11 December : Policy is essential to fostering innovations that address pressing global challenges, from food insecurity to environmental sustainability. On Innovation Day at UNCCD COP16, Cargele Masso, CGIAR Environmental Health and Biodiversity Platform Director, joined international leaders to explore how policy can enable sustainable innovations that meet the needs of diverse communities.
As the climate crisis intensifies, technical and social innovations must revolutionize food, land, and water systems. However, these transformations demand policies that not only promote access to innovations but also facilitate the transition to sustainable practices.
Masso, speaking on the Main Stage at the UNCCD COP16 Green Zone, highlighted the importance of the event’s central themes: Policy as a catalyst for sustainability innovation; overcoming barriers in policy implementation; and shaping future policies for sustainable innovation.
“Sustainable innovation must go beyond boosting yields,” said Masso. “It needs to address interconnected challenges-ecosystem health, economic stability, and societal well-being.” This perspective reflects a shift from traditional agricultural research focused solely on productivity to solutions that consider biodiversity, resource conservation, and social equity.
Joost de Laat, Managing Director of Wageningen University’s Social Sciences Group, emphasized that innovation is more than just technology: “We must consider the human dimensions of adopting technologies and integrate them into broader, co-created solutions.”
Policy as a catalyst for collaboration
One way to do this is through funding and incentivizing co-created innovations among farmers, researchers, and stakeholders. While co-creating innovations, establish inclusive platforms for collaboration, ensuring marginalized groups have a voice. Another way is to support capacity sharing and technical assistance to empower all actors in sustainability innovation. Lastly, provide financial mechanisms to scale up successful collaborative solutions in agriculture.
The CGIAR is implementing these suggestions through our co-developing and co-designing research with farmers. One example, Climate-smart villages, empowers communities to lead experiments that combine a range of measures such as agroforestry, climate-smart seeds and solar irrigation. In West Africa, this approach has led to a 94% increase in rice yields and boosted farmers’ net incomes by $267 per hectare.
Cargele Masso speaking on a Policy panel in the UNCCD COP16 Green Zone Main Stage. Photo credit: CGIAR/Kristen Tam
Overcoming barriers to policy implementation
Smallholder farmers often face significant barriers in implementing soil health practices due to limited resources, knowledge gaps, and systemic challenges. To overcome these barriers and support them in adopting sustainable innovations, two policy interventions are essential:
1.Financial support and market access: Incentivize sustainable practices through improved value chains and public-private partnerships.
2.Capacity building and innovation access: Enhance technical assistance and training, such as CGIAR’s Kaznet project, which uses digital crowdsourcing to bolster pastoralist resilience to climate change.
Shaping the future of sustainability innovation To align innovation with systemic change, public-private partnerships are crucial. However, misaligned financing models often impede progress. Mariana Mazzucato, Founding Director at UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose, underscored the need for governments and private entities to collaborate directly on transformative solutions.
Masso called for a bold commitment: “Governments must allocate at least 10% of national budgets to sustainable agriculture, agroecology, and restoration.” Coherent policies that align productivity with sustainability and foster accountability can drive the systemic shifts needed to transform food systems.
The insights shared at COP16 emphasize that policy is not just a framework-it is a catalyst. By investing in collaborative, inclusive, and forward-thinking policies, governments and stakeholders can unlock the full potential of sustainable innovation to create resilient communities and ecosystems.
Author: Krishi
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How policy can transform communities and ecosystems
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Advancing land degradation neutrality through local action and global integration
Feed, care, and protect are the three pillars for anchoring sustainable land management to achieve land degradation neutrality, ensure food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. Applying a sustainable land use systems approach will support the achievement of land degradation neutrality and several other SDGs.
These were the key messages emerging from a high-level panel discussion at a side event on land degradation neutrality on 5 December 2024 at UNCCD COP 16, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Annette Cowie, a senior principal researcher and scientist at the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and an adjunct professor at the University of New England, shared insights from the most recent report from Objective 1 of the Science Policy Interface (SPI) of the UNCCD. The report, “Sustainable Land Use Systems: The Path Forward to Collectively Achieve Land Degradation Neutrality.”
