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Guidelines for measuring gender transformative change in the context of food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture
In the framework of the EU-RBA Joint Programme on Gender Transformative Approaches for Food Security and Nutrition, these Guidelines aim at enhancing the capacity of research and development partners to design, implement, monitor and evaluate gender transformative interventions.
Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean 2023
The 2023 edition of the Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean presents an update of the data and trends in food security and nutrition in recent years.
2022 Year in Review: Joint Programme on Gender Transformative Approaches for Food Security and Nutrition
This year in review is a snapshot of the Joint Programme on Gender Transformative Approaches for Food Security and Nutrition in 2022.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023
Urbanization, agrifood systems transformation and healthy diets across the rural–urban continuum.
Addressing overweight and obesity in LMICs in rural development and food systems: A country mapping
This report combines the results of an exploratory country mapping commissioned by IFAD on overweight and obesity.
Addressing overweight and obesity in LMICs in rural development and food systems: A comprehensive literature review
This literature review explores how IFAD can contribute to food system transformation and mitigate the rising incidence of overweight and obesity in low and middle-income countries.
IFAD Research Series - Issue 91: Addressing overweight and obesity in LMICs in the realm of rural development and food systems
This paper presents the findings of a literature review of the main drivers of overweight and obesity, described using a food systems framework and illustrated with examples from five countries.
Reducing rural poverty and enhancing food security in Tajikistan
This booklet highlights the stories of some of the participants to the Community-based Agricultural Support Project in rural Tajikistan.
Systèmes alimentaires en action: Burundi – un contexte socio-économique complexe
Cette étude de cas montre comment l'adoption d'une approche holistique des systèmes alimentaires sensibles aux enjeux nutritionnels peut conduire à des résultats durables.
Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean 2022
This publication offers a regional overview of the socioeconomic state of the region; national and regional data and trends regarding the costs and affordability of healthy diets; the possible drivers behind the high cost of healthy diets and their unaffordability; and introduces policies and investments around the region that aim to reduce the cost of nutritious foods and improve the affordability of healthy diets.
The Rome-Based Agencies Joint initiative for Home-Grown School Feeding
FAO, IFAD and WFP are leveraging South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) to support national Home-Grown School Feeding Programmes (HGSF).
Guide to formulating gendered social norms indicators in the context of food security and nutrition
This guide provides assistance on formulating indicators to measure changes in gendered social norms in the context of food security and nutrition.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022
With eight years remaining to end hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition (SDG 2), the world is moving in the wrong direction.
Research Series Issue 75: Reverse thinking: taking a healthy diet perspective towards food systems transformations
This paper argues that food systems transformation should incorporate a dietary perspective that is guided by information on diets, dietary trends, consumer motives, and the food environment characteristics.
Research Series 74: Women’s empowerment, food systems, and nutrition
This background paper examines the linkages and interactions between women’s empowerment, food systems, and nutrition.
Research Series 72: Climate change and food system activities - a review of emission trends, climate impacts and the effects of dietary change
This article reviews how food system activities contribute to climate change and how dietary changes affect food systems. It shows that while emissions from food production are increasing in most regions, emissions from land use change are decreasing.
Sustainable and resilient Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems for improved nutrition
This toolbox provides guidelines on how to design and assess food biodiversity and dietary diversity projects with local communities, with the aim of improving the diets and nutrition of Indigenous Peoples.
Nutrition Glossary
This glossary provides standardized terms in Arabic, English, French, and Spanish in order to share knowledge and widen understanding of nutrition.
Reinforcing Pacific Food Systems for COVID-19 recovery – key impacts, responses and opportunities to build back better
This report offers a consolidated analysis of pre-COVID food security and nutrition challenges across the Pacific Islands and outlines key actions needed to respond to the current impacts, inform medium- to long-term recovery planning, and better prepare for future crises.
Regional overview of food security and nutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean 2021
The Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean 2021 gathers the latest data on the food security and nutrition situation in Latin America and the Caribbean region, showing a worrisome landscape.
Joint Programme on Gender Transformative Approaches for Food Security, Improved Nutrition and Sustainable Agriculture
This is the official flyer of the JP GTA. It provides information about the Joint Programme's overview, background, objective, expected results, key components and country-level activities as well as key issues related to gender transformative approaches.
