urbanized).

Proposed contribution to problem resolution:

330.      Policies and strategies need to be based on better informed decisions, which in turn need to rely on an accurate assessment of major trends in diets. FAO will provide an assessment of the major long-term changes foreseen in diets and their underlying causes. This should form a basis for policy makers to formulate measures to deal with undesirable and detrimental effects of unhealthy diets.

Intended end beneficiaries and benefits:

331.      Essentially policy makers in countries, and the public at large depending on measures taken.

Objective(s)

332.      Increased awareness at national and international levels of expected long-term developments in food consumption and nutrient intakes, and informed policy and programmatic choices, as a result.

Major Output(s)

• Analysis of the impact of demographic changes on food consumption and diets

Indicator(s)

• Examples of public debates, public awareness campaigns, programmes or policies that were influenced by the analysis and assessment from this entity

220A4: Managing Nutrition in a Transforming Food Economy

Development problem to be addressed:

333.      There is widespread acknowledgement within the scientific community that not only developed countries, but also developing countries are undergoing a "nutrition transition" stemming from rapid socio-economic, demographic and technological changes, which is leading to a shift in dietary consumption and physical activity patterns. While there is clear evidence to that effect in developed countries, there is relatively little data from developing countries which make a link between dietary pattern changes and rising risks of non-communicable disease. There is a need: 1) to build capacity in developing countries for collection, analysis and dissemination of data in order to adequately and convincingly document dietary transition; 2) to raise countries' awareness on the problem and its consequences; and 3) to develop appropriate responses including strategies and programmes that effectively promote healthy diets.

Proposed contribution to problem resolution:

334.      The scope of this entity is dual: 1) to bring about a solid base of national and even local evidence for changing dietary patterns and increasing risk of diet-related non-communicable diseases, so that national, district and municipal authorities can commit necessary resources to develop appropriate programmes for promotion of healthy diets; and 2) to develop and disseminate information materials and guidelines to raise awareness and to strengthen national capacities to implement nutrition promotion programmes.

Intended end beneficiaries and benefits:

335.      Populations and individuals undergoing nutrition transition. The more immediate beneficiaries will be: technical institutions responsible for data collection and analysis for purposes of informing policy makers as well as programme managers in government; NGOs who are responsible for implementing nutrition promotion programmes.

Objective(s)

336.      Enlightened decision making and related programme development, including formative research for testing and evaluating effective education and communication tools.

Major Output(s)

• Dietary consumption surveys and data analysis in relation to nutrition transition
• Promoting healthy diets to meet consumer dietary needs

Indicator(s)

• Countries with programmes in place to monitor the impact of the "nutrition transition" on nutritional status
• Countries with programmes in place to educate and inform consumers about healthy dietary choices
• Countries showing evidence of increased intake of fruits and vegetables, particularly among poor urban populations

220A5: Evolution of Commodity Value Chains and Impact on Markets, Trade and Food Security

Development problem to be addressed:

337.      The changing nature of commodity value chains affects the sharing of benefits and profits within those chains, notably between developing country producers/ exporters and large international trading/processing and retailing enterprises. In this context, there is a requirement to analyze price transmission and the make-up of the final prices. Increasing concentration along commodity chains has also obvious implications for food security.

Proposed contribution to problem resolution:

338.      It is expected that the food and agricultural commodity markets could function more effectively as a result of better information and analysis to be developed under this entity. Decision making of the key market agents at national and international levels would also be facilitated.

Intended end beneficiaries and benefits:

339.      Producers, traders and other national and international market participants as well as governments will benefit from more effective analysis and policy guidance on commodity chains

Objective(s)

340.      Enhanced market efficiency and improved decision making in national and international commodity markets by concerned actors in developing countries.

Major Output(s)

• Value chain analyses of international trade in basic foodstuffs
• Value chain analyses of international trade in tropical and horticultural products
• Analysis of changing market structures in international commodity trade

Indicator(s)

• Evidence of market or policy decisions that were influenced by analysis and information provided under this entity.