“Our aim was to provide scientific evidence on sustainable land use systems and their potential to achieve land degradation neutrality while supporting other sustainable development goals (SDGs). This task was assigned to us by the COP at its previous session,” said Cowie, who co-led the study.
Cowie noted that the concept of sustainable land use systems is relatively new to the UNCCD but builds on previous SPI work. Over the years, the SPI has produced several significant reports, including the Land Degradation Neutrality Conceptual Framework, studies on sustainable land management practices, guidance on building soil organic carbon, and recommendations on implementing integrated land use planning. Sustainable land use systems apply these concepts with a fresh emphasis on viewing land within its broader landscape context.
Sustainable land use systems are defined as a dynamic mosaic of integrated land uses within a landscape, designed to balance competing demands while promoting environmental sustainability, economic viability, and social justice, particularly for those relying on the land for their livelihoods.
“The novelty lies in adopting a systems-level approach, focusing on social-ecological systems, and emphasizing local context and participatory governance,” said Cowie, adding that their approach is rooted in three key objectives: Economic viability that involves fostering market development and enhancing productivity; environmental sustainability whose key elements include improving soil health and nutrient cycling; and social justice where the emphasis is on community involvement and participatory governance across all levels. By integrating these elements, sustainable land use systems can deliver critical outcomes, including food security and resilience in agricultural systems.
However, success requires an enabling environment. “We recommend embedding this approach within existing land use planning and management processes. Furthermore, it must be tailored to the specific ecological context and participatory governance,” she said.
Reflecting on science-policy interfaces and collective intelligence, Patrick Caron, Vice Chair of the CGIAR Integrated Partnership Board, and chair of the High-Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) on the Committee of World Food Security (CFS) emphasized the role of science in shaping agendas. He gave the example of IPCC that has been pivotal in bringing climate change to global attention. Similarly, scientific evidence is essential for addressing desertification and other crises.
He lamented that while decision-makers increasingly recognize the need for convergence, especially as food systems intersect with economic, environmental, and social justice concerns, knowledge landscapes remain fragmented. “Today’s crises-be it climate change, desertification, or biodiversity loss-are interconnected, often described as a ‘perfect storm.’ Each expert panel operates within its own constituency, governance, and reporting structures. This fragmentation makes it challenging to integrate insights across sectors.”
Caron reiterated the importance of local-level initiatives that offer fertile ground for learning and integration. Organizing dialogue at the local level helps identify obstacles, trade-offs, and costs, fostering collective plans that integrate environmental, economic, and social dimensions. He cited the Montpellier Process as a model for collective intelligence. “The Montpellier Process exemplifies efforts to stimulate dialogue and reinforce the role of scientific communities in cross-sectoral collaboration. By fostering convergence across stakeholders, sectors, and scales, this process seeks to co-design knowledgeable actions to address complex crises.”
(From left): Cargele Masso, Director of the CGIAR Impact Area Platform on Environmental Health and Biodiversity; Manon Albagnac, a desertification project officer at CARI and coordinator, RESAD; Jean-Luc Schott, a soil scientist and senior researcher at the French Research Institute for Sustainable Development; Annette Cowie, a senior principal researcher and scientist at the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and an adjunct professor at the University of New England. Photo credit: CGIAR/Wandera Ojanji
Stefano Fautou, Director of the Office of Sustainable Development Goals at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the Director of the UN Food System Coordination Hub elaborated on three opportunities for local action in food systems areas that can create opportunities for actionable dialogue between scientists, policymakers, and communities at the local scale.
One action is using local action as a catalyst for systemic change. Fautou argued that sectoral and linear approaches have proven ineffective in transforming food systems. “What we need is systemic change, which must start at the local level. This is because systemic change thrives on field-proven solutions and scalable models. Like biological evolution, systemic change requires a diversity of ideas. These ideas undergo variation, selection, and application processes, leading to the establishment of institutional rules, policies, and business models. By fostering diverse ideas at the local level, we can identify what works and what doesn’t, laying the foundation for systemic transformation.”
The second action area is multiple co-benefits from local efforts. Local initiatives offer significant opportunities to achieve multiple co-benefits. For instance, local actions addressing land degradation often simultaneously enhance biodiversity, improve nutrition, and increase climate efficiency. These efforts highlight that investments in sustainable food systems should not be evaluated solely based on monetary costs. Instead, we must consider their broader benefits.
