Publications

Accelerating job creation and entrepreneurship in agriculture and agribusiness

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have developed a joint regional programme titled “Opportunities for Youth in Africa: Accelerating Job Creation and Entrepreneurship in Agriculture and Agribusiness”. The programme is in response to a dedicated call for accelerating efforts in the area of job creation. This call was made during the 2018 Conference on Youth Employment in Agriculture

The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022

This year’s report should dispel any lingering doubts that the world is moving backwards in its efforts to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms. We are now only eight years away from 2030, but the distance to reach many of the SDG 2 targets is growing wider each year. There are indeed efforts to make progress towards SDG 2, yet they are proving insufficient in the

Audio resource on education and safe employment for youth in the coffee industry

The region of Ixil in Guatemala is one of the poorest coffee-growing regions in the world. Low literacy rates and child labour have long plagued the population. In honour of the World Day Against Child Labour, FAO has created this audio resource about promoting education and safe youth employment in the coffee industry. You can listen to this resource in English and French. This audio content is free to download, broadcast, and publish.

Gender-responsive digitalization

The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken by governments on social distancing and mobility restrictions have contributed to boosting the use of digital technology to bridge some of the physical access gaps. An increasing number of services and extension/information activities are delivered through digital tools and applications. E-commerce has also flourished. As a result, the potential of digital technologies has gained prominence in immediate response and recovery strategies and programmes.

Fostering rural transformation through the Digital Villages Initiative

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched the corporate programme with the goal of converting globally at least 1 000 rural localities into digital village hubs in which a variety of ICT-based services will be offered. The DVI is an integrated development vision that enshrines digitalisation at the core of rural transformation and prosperity, addressing on-farm and off-farm socio-economic elements. A pilot project has been

Digital innovation strategy for agrifood systems in Africa

Achieving Zero Hunger, defeating poverty and accelerating sustainable inclusive growth are key objectives pursued by the African continent, particularly in the framework of the UN Agenda 2030 and the African Union Agenda 2063. However, the region has been facing persistent challenges resulting in high levels of food and nutrition insecurity, rampant poverty, environmental threats, underperformance of the agrifood sector, unemployment and under-employment for young (male and female) people, especially in

PAFO annual report, 2021

PAFO has shared their annual report for 2021. It features the following information: Internal activities Studies carried out by PAFO Partnerships Memorandum of Understanding between PAFO and COLEACP United Nations Food Systems Summit United Nations Decade of Family Farming Activities are undertaken in 2021 Outstanding issues and planning for 2021 You access the full report here: https://www.pafo-africa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/PAFO-Annual-Report-2021-1.pdf

PAFO Innovation Series: Catalyzing young African agri-entrepreneurs’ investments (session 8)

As part of their ongoing Innovation Series, PAFO held a session on February 3, 2022 focused on “catalyzing young African agri-entrepreneurs’ investments.” Key points for discussion were as follows: What are the drivers of success of youth-led SMEs in the agrifood sector: what innovations, technologies, knowledge and finance do they need and attract? How can we upscale youth-led investments and rural youth enterprises? What incentives can be provided to attract

African Women Speak Out for Agroecology

To mark International Women’s Day 2022 with its theme Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow, the African Women’s Collaborative for Healthy Food Systems has shared an article entitled “African Women Speak Out for Agroecology.” This grew out of a storytelling project in five African countries and is a useful resource for celebrating the contribution of peasant and indigenous women to healthy food systems in Africa. The Collaborative is a