Climate adaptation and mitigation measures for nutrition co-benefits in IFAD investments in Ghana
This report describes the findings of the country study carried out for the design of IFAD project on Livelihood and Productivity Enhancement of Smallholder Farmers (PROSPER) in Ghana.
Climate adaptation and mitigation measures for nutrition co-benefits in IFAD investments in Zimbabwe
This report describes the findings of the country study carried out for the design of IFAD Smallholder Agriculture Cluster Project (SACP) in Zimbabwe.
Climate adaptation and mitigation measures for nutrition co-benefits in IFAD investments in Lesotho
This report describes the findings of the country study carried out for the design of IFAD project on Restoration of Landscapes and Livelihoods (ROLL P) in Lesotho.
Agriculture for nutrition: Stories from Lao PDR
Dietary diversity is a big problem in Northern Laos. Many rural families regularly consume only 4 out of 10 major food groups, with rice often forming the majority of the meal.
How to do note: Crop selection for diet quality and resilience
This How to Do Note is part of a series of five Notes that accompany the NUS Operational Framework.
How to do note: Market needs and emerging opportunities assessment in NUS value chains
This How to Do Note is part of a series of five Notes that accompany the NUS Operational Framework.
How to do note: Promote neglected and underutilized species for domestic markets
This How to Do Note is part of a series of five Notes that accompany the NUS Operational Framework.
How to do note: Interventions in support of NUS export markets
This How to Do Note is part of a series of five Notes that accompany the NUS Operational Framework.
How to do note: Mainstreaming NUS in national policy for nutrition outcomes
This How to Do Note is part of a series of five Notes that accompany the NUS Operational Framework.
United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021: IFAD’s engagement and key messages
A guide to the Summit and a summary of IFAD’s core messages on food systems.
Panorama of Food and Nutritional Security in Latin America and the Caribbean 2020
This report examines the impact of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean, focusing on the analysis of territorial inequalities and calls on countries to focus their investments and policies on lagging territories.
Strengthening sorghum and millet value chains for food, nutritional and income security in arid and semi‑arid lands of Kenya and United Republic of Tanzania (SOMNI)
Sorghum, finger millet and pearl millet are the most important staple foods for most households in the semi-arid tropics of East Africa, as these crops grow in harsh environments where other crops do not grow well.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020
Transforming food systems for affordable healthy diets.
Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in the Near East and North Africa 2019
Good Practice Brief: Fostering sustainability and resilience for food security in Niger
Resilient Food Systems 2018-2019 Annual Report
IFAD’s Case for Investment: Investing in rural prosperity, food and resilience to reduce poverty and hunger in a changing climate
Today we stand at a critical juncture – historic progress in reducing hunger has stalled and the successes of recent decades are being reversed.
Research Series Issue 50: Rural transformation and the double burden of malnutrition among rural youth in developing countries
In this study, we show that rural transformation processes are associated with improvements in rural youth nutrition – malnutrition and underweight – in nearly all regions, although the pace of change varies considerably across countries.
The Latin America and Caribbean Advantage: Family farming – a critical success factor for resilient food security and nutrition
The West and Central Africa Advantage: Fighting fragility for smallholder resilience
A new report from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) shows that by working with women, men, young people and indigenous peoples as change agents we are best placed to beat back the impact of climate change on rural communities in West and Central Africa (WCA).
The Fisheries and Aquaculture Advantage: Fostering food security and nutrition, increasing
This report presents selected achievements and lessons from the growing portfolio of fisheries and aquaculture investments supported by IFAD.
How to do note: Mainstreaming nutrition into COSOPs and investment projects
This How-to-do Note is a practical step by step operational guidance on mainstreaming nutrition in IFAD-supported country strategies and investment projects for use by IFAD staff, consultants and partners.