On the third action, integrating local needs with a global perspective, Stefano noted that addressing local needs requires a global perspective that brings together scientists, policymakers, and society. “Creating these opportunities necessitates a global lens to align local actions with broader scientific and policy frameworks. This is a crucial aspect of the work being done by your institution and others involved in fostering actionable dialogues within the science-policy-society interface.”
Cargele Masso, Director of the CGIAR Impact Area Platform on Environmental Health and Biodiversity shared key messages from CBD COP16 on addressing challenges at the local scale biodiversity and sustainable food systems. One critical issue raised during COP16 is the need for benefit and cost-sharing mechanisms regarding the digital sequencing of genetic information. This is especially important for smallholder farmers in developing countries, who often face financial constraints. Incentives can motivate biodiversity conservation efforts, extending beyond genetic resources to include the ecosystems in which they evolve. The discussions in Cali achieved a consensus on providing greater visibility to indigenous peoples and local communities for their contributions to the global biodiversity framework.
Another key point emphasized the connection between biodiversity and climate resilience. Sustaining genetic diversity ensures resilience against climate challenges, such as droughts or pests, by maintaining crops with different resistance traits. However, gaps remain in monitoring and evaluation systems. While national-level strategies may look robust, implementation at the local level often falls short. Practical, user-friendly monitoring systems must be co-developed with local communities to ensure effective biodiversity conservation and restoration.
He further expounded on the role of biodiversity in resilience. “Biodiversity acts as a proxy for resilience against land degradation and climate change. When biodiversity declines, it often correlates with increased land degradation and climate impacts. Inclusive land-use planning and governance are essential for maintaining local biodiversity. Unfortunately, these practices often fail to achieve their full potential. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework offers a new opportunity for countries to update their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). Advocating for indigenous peoples, marginalized groups, and local communities to actively participate in these updates is crucial.”
The session – the Agropolis International/French Scientific Committee on Desertification – a focus on local scales – was moderated by Jean-Luc Schott, a soil scientist and senior researcher at the French Research Institute for Sustainable Development, a former UNCCD SBI member and chair of the French Scientific Committee on Desertification. -
Weather, rise in international agricultural commodity prices pose upside risks to food inflation, warns RBI in MPC Minutes
Synopsis
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) maintained its repo rate at 6.50% while acknowledging softening food inflation. However, the MPC minutes cautioned about upside risks from weather and global commodity prices. The RBI emphasized its commitment to controlling inflation amidst global economic stability but with persistent geopolitical uncertainties.
Despite expecting relief, the Reserve Bank of India on Friday through its MPC minutes warned that adverse weather events and rise in international agricultural commodity prices pose upside risks to food inflation.
“Going forward, food inflation is likely to soften in Q4 with seasonal easing of vegetables prices and kharif harvest arrivals; and good soil moisture conditions along with comfortable reservoir levels auguring well for rabi production. Adverse weather events and rise in international agricultural commodity prices, however, pose upside risks to food inflation,” said the MPC Minutes.
The RBI in its outlook further said that the global economy remains stable with growth holding up amidst waning inflation, albeit at a slow pace. Geopolitical risks and policy uncertainty, especially with respect to trade policies, have imparted heightened volatility to global financial markets.
Earlier, the central bank on December 6 announced its latest monetary policy decisions with repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 6.50 per cent. This followed a three-day meeting that began on December 4. The rate setting panel also decided to continue with the neutral monetary policy stance and to remain unambiguously focused on a durable alignment of inflation with the target, while supporting growth.
The recent spike in inflation highlights the continuing risks of multiple and overlapping shocks to the inflation outlook and expectations. Heightened geo-political uncertainties and financial market volatility add further upside risks to inflation, added the RBI in its MPC minutes.Further, RBI warned that high inflation reduces the purchasing power of both rural and urban consumers and may adversely impact private consumption. Saugata Bhattacharya, Dr. Rajiv Ranjan, Dr. Michael Debabrata Patra and former governor Shaktikanta Das voted to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 6.50 per cent. Dr. Nagesh Kumar and Professor Ram Singh voted to reduce the policy repo rate by 25 basis points.