220A6: Analysis of the Impact of the Changing Structure of the Food Economy

Development problem to be addressed:

341.      Globalization, urbanization, increasing incomes and the opportunity cost of food purchasing and preparations have led to changes in the distribution and retail of food, in the sense of growing concentration in the processing and retail sectors. Supermarkets have become the dominant food retailer in many developing countries, which seriously impact the organization of the agri-food markets and the related institutions. Since poverty and food insecurity are still widespread in many of these countries, there is growing concern regarding the potential impact on the poor of the changes in national and regional agri-food systems.

Proposed contribution to problem resolution:

342.      An increased understanding of the factors that promote or inhibit small-scale producers' access to dynamic markets is instrumental to influencing policy decisions and the facilitation of stakeholder alliances.

Intended end beneficiaries and benefits:

343.      Small farms and firms will ultimately benefit through improved policies and improved linkages with dynamic markets.

Objective(s)

344.      Improved policies and enabling environment so as to improve linkages between small farms and firms and dynamic markets and facilitate the adjustment of small holders and rural communities to the changing food systems.

Major Output(s)

• Changes in food distribution and retail systems and their impact on rural poverty
• Transformation of production systems and implications for farm structures

Indicator(s)

• Examples of debates relayed in specialised or generalist media on issues addressed by this entity (changes in the food economy, implications for small farmers and food security) and making explicit reference to FAO's positions on these issues

PROGRAMME 2.2.1: NUTRITION, FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY

Prog. Entity	Time Frame	Title	PWB 2004-05	MTP 2006-07	MTP 2008-09	MTP 2010-11	MTP Total
221A2	2002-2007	Nutrition Improvement for Sustainable Development	1,698	1,673	-	-	1,673
221A4	2002-2007	Community Action for Improved Household Food Security and Nutrition	1,000	1,000	-	-	1,000
221A5	2002-2007	Food and Nutrition Education, Communications and Training	1,362	1,419	-	-	1,419
221A6	2002-2007	Nutrition and Household Food Security in Emergencies	684	684	-	-	684
221P1	Continuing	Nutrient Requirements and Dietary Assessment for Food Safety and Quality	1,353	1,353	1,353	1,353	4,059
221P2	Continuing	Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme (Codex Alimentarius)	6,661	6,723	6,723	6,723	20,169
221P5	Continuing	Food Quality Control and Consumer Protection	2,559	2,529	2,529	2,529	7,587
221P6(1)	Continuing	Food Safety Assessment	2,856	2,826	2,826	2,826	8,478
221P7	Continuing	Public Information about Nutrition, Food Quality and Safety	143	-	-	-	-
221P8	Continuing	Food Quality and Safety throughout the Food Chain	174	174	174	174	522
221S1	Continuing	Technical Support Services to Member Nations and the Field Programme	1,237	1,237	1,237	1,237	3,711
Programme Reserve			-		4,776	4,776
Total Programme of Work			19,727	19,618	19,618	19,618	58,854
Less External Income			1,315	1,417	1,417	1,417	4,251
Net Appropriation			18,412	18,201	18,201	18,201	54,603
Real Growth				250	500	750	1,500
Net Appropriation with Real Growth				18,451	18,701	18,951	56,103
Growth in Net Appropriation (Percentage)				1.4%	2.7%	4.1%	2.7%
(1) - Although the title of the entity has changed, there has been no substantive change in its formulation

345.      The main thrust of Programme 2.2.1 is to promote access to, and consumption of nutritionally adequate and safe food by all, with a high priority given to assuring the quality and safety of food. There is no significant change in the structure from the previous MTP. The programme will maintain emphasis on Codex Alimentarius and Codex-related issues of food safety and quality, nutrition information and education, household food security and nutrition interventions, as well as due reflection of nutrition aspects in national policies.