The Food Loss Reduction Advantage: Building sustainable food systems
Policy brief: Investing in nutrition
Supporting nutrition-sensitive agriculture through neglected and underutilized species: Operational framework
IFAD’s support for the better use of agrobiodiversity with specific reference to neglected and underutilized species (NUS) and a greater recognition of the traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples are important for fighting food and nutrition insecurity
Leaving no one behind: making the case for adolescent girls
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019
Improving smallholder wheat‑legume production systems for enhanced climate change adaptation and food security
Sorghum in East and Central Africa: more than food
Food security in the context of climate change: from knowledge to action
“Fruiting Africa” for health and wealth
Nutrition-sensitive value chains: A guide for project design – Volume II
Research Series Issue 32 - Developing country-wide farming system typologies: An analysis of Ethiopian smallholders’ income and food security
Collection and analysis of bilateral or tripartite work collaboration in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2012-2017
Rome-based Agencies Resilience Initiative: Strengthening the resilience of livelihoods in protracted crises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Niger and Somalia
Nutrition-sensitive value chains: A guide for project design – Volume I
The Nutrition-sensitive value chains: A guide for project design has been produced to fill a key knowledge gap in the emerging field of value chains for nutrition by providing guidance on how to design nutrition-sensitive value chain (NSVC) projects, with a particular focus on smallholder producers.
Research Series Issue 30 - Nutrition-sensitive value chains from a smallholder perspective: A framework for project design
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018
The linkages between migration, agriculture, food security and rural development
Understanding contemporary migration, both international and internal, remains a challenge. The decision by people to migrate either within their own countries or across borders is influenced by an intricate set of factors. This report examines the complex interlinkages between migration, agriculture, food security and rural development and the factors that determine the decision of rural people to migrate; including economic factors, employment opportunities, conflict, poverty, hunger, environmental degradation and climate shocks.
Research Series Issue 24 - Influence of nutrition-sensitive interventions on dietary profiles of smallholder farming households in East and Southern Africa
This paper aims to explore the influence of nutrition-sensitive interventions on dietary profiles of the beneficiaries of IFAD-funded projects.
Developing nutrition-sensitive value chains in Nigeria
design nutrition-sensitive value chain (NSVC) projects for smallholders. Such projects seek to shape thedevelopment of value chains for
nutritious commodities in ways that are likely to address nutrition problems.
Developing nutrition-sensitive value chains in Indonesia
Research Series Issue 18 - Do agricultural support and cash transfer programmes improve nutritional status?
Cash transfer and agricultural support programmes are both used to improve nutrition outcomes in developing countries. This paper examines previous reviews of the impact of these programmes and compares the evidence between the two. The paper finds that, although there are about the same number of programmes of each type, many more papers have been written about the cash transfer programmes than the agricultural programmes. While evidence suggests that both programme types improved the quality of food consumption, the paper concludes that both types show weak evidence of improvements in anthropometric outcomes.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2017
This year’s edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World marks the beginning of a new era in monitoring the progress made towards achieving a world without hunger and malnutrition, within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Specifically, the report will henceforth monitor progress towards both the targets of ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition.
It will also include thematic analyses of how food security and nutrition are related to progress on other SDG targets. Given the broadened scope to include a focus on nutrition, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) have joined the traditional partnership of FAO, IFAD and WFP in preparing this annual report.
We hope our expanded partnership will result in a more comprehensive and integral understanding of what it will take to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition, and in more-integrated actions to achieve this critical goal.
The Nutrition Advantage: Harnessing nutrition co-benefits of climate-resilient agriculture
Climate change and malnutrition are among the greatest problems in the twentyfirst century; they are “wicked problems”, difficult to describe, with multiple causes, and no single solution.
Sustainable Food Value Chains for Nutrition
Nutrition Mainstreaming in East and Southern Africa: Operational approaches
Nutrition-Sensitive Interventions in East and Southern Africa (ESA) infographic
Mapping nutrition-sensitive interventions in Eastern and Southern Africa
The purpose of this study is to map nutrition-sensitive interventions in IFAD-funded projects in the ESA region, and to provide guidance for effective nutrition mainstreaming operations.
The specific objectives are to:
(1) map the various interventions used in delivering nutrition-sensitive activities;
(2) identify pathways for nutrition outcomes;
(3) evaluate the scale and scope of intervention implementation;
(4) assess the effect of the project on beneficiaries;
(5) identify and map areas of opportunities for scaling up;
and (6) identify challenges, weaknesses and gaps.
