FAO Forestry Paper Released: Edible Insects: Future Prospects for Food and Feed Security

Recently the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a United Nations organization that focues on "rais[ing] levels of nutrition, improv[ing] agricultural productivity, better[ing] the lives of rural populations and contribut[ing] to the growth of the world economy" released a report titled, Edible Insects: Future Prospects for Food and Feed Security (2013). The 201-page report is available for free here.

FAO Report Released: Understanding and Integrating Gender Issues into Livestock Projects and Programmes

Recently the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a United Nations organization that focues on "rais[ing] levels of nutrition, improv[ing] agricultural productivity, better[ing] the lives of rural populations and contribut[ing] to the growth of the world economy" released a report titled, Understanding and Integrating Gender Issues into Livestock Projects and Programmes (2013). The 56-page report available here, discusses the following:

[i]n rural societies, where local culture and traditions are still very vibrant, responsibilities and tasks are often assigned to women and men on the basis of traditional gender roles, defined as those behaviours and responsibilities that a society considers appropriate for men, women, boys and girls. These roles change over time, have different characteristics in every local context and are shaped by ideological, religious, cultural, ethnic and economic factors. They are a key determinant of the distribution of resources and responsibilities between men and women (FAO, 2010b). In many cases gender roles are biased and favour certain social constituencies at the expense of others. Rural women, for instance, face serious obstacles more regularly than men, since traditional structures and perceptions tend to prevent them from obtaining the necessary tools to reach their full potential in the agricultural sector. In fact, despite their major involvement in and contribution to livestock management, women tend to have limited access to resources, extension services and less participation in decision making compared to their male counterparts (FAO, 2011a). Recognizing the different roles that women and men play in the agriculture sector is key to identifying the diverse challenges they face and tailoring projects and programmes on their specific needs. Understanding and integrating these diverse roles and specific dynamics into projects and programmes can significantly improve their outcomes and effectiveness (FAO, IFAD, World Bank, 2007; FAO, 2011a).

FAO Releases Yearbook of Forest Products for 2011

Recently the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a United Nations organization that focues on "rais[ing] levels of nutrition, improv[ing] agricultural productivity, better[ing] the lives of rural populations and contribut[ing] to the growth of the world economy" released a report titled, FAO Yearbook of Forest Products 2011 (2013). The 358-page report is available here for download.

Prior editions of the report (1947-present) are available here.

FAO Book Released: Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems & Well-being

Recently the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a United Nations organization that focues on "rais[ing] levels of nutrition, improv[ing] agricultural productivity, better[ing] the lives of rural populations and contribut[ing] to the growth of the world economy" released a report titled, Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems & Well-being (2013). The 437-page book available here, discusses the following:

[i]ndigenous Peoples in cultural homelands of the most rural areas of developing regions experience challenges in using their traditional food systems and to ensure food security and health despite the treasures of food biodiversity that could support well-being. This book is the third in a series promoting use of local food systems by Indigenous Peoples; the first defines the process to document local food resources, and the second describes food systems in 12 diverse rural areas of different parts of the world. Here we describe processes and findings from more than 40 interdisciplinary collaborators who created health promotion interventions for communities using local food systems. Included are participatory processes using local knowledge and activities specifically for local food; global overviews of Indigenous Peoples' health circumstances, environmental concerns, and infant and child feeding practices; and nine specific case examples from Canada, Japan, Peru, India, Colombia, Thailand and the Federated States of Micronesia. Common themes of successful interventions and evaluations are given along with chapters on human rights issues and implications for policies and strategies. Throughout the 10 years of this research we have shown the strength and promise of local traditional food systems to improve health and well-being. This work is in context of the second United Nations' International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

FAO Report Released: Tenure of Indigenous Peoples Territories and REDD+ as a Forestry Management Incentive

Recently the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a United Nations organization that focues on "rais[ing] levels of nutrition, improv[ing] agricultural productivity, better[ing] the lives of rural populations and contribut[ing] to the growth of the world economy" released a report titled, Tenure of Indigenous Peoples Territories and REDD+ as a Forestry Management Incentive: The Case of Mesoamerican Countries (2013). The 69-page report available here, discusses the following:

[p]rogrammes to reduce emissions from deforestation and ecosystem degradation, such as REDD+ and other forestry incentive programmes, including Payment for Environmental Services (PES), could represent an opportunity to strengthen processes of conservation, sustainable usage and poverty reduction in the Mesoamerican region, particularly in indigenous territories and communities. Analysing the context of such initiatives and how they are interlinked is relevant to understanding how these multipurpose programmes can achieve their objectives in the light of recent developments in the recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights over land tenure and natural resources in the region. Examining these contexts and their linkages in countries such as Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama, where there are considerable forest areas with significant indigenous populations, is the aim of this study.