Entity

A1

A2

A3

B1

B2

C1

C2

D1

D2

E1

E2

E3

221A2

221A4

221A5

221A6

221P1

221P2

221P5

221P6

221P8

221S1

Legend:

less than US$ 750,000

US$ 750,000 to US$ 2 million

more than US$ 2 million

Real Growth Proposal

Resources would be used to further address the growing importance of safety assessment of foods derived from biotechnology and related capacity building activities. The Food and Nutrition Division (ESN), with support from Japan, has conducted four expert consultations on the subject which have enabled the Codex Alimentarius Commission to develop and adopt the Principles for the Risk Analysis of Foods Derived form Modern Biotechnology and two more specific Guidelines. Now that the Codex Inter-Governmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology has been re-instituted to implement further work requested by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), a specialist in this field would be engaged to deal with the safety assessment of foods derived from biotechnology and related technical assistance work.

PROGRAMME 2.2.2: FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION

Prog. Entity	Time Frame	Title	PWB 2004-05	MTP 2006-07	MTP 2008-09	MTP 2010-11	MTP Total
222A2	2002-2005	FAO/World Bank/USDA Initiative for Agricultural Statistics in Africa	485	-	-	-	-
222A3	2002-2006	FAO Country Profiles and Mapping Information System	279	279	-	-	279
222A4	2002-2005	Systematic Evaluation and Improvement of Statistical Data Quality	4	-	-	-	-
222A5	2002-2007	World Agriculture Information Resource System (WAIR)	2,272	2,272	-	-	2,272
222A6	2006-2011	Multi-Agency Programme for Capacity Building in Food and Agricultural Statistics in Africa	-	368	368	368	1,104
222P1(1)	Continuing	Agricultural Resources, Income and Food Security Statistics	2,863	2,500	2,500	2,500	7,500
222P2	Continuing	Agricultural Production, Trade Statistics and Food Balance Sheets	4,840	4,400	4,400	4,400	13,200
222P3(1)	Continuing	Agricultural Surveys and Statistics Development	1,665	1,500	1,500	1,500	4,500
222P5	Continuing	Programme for the Improvement of Language Coverage	1,999	1,999	899	899	3,797
222P6	Continuing	WAICENT Corporate Information Management and Dissemination Systems	4,962	4,962	5,241	5,241	15,444
222P7	Continuing	Standards, Norms and Procedures for Improved Access to Agricultural Information	1,249	1,249	1,249	1,249	3,747
222P8	Continuing	Facilitation of WAICENT Outreach	2,400	2,400	2,500	2,500	7,400
222P9(2)	Continuing	Management and acquisition from FAO and other providers of information collections, including the Virtual Library	4,754	4,754	4,754	4,754	14,262
222Q1	Continuing	Management of FAOSTAT/CountryStat and Coordination of Statistics at FAO	-	1,117	1,117	1,117	3,351
222S1	Continuing	Technical Support Services to Member Nations and the Field Programme	1,628	1,494	1,494	1,494	4,482
222S2	Continuing	Assistance to Countries in Capacity Building for Agriculture and Food Information through WAICENT	2,173	2,173	2,173	2,173	6,519
Programme Reserve			-		3,372	3,372
Total Programme of Work			31,573	31,467	31,567	31,567	94,601
Less External Income			320	320	320	320	960
Net Appropriation			31,253	31,147	31,247	31,247	93,641
Real Growth				1,500	3,000	4,500	9,000
Net Appropriation with Real Growth				32,647	34,247	35,747	102,641
Growth in Net Appropriation (Percentage)				4.8%	9.6%	14.4%	9.6%
(1) - Although the title of the entity has changed, there has been no substantive change in its formulation
(2) - The change in the title of the entity reflects a substantive change in its formulation

346.      This programme continues to be implemented by the Statistics Division (ESS) and the Library and Documentation Systems Division (GIL) which are jointly responsible for the Organization's principal corporate information systems under the WAICENT framework (e.g. FAOSTAT and the Corporate Document Repository). Adjustments to the structure are two entities 222Q1 and 222A6 (for ESS) while existing 222P1, 222P6 and 222P9 have been somewhat refocused. The rationale for the two new entities is summarized as follows:

• 222Q1: Management of FAOSTAT/CountryStat and Coordination of Statistics at FAO. This entity is to build on updated or upgraded methodologies, as well as working and dissemination systems of the current FAOSTAT, including through entity 222A4 ending in 2005. It will expand outreach of CountryStat, improve coordination of statistical activities and information at FAO, and pursue an active and leading role at the international level.
• 222A6: Multi-Agency Programme for Capacity Building in Food and Agriculture Statistics in Africa: This new entity will build on the former 222A2 under which some 15 African countries benefited from direct support to develop their agricultural statistics programmes and/or implement plans at national level. Limited support was also provided through extra-budgetary funding.

347.      The other changes are summarized as follows: 222P1 - Agricultural Resources, Income and Food Security Statistics: has been renamed, adding "Food Security" to the title and expanding its scope to cover: monitoring of government expenditures in agriculture; a statistical database of household surveys to contribute to the measurement of under-nourishment in particular and welfare in rural areas in general; and the development of integrated food security statistics in FAOSTAT. 222P6 - WAICENT Corporate Information Management and Dissemination Systems needs to be distinguished more clearly from the renamed 222P9 - Management and acquisition from FAO and other providers of information collections, including the Virtual Library. While 222P9 is more about acquiring and making available a rich collection of technical and scientific information, including FAO's own published and dissemination products, 222P6 is mostly concerned with developing the tools and information systems which enhance interdisciplinary access to this vast information base. The two new entities, as well as the reformulated entity 222P9 are detailed below.

Entity

A1

A2

A3

B1

B2

C1

C2

D1

D2

E1

E2

E3

222A5

222A6

222P1

222P2

222P3

222P5

222P6

222P7

222P8

222P9

222Q1

222S1

222S2

Legend:

less than US$ 750,000

US$ 750,000 to US$ 2 million

more than US$ 2 million

Real Growth Proposal

The additional resources would be used to further improve the working and dissemination systems of FAOSTAT, including expanding outreach of CountryStat; upgrade corporate information systems and access tools of WAICENT (222P6); issue electronic publishing guidelines for management and dissemination of information in digital form, based on the WAICENT framework (222P7); produce more multilingual distance learning modules in support of WAICENT information management methodologies (222P8); and enhance the Organization's information repositories on agriculture and rural development including the Virtual Library (222P9).

222A6: Multi-Agency Programme for Capacity Building in Food and Agricultural Statistics in Africa

Development problem to be addressed:

348.      The lack of a broad and reliable statistical base on the food and agricultural sector, and the limited capacity of countries to produce such data still remain major constraints to the development and implementation of effective policies for food security and rural development in a large number of countries of the continent. This impairs monitoring and evaluation of progress towards development goals, including the Commitments of the World Food Summit.

Proposed contribution to problem resolution:

349.      An initiative supported by FAO, the World Bank and USDA was launched for strengthening Agricultural Statistics in Africa. This new entity is the continuation and expansion of these activities in a new context of a Multi-Agency Programme (FAO, World Bank, PARIS21, French Co-operation, African Development Bank, etc..). The availability of reliable and relevant statistical information on the rural sector will support evidence-based policy formulation and contribute to increased effectiveness of programmes.

Intended end beneficiaries and benefits:

350.      The rural population at large through more effective and efficient development programmes in the rural sector designed and implemented on the basis of a broad and reliable statistical information base.

Objective(s)

351.      Enhanced access by national governments, the private sector and development agencies to reliable and timely food and agricultural statistics for improved sectoral planning and monitoring.