“The policy priority at this critical juncture has to be on restoring the inflation growth balance. The fundamental requirement now is to bring down inflation and align it with the target,” Das said as per the minutes of the December 4-6 MPC meeting released by the RBI on Friday.It was the last meeting of the MPC under Das, who demitted office earlier this month after completing an extended six-year tenure.
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WFP calls for The Tafe Passage of Life-Saving Aid, as Opening of Critical Adre Border is Extended
PORT SUDAN/NAIROBI – Three UN World Food Programme convoys carrying essential food and nutrition assistance are on their way to Sudan’s Zamzam camp in North Darfur and Kadugli in South Kordofan for the first time in months. WFP is calling for the safe passage of these vital humanitarian aid convoys to areas that have been largely cut off from aid since the start of the conflict – especially to Zamzam where famine was confirmed in August.
“All of these convoys must reach their destinations quickly and safely. They are carrying assistance for hungry families who are struggling to survive and should never be a target,” said Eddie Rowe, WFP Representative and Country Director in Sudan.
“The safe delivery of this vital assistance will be a critical first step to expanding access, ramping up assistance, and preventing famine from spreading,” he said.
WFP aid trucks will travel up to 1,500 kilometres across conflict frontlines, dozens of checkpoints, and rough terrain before reaching their final destinations.
The first convoy crossed the critical Adre border from Chad into Darfur on Saturday 9 November headed for Zamzam IDP Camp, carrying assistance for 12,500 people. The Government of Sudan announced on Wednesday 13 November that the critical Adre corridor would remain open for another three months for the transport of humanitarian assistance.
“We welcome the decision to keep the Adre corridor open. It is a vital lifeline to get urgent assistance to desperate families in the Darfur region and allows us to scale up assistance to millions at risk of famine,” said Rowe.
Another two WFP convoys left Port Sudan early Tuesday, one en route to Zamzam Camp in North Darfur carrying assistance for 27,400 people including nutrition supplements for malnourished children. Nutrition supplies in Zamzam camp – where child deaths from malnutrition are being recorded – ran out last month. The other convoy is traveling to Kadugli in South Kordofan carrying assistance for 10,000 people.
“We are working around the clock to get a constant flow of aid to reach communities across Sudan in the face of one of the most dangerous and restrictive operating environments in the world today. All parties and armed groups must abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and guarantee the safe delivery of this assistance,” said Rowe.
Sudan’s war could trigger a hunger catastrophe of historic magnitude if the fighting continues to escalate and humanitarian access remains so restricted. So far this year, WFP has provided urgent support to seven million people, but much more is needed to address record levels of need in one of the largest hunger crises worldwide.
The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
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Rebuilding resilience in restive Central African Republic
In the western town of Paoua, a community revitalizes farming and education, with WFP support
13 December 2024, Marie Dasylva and Richard Mbouet
In Paoua, CAR, Simplice Beyo’s farming group has sharply increased its harvests, thanks to relative calm and WFP support.
Simplice Beyo sings in the local Sango language as he leads some 20 women and men in harvesting rice in the Central African Republic’s northwestern town of Paoua. Droplets of early morning dew still cling to the green plants.
Now in his 30s, the head of a local farming group recalls better days, when harvests and food were plentiful.
“Paoua used to be considered the breadbasket of the Central African Republic,” Beyo says. “But with the succession of conflicts, food production has dropped drastically, bringing hunger into our homes.”
Agriculture – which employs about 80 percent of Central Africans – counts among the many casualties of the country’s years-long unrest and political upheaval. Conflict has driven farmers and herders from their lands, reducing food output and deepening hunger.
Today, nearly two million people in the country – or roughly one in three – face high levels of acute hunger, according to newly released expert hunger findings, known as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC. A mix of factors explain the food insecurity, from poverty and erratic rainfall, to armed violence that has uprooted hundreds of thousands of people over the years, and disrupted supply chains.
WFP employees check crops with Paoua’s farmers, whose harvests partly go to feeding their children at school.
But in places like Paoua, communities are taking up farming again – thanks to calm in parts of the country since the signing of 2019 peace agreements. Tens of thousands of refugees who fled CAR are returning home to pick up their lives.