FAO Report Released: Trends and Impacts of Foreign Investment in Developing Country Agriculture – Evidence from case studies

Recently the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a United Nations organization that focues on "rais[ing] levels of nutrition, improv[ing] agricultural productivity, better[ing] the lives of rural populations and contribut[ing] to the growth of the world economy" released a report titled, Trends and Impacts of Foreign Investment in Developing Country Agriculture – Evidence from Case Studies (2013). The 378-page report available here, discusses the following:

FAO estimates that net investments to the tune of more than USD 80 billion a year are needed if food production is to keep pace with rising demand as incomes grow and population exceeds 9 billion people in 2050. Investors today are keen to capitalize on current high international food prices, and actively seek investment opportunities in developing countries, notably where natural resources abound. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows to developing countries doubled in 2006–08, but the share going to the agrifood sector is small – less than 5 percent of total FDI. The bulk of this goes to downstream activities (processing and distribution) and less than 10 percent to primary agricultural production.

FAO Report Released: Enabling Environments for Agribusiness and Agro-industries Development

Recently the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a United Nations organization that focues on "rais[ing] levels of nutrition, improv[ing] agricultural productivity, better[ing] the lives of rural populations and contribut[ing] to the growth of the world economy" released a report titled, Enabling Environments for Agribusiness and Agro-industries Development (2013).  The 71-page report available here,  discusses the following:

[t]he existence of a conducive business climate, or enabling environment, is considered essential to engender economic growth and development. However, what “an enabling environment” should encompass in practical terms remains elusive to many scholars and policy makers, particularly when discussed at the sub-sector level. This publication by FAO’s Rural Infrastructure and Agro-Industries Division (AGS) examines issues associated with enabling environments with a focus on agribusiness and agro-industrial sectors, which have not had their peculiar characteristics sufficiently examined in traditional appraisals of business climates. Based on a series of workshops and consultations organized by AGS in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America, the report reviews existing frameworks for general enabling environment assessments and discusses their relevance to agribusiness and agro-industries. It also discusses the challenges of enabling environment reforms and identifies a number of essential, important and useful enablers that are particularly relevant to agrifood business climate appraisals and upgrading.

UNEP Report Released: Avoiding Future Famines: Strengthening the Ecological Basis of Security through Sustainable Food Systems

This month, the United Nations Environment Programme released a new report titled, Avoiding Future Famines: Strengthening the Ecological Basis of Security through Sustainable Food Systems. The 80-page report which is available here,

addresses an important aspect of the food security discourse: the ecological foundation of food security. The report argues that while factors such as availability, access, utilization and stability must be given adequate attention for global food security to be achieved, an underlying factor – the ecological dimension is not only largely being overlooked but is also being undermined.

The report has two main objectives:

• To describe the problem. What is the significance of the ecological foundation of food security and how is this foundation being undermined by societal pressures 

• To proffer some possible solutions. How can we build sustainable food systems?

The report was developed through collaboration among key international organizations including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Bank, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Resources Institute (WRI).

The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2012

In July, the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its 2012 edition of the The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture Report.  The report which is released every two years is now available as a pdf from the FAO's website: http://www.fao.org/docrep/016/i2727e/i2727e00.htm.  Older versions of the report, dating back to 1994 are available here: http://www.fao.org/fishery/publications/sofia/en.

If you are looking for additional documents related to aquaculture and fisheries from this organization it may also be advisable to visit the FAO's Corporate Document Repository available here: http://www.fao.org/documents/en/docrep.jsp.  The Repository has links on the left-hand sidebar for a quick subject-matter sort of full-text articles and documents (including a link for Fisheries Aquaculture Management and Conservation).  In the alternative, the Repository offers an Advanced Search  feature (accessible on the top of the left-hand sidebar).  Readers should note that while the Advanced Search offers more options including dates, ISBN, language, country, etc. the keyword search should generally be avoided as it is not as refined as the subject-specific quick-links. 
In addition other publications and documents (including select full-text pdfs) are available from the FAO's Fisheries and Aquaculture Department including: Fisheries Technical Papers; Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries; Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries; Fisheries Circulars and Reports; International Plans of Action; and Yearbooks of Fishery Statistics.