Major Output(s)

• Assessment studies and formulation of food and agricultural statistics component in target countries
• Collection, analysis, storage and dissemination of data in target countries
• Capacity building through regional undertakings
• Technical supervision of progress in specific countries

Indicator(s)

• Periodic analysis of FAOSTAT data provided by countries
• Number of staff trained in target countries

222P9: Management and acquisition from FAO and other providers of information collections, including the Virtual Library

Development problem to be addressed:

352.      Agricultural and rural development depend on knowledge drawn from different sources, including the latest researched and scientific methodologies, pilot projects, and experimentation in the field. However, this needs to be organized into qualitative collections containing the most relevant and up-to-date information.

Proposed contribution to problem resolution:

353.      When repositories are well-organized, information is more readily available and more easily found by researchers, analysts, scientists or experts. This subsequently provides policy makers with more timely information to address food security issues in countries.

Intended end beneficiaries and benefits:

354.      The public at large will benefit from the possibility to access high quality information from repositories focussed on agricultural and rural development.

Objective(s)

355.      availability of repositories of highly relevant expertise in agricultural and rural development; increased capacity of countries to assess appropriate, verified methodologies and measures to be applied at the national level.

Major Output(s)

• Archival and preservation of FAO's technical information
• Information repositories relevant to agriculture and rural development

Indicator(s)

• Content of the Corporate Document Repository (volumes)
• Content of the FAO archives (volumes)

222Q1: Management of FAOSTAT/CountryStat and Coordination of Statistics at FAO

Development problem to be addressed:

356.      Improved coverage, availability and quality of food and agricultural data is an essential basis for decision making and for other analytical uses.

Proposed contribution to problem resolution:

357.      Complete, accurate and available statistical data for sound policy development and decision making. This entity will build on significant investments to upgrade FAOSTAT.

Intended end beneficiaries and benefits:

358.      Ultimate beneficiaries will be producers and consumers, benefiting from improved policy outcomes by using FAOSTAT/CountryStat.

Objective(s)

359.      Wide availability of statistical data of acceptable quality and broad relevance to analysts and decision makers.

Major Output(s)

• FAOSTAT/CountryStat database operation, maintenance and management
• Coordination of FAO statistical activities, and inter-agency statistical activities
• Maintenance and development of agricultural classifications
• FAO Statistical Yearbook
• Evaluation of quality of statistics

Indicator(s)

• Improved coverage of agricultural domains in International Statistical Classifications
• Uptakes of statistical data/publications by users

PROGRAMME 2.2.3: FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL MONITORING, ASSESSMENTS AND OUTLOOKS

Prog. Entity	Time Frame	Title	PWB 2004-05	MTP 2006-07	MTP 2008-09	MTP 2010-11	MTP Total
223A2	2004-2009	Global Food and Agricultural Perspective Studies	1,387	1,226	1,226	-	2,452
223P2	Continuing	The State of Food and Agriculture	1,167	1,161	1,161	1,161	3,483
223P3	Continuing	Market Assessments for Basic Food Commodities and Impact on Global Food Security	1,476	1,326	1,326	1,326	3,978
223P4	Continuing	Projections and Global Commodity Market Assessments	1,028	1,028	1,028	1,028	3,084
223P5	Continuing	Market Assessments of Tropical, Horticultural and Raw Material Commodities and Impact on Food Security	2,133	1,983	1,983	1,983	5,949
223P6	Continuing	Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture	6,319	6,319	6,319	6,319	18,957
223S1	Continuing	Technical Support Services to Member Nations and the Field Programme	725	725	725	725	2,175
Programme Reserve			-			1,226
Total Programme of Work			14,235	13,768	13,768	13,768	41,304
Less External Income			96	96	96	96	288
Net Appropriation			14,139	13,672	13,672	13,672	41,016
Real Growth				300	600	900	1,800
Net Appropriation with Real Growth				13,972	14,272	14,572	42,816
Growth in Net Appropriation (Percentage)				2.2%	4.4%	6.6%	4.4%

360.      This programme embodies the continued priority given to meeting Members' needs for regular and timely flows of information on, and assessments of food supply/demand situations, the outlook for agricultural commodities and for strategic analyses and perspectives on long-term food and agriculture development and food security at national, regional and global levels. The central importance of the Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) is underlined by the increasing number of requests from countries for independent, authoritative assessments of their food production and supply situations. No change is made to the structure. The annual report, State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) is to maintain its new format designed to reach a wider audience. Under 223A2 Global Food and Agricultural Perspective Studies, a new long-term perspective study, Agriculture Towards 2040 and beyond, will be published towards the end of the MTP period, with separate publications on thematic topics of global significance, issued intermittently.