Banana and plantain improvement
developed countries (FAOSTAT, 2013). They are produced in 135 countries and territories across the tropics and subtropics. The vast majority of producers are smallholder farmers
who grow the crop for either home consumption or local markets. Less than 15 per cent of the global production of more than 130 million metric tons is exported. Today, the
international banana trade, totaling around 17 million metric tons, is worth over US$7 billion per year (FAOSTAT).
PARM factsheet
Climate change and food security - Innovations for smallholder agriculture
Climate change is the most compelling challenge facing the world today. It affects rural smallholders across the developing world, with effects that pose a grave threat to their own, and to the world’s food security.
Toolkit: Integrated homestead food production
Since its founding, IFAD has focused on enabling smallholder farmers to increase agricultural production and productivity as a means for reducing poverty.
However, experience shows that increased productivity and incomes do not automatically translate into improved nutritional status of poor rural people, especially women, young people and children.
Lessons learned: Integrated homestead food production (IHFP)
How to do note: Integrated homestead food production (IHFP)
Finance for Food: Investing in Agriculture for a Sustainable Future
Improving nutrition through agriculture
part of that mission. Of course, other sectors have roles to play, but good nutrition begins with food and agriculture.
The state of food insecurity in the world 2015
was the formulation of the First Millennium Development Goal (MDG 1), established in 2000 by the United Nations members, which includes among its targets “cutting by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by 2015”.
In this report, we review progress made since 1990 for every country and region as well as for the world as a whole. First, the good news: overall, the commitment to halve the percentage of hungry people, that is, to reach the MDG 1c target, has been almost met at the global level. More importantly, 72 of the 129 countries monitored for progress have reached the MDG target, 29 of which have also reached the more ambitious WFS goal by at least halving the number of
undernourished people in their populations.
Mainstreaming Food Loss Reduction Initiatives for Smallholders in Food-Deficit Areas
Scaling up note: Nutrition-sensitive agriculture and rural development
In 1977, IFAD made improving “the nutritional level of the poorest populations in developing countries” one of the principal objectives of its founding agreement. Since then, governments, civil society and development organizations also have come to recognize the central importance of nutrition – which comprises undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and overweight – to development.
IFAD and Belgian Survival Fund Joint Programm - 25 years of cooperation
The Belgian Fund for Food Security (BFFS) was created by the Belgian Parliament in 1983 in response to the more than one million drought- and faminerelated deaths in East Africa. BFFS provides grants to pay for rural development projects, with a focus on food security and nutrition, in some of the poorest countries in Africa, helping extremely poor people to become healthier and more productive and lowering the risk that they will face starvation.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized United Nations agency, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. It is dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries. Through low-interest loans and grants, it develops and finances programmes and projects that enable poor rural people to overcome poverty themselves.
IFADs approach in Small Island Developing States: A global response to island voices for food security
New Directions for Smallholder Agriculture
Growing peace through development (2012)
give them a way to fight poverty and hunger instead of each other. We reduce the appeal of violent and destructive responses to conditions that are, admittedly,
intolerable. No one should go to sleep hungry. No one should see a child’s potential wither under malnutrition, illiteracy and hopelessness. No woman should be
denied access to resources just because she is not a man. No one should be denied a voice simply because it suits someone else to keep them silent.
The future of world food security
economic, financial and food crises that have slowed down,
and at times reversed, global efforts to reduce poverty and
hunger. Today, price volatility and weather shocks – such as the
recent devastating drought in the Horn of Africa – continue to
severely undermine such efforts.
In this context, promoting livelihood resilience and food and
nutrition security has become central to the policy agendas of
governments. Smallholder farmers need to be at the centre
of this agenda, and to play a leading role in the investment
efforts needed to achieve it.
Enhancing market transparency
Food prices: Smallholders can be part of the solution
Recent price volatility on international markets is putting pressure on global food security. For the 2 billion people who live and work on small farms in developing countries, life has become more precarious. But with the right investments, policies and development programmes in place, smallholder farmers have a huge potential to increase food production, improving their lives and contributing to greater food security for all.