Paoua’s residents are profiting from the peace dividend in bigger ways. With support from the World Food Programme (WFP), farm harvests from cooperatives like Beyo’s provide the raw ingredients for WFP’s first school meals initiative in the country using locally produced food.
“With the arrival of the school canteen, we are seeing overcrowding in our classrooms,’ says Betokomia 1 primary school Headmaster Franklin Tembay-Masseneang. School attendance has more than doubled – from 650 five years ago to more than 1,400 pupils.
A hearty meal at Betokomia 1 primary school featuring locally supplied rice and yellow beans. WFP’s school feeding initiative will soon be extended to other schools in Lim-Pende prefecture.
WFP’s school feeding initiative is now set to be replicated in three other schools in the larger Lim-Pende prefecture where Paoua is located. For many here, it is part of a bigger renaissance.
Agricultural productivity is sharply up, thanks to WFP-supplied improved seeds, and farming and post-harvesting technology. Beyo’s own cooperative, made up of more than 160 families, has mobilized to expanded its cultivation from 3 to 35 hectares. Along with maize, groundnuts and beans, he and fellow farmers are growing rice and sesame, as well as market garden produce such as okra, carrots, tomatoes and watermelon.
That output assures the community greater dietary diversity – and lays the groundwork for the future. Part of the cooperative’s harvests benefit its families. Another part is used as a seed reserve for future harvests. The rest provides the WFP-supported ingredients for Betokomia 1’s school canteen.
Education – and much more
Paoua’s community is investing in its schools in other ways. Years-long violence, sown by a raft of armed groups, has damaged school infrastructure, chased away teachers and robbed many Central African children of an education. At Betokomia 1 school, headmaster Tembay-Masseneang is the only instructor with a teaching degree.
Parent volunteers have been filling the empty teaching spots. Now, some of the profits from Beyo’s cooperative ensures they are paid.
“Thanks to (the WFP) partnership, Continue page 34
Rebbuilding …….
we were able to raise 1.5 million CFA francs,” or roughly
US$2,400, says Beyo, a father of 14, who has children at Betokomia 1 primary. “And with this money, we were able to pay the salaries of the parent-teachers.”
Pelagie Homdoyote’s three children also attend the primary school. Her family, which recently returned home after 12 years in exile in Cameroon, is struggling to make ends meet.
“On the days when I work, I earn a bit of money and have enough to cook for my children,” she says. “But sometimes I earn nothing and I rely on the school so my children can eat,” thanks to the WFP-supported meals.
For other children too, Betokomia 1’s hearty meals of rice, peas and other vegetables, are sometimes their only food for the day. But headmaster Tembay-Masseneang lists other paybacks.
“When children come to collect their school meal, they get an education,” he says. “All this helps the country to move forward.”
France is supporting WFP’s work to strengthen food and nutritional resilience in CAR’s Lim Pende Prefecture. -
IFAD, Nepal launch rural food production production
Press release | 11 December 2024
Regional Communications Officer, Asia and the Pacific.
Rome/Kathmandu, 11 December 2024 – The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Nepal signed a US$120 million eight-year agreement that became effective last month to help over a quarter million people living on small-scale farms transition towards commercial and agroecological farming. The Resilient High-Value Agricultural Programme (R-HVAP) will introduce new methods to increase food production for 60,000 small-scale farming families in 80 palikas (municipalities)
across Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpashchim provinces.
“R-HVAP is a critical investment in Nepal’s future,” said Roshan Cooke, IFAD Country Director, Nepal. “By supporting the transition to sustainable and profitable agroecological agriculture, R-HVAP will not only improve food security and nutrition for vulnerable populations, but also strengthen the resilience of Nepal’s food systems and generate foreign exchange,” he added.
Agriculture remains critical to Nepal’s economy, with a large rural population dependent on it for income and food. Two-thirds of Nepal’s population are engaged in agriculture, contributing approximately a quarter of the national GDP. Nepal achieved lower-middle-income country status in 2020, and now faces potential food security and sovereignty challenges due to its increasing reliance on food imports. The food import bill is 78 times higher than 20 years ago, according to some estimates. The government’s