Entity

A1

A2

A3

B1

B2

C1

C2

D1

D2

E1

E2

E3

223A2

223P2

223P3

223P4

223P5

223P6

223S1

Legend:

less than US$ 750,000

US$ 750,000 to US$ 2 million

more than US$ 2 million

Real Growth Proposal

GIEWS would be strengthened to carry out more field missions in response to the growing requests of countries, as well as donors, for timely assessment of food crises, to which FAO must respond.

PROGRAMME 2.2.4: AGRICULTURE, FOOD SECURITY AND TRADE POLICY

Prog. Entity	Time Frame	Title	PWB 2004-05	MTP 2006-07	MTP 2008-09	MTP 2010-11	MTP Total
224A2	2002-2005	Commodity and Trade Policy Support to Developing Countries for Trade Negotiations	1,594	-	-	-	-
224A4	2006-2011	Support for Implementation of Multi-Lateral Trade Negotiation Outcomes	-	1,435	1,435	1,435	4,305
224P1(1)	Continuing	Policy Analysis for agriculture and the rural economy	1,588	1,568	1,568	1,568	4,704
224P2(1)	Continuing	Agriculture, Rural Development and Poverty: Analysis of Linkages	1,774	731	731	767	2,229
224P3	Continuing	Economics of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability	553	550	550	550	1,650
224P4	Continuing	Analysis and Consensus-Building on Emerging Commodity and Trade Issues	3,984	3,484	3,484	3,484	10,452
224P5	Continuing	Enhancing Diversification and Competitiveness of Agricultural Commodities	1,153	1,153	1,153	1,153	3,459
224P6	Continuing	Food Security Policy Analysis and Impact Assessment	-	828	828	828	2,484
224S1	Continuing	Technical Support Services to Member Nations and the Field Programme	1,592	1,567	1,566	1,567	4,700
Total Programme of Work			12,238	11,316	11,315	11,352	33,983
Less External Income			173	173	173	173	519
Net Appropriation			12,065	11,143	11,142	11,179	33,464
Real Growth				1,050	2,100	3,150	6,300
Net Appropriation with Real Growth				12,193	13,242	14,329	39,764
Growth in Net Appropriation (Percentage)				9.4%	18.8%	28.2%	18.8%
(1) - Although the title of the entity has changed, there has been no substantive change in its formulation

361.      The programme provides an overall assessment of global food security achievements and challenges to reduce hunger, including environmental aspects. Analysis undertaken under the programme contributes to better understanding of the dimensions and causes of poverty and hunger in different contexts, as well as required policy interventions. The "twin-track approach" was developed as FAO's framework for promoting hunger reduction through combining sustainable agricultural and rural development with direct and immediate access to food. The related field programme and analysis on poverty, food security and sustainable development also give a sound basis for developing National Food Security Strategies. Three existing entities, 224P1, 224P2 and 224P3 make self-explanatory contributions to this body of analytical work. A new programme entity, 224P6 Food Security Policy Analysis and Impact Assessment is to focus on improved food security and vulnerability analysis in different contexts (from emergency to development situations) and will lead to more effective and evidence-based food security policies, programmes and interventions.

