Inspiration Inclusion And Innovation Fao China South South Cooperation Programme 2009 2019

The People’s Republic of China (China) has been one of FAO’s main partners in the promotion of South-South and triangular cooperation. In terms of cooperation among developing countries, China upholds the principles of equality and mutual trust, building equal partnerships with parity of ownership and responsibility, mutual benefit and win–win cooperation, which are highly valued by FAO. Together, FAO and China offer considerable development knowledge and solutions that are relevant to South-South exchanges. After more than two decades of increasing collaboration in supporting flows of technical assistance between developing countries, FAO and China established in 2009 the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme, supported by a Chinese Trust Fund of USD 80 million. This report reviews the Programme’s activities and achievements over the last ten years, lessons learned and prospects for the way forward. It highlights and illustrates the Programme’s distinctive features, particularly its inspiring, inclusive and innovative modalities of cooperation. Its multi-stakeholder approach brings together farmers’ cooperatives and associations, the private sector, academia and triangular partners, among other key actors. In this context, the Programme provides a platform for insights and perspectives of all development actors through its national, regional, interregional and global projects focusing on sustainable agricultural production, productivity and farmers’ livelihoods. The Programme is majorly contributing to the realization of Sustainable Development Goal 1: No poverty in all its forms everywhere; and Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

This publication outlines key features of South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) and how FAO has applied SSTC to the delivery of its mission. The case studies presented provide a window on how SSTC has contributed to alleviating hunger and malnutrition in countries across the global South and has helped build resilience in the face of climate change and other development challenges. The lessons learned from these experiences are feeding into the new FAO SSTC Guidelines for Action (2022–2025) and will guide FAO's future results-based SSTC programmes.

South-South Cooperation (SSC) is the mutual sharing and exchange of development solutions between developing countries, including knowledge, experiences and good practices, policies, technology, and resources. The project in Uganda (Phases I and II) under the FAO-China SSC is among the Programme’s longest and most successful collaborations. Here, you can read the personal stories of some of the project participants, beneficiaries, and stakeholders. Their stories highlight the personal and community-level effects that the project has created. Their stories will also demonstrate the successes and positive impact of the project in their personal and professional lives while bringing to light the persistent challenges that can be used to inform future action.

The Resources, Partnerships, Impact – 2020 report elucidates who FAO is, what it has done, and how it has worked in collaboration with multiple stakeholders in 2019. Also, it highlights the way FAO has been adapting to changes in the development aid landscape, specifically by leveraging different kinds of funds and seeking innovative partnerships, in order to accelerate the attainment of the SDGs. The report takes a closer look at the challenges and strategies that guided FAO’s activities at the regional and global levels in 2019, while showcasing selected interventions that delivered critical results on the ground.

This illustrated volume identifies the challenges and opportunities facing food and agriculture in the context of the 2030 Agenda, presents solutions for a more sustainable world and shows how FAO has been working in recent years to support its Member Nations in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The State of the World's Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture presents the first global assessment of biodiversity for food and agriculture worldwide. Biodiversity for food and agriculture is the diversity of plants, animals and micro-organisms at genetic, species and ecosystem levels, present in and around crop, livestock, forest and aquatic production systems. It is essential to the structure, functions and processes of these systems, to livelihoods and food security, and to the supply of a wide range of ecosystem services. It has been managed or influenced by farmers, livestock keepers, forest dwellers, fish farmers and fisherfolk for hundreds of generations. Prepared through a participatory, country-driven process, the report draws on information from 91 country reports to provide a description of the roles and importance of biodiversity for food and agriculture, the drivers of change affecting it and its current status and trends. It describes the state of efforts to promote the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity for food and agriculture, including through the development of supporting policies, legal frameworks, institutions and capacities. It concludes with a discussion of needs and challenges in the future management of biodiversity for food and agriculture. The report complements other global assessments prepared under the auspices of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which have focused on the state of genetic resources within particular sectors of food and agriculture.

New evidence this year corroborates the rise in world hunger observed in this report last year, sending a warning that more action is needed if we aspire to end world hunger and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. Updated estimates show the number of people who suffer from hunger has been growing over the past three years, returning to prevailing levels from almost a decade ago. Although progress continues to be made in reducing child stunting, over 22 percent of children under five years of age are still affected. Other forms of malnutrition are also growing: adult obesity continues to increase in countries irrespective of their income levels, and many countries are coping with multiple forms of malnutrition at the same time – overweight and obesity, as well as anaemia in women, and child stunting and wasting.

This publication, produced by FAO and Zhejiang University, examines how rural e-commerce could advance the digital transformation of agri-food systems, including increasing production efficiency, expanding farmers’ market access, improving poverty alleviation, fostering agricultural entrepreneurship, and attracting young generations back to their villages for economic revival and rural revitalization. It is highlighted that an enabling ecosystem with favourable government policies and strategies, public-private partnerships and innovative business models is of great importance to accelerate the development of rural areas in China, and generate larger economic, social and environmental impacts. As the largest developing country in the world, the experience of digital agriculture transformation in China could be shared with other developing countries. The report also discusses some of the challenges encountered and lessons learned during the development of rural e-commerce, as well as the proposals for the way forward.