362.      The other entities support the trade policy aspects of this Programme and include new 224A4 Support for Implementation of Multilateral Trade Negotiation Outcomes which follows on Entity 224A2 Commodity and Trade Policy Support to Developing Countries for Trade Negotiations which has contributed to analysis of trade-related policies and strengthening of national capacities to participate fully in the current round of WTO multilateral trade negotiations. It will give special attention to strengthening national capacities to implement multilateral trade agreements and enhancing the ability of developing countries to benefit from trading opportunities. 224P4 and 224P5 will pursue work as described in the MTP 2004-09.

Entity

A1

A2

A3

B1

B2

C1

C2

D1

D2

E1

E2

E3

224A4

224P1

224P2

224P3

224P4

224P5

224P6

224S1

Legend:

less than US$ 750,000

US$ 750,000 to US$ 2 million

more than US$ 2 million

Real Growth Proposal

Resources would be used for analytical work under entities 224P2 and 224P3 aimed at improving the methodology for measuring the economic cost of hunger and empirical studies in selected countries; more thorough assessment of the role of non-farm income in development, rural poverty reduction and links to agriculture; and supporting the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements as well as the organization of meetings on methods for valuation of environmental externalities.

Furthermore, in the light of the expected conclusion of the Doha Round of Trade Negotiations and the growing pace of globalization, the increasing requests for information, timely analyses, and capacity building to deal with an increasingly complex international environment would be met in a more satisfactory manner.

224A4: Support for Implementation of Multi-Lateral Trade Negotiation Outcomes

Development problem to be addressed:

363.      There are substantial and firmly expressed requirements of countries for assistance in strengthening their capacity to implement trade agreements and in following-up on trade negotiations. There is a related need for enhanced capacity at the national level to analyse issues on trade agenda relating to agriculture, particularly from the perspective of food security, rural development and poverty alleviation.

Proposed contribution to problem resolution:

364.      This entity will support effective implementation of trade agreements by countries by strengthening capacities to analyse trade issues and raising awareness about the implications of trade agreements.

Intended end beneficiaries and benefits:

365.      Technical experts, policy advisers, universities and NGOs; the effective implementation of trade agreements and enhanced ability to utilize trading opportunities will benefit economies at large.

Objective(s)

366.      Enhanced national capacities to implement agricultural trade agreements and benefit from trading opportunities.

Major Output(s)

• Assistance to implementing commitments on trade agreements at the national and international levels
• Support to continuing negotiations related to trade agreements
• Analysis of implications of trade agreements for agricultural development and food security at the national and global levels

Indicator(s)

• Effective use of impartial advice by government experts, participants in seminars, workshops and symposia
• Proposals and other inputs tabled for trade negotiations, based on FAO's advice

224P6: Food Security Policy Analysis and Impact Assessment

Development problem to be addressed:

367.      Food insecurity is often caused by the interplay of a range of factors. While poverty is a root cause of food insecurity, many other factors also affect the availability, accessibility and stability of food in an increasingly globalized world. There is an urgent need to improve understanding of the causes of food insecurity and impacts of various policies on food security so that the World Food Summit targets may be realized.

Proposed contribution to problem resolution:

368.      The entity will carry out food security and vulnerability analysis in different contexts from emergency to development situations, leading to more effective food security policies, programmes and interventions.

Intended end beneficiaries and benefits:

369.      Food insecure or potentially food insecure people, through improved policies and faster reduction in the number of undernourished people.

Objective(s)

370.      Effective analytical foundation for policies aimed at reducing food insecurity and vulnerability, at country and regional levels.

Major Output(s)

• Analysis of effective programmes to enhance direct access to food
• Analytical studies of vulnerability to food insecurity, including exposure to risks, as well as the degree of resilience, experienced by rural and urban livelihoods
• Analytical studies and methods on food security, including evaluation of policies, practices and impact in different contexts
• Analytical studies on human rights based approaches for food security and their implications for national strategies, policies and programmes

Indicator(s)

• Use of food security and vulnerability analysis for the design of national food security policies and interventions
• Regional collaboration in reducing food insecurity based on FAO's analytical work
• In-depth debates on food security based on deeper understanding of issues
• Evidence of integration of right to adequate food into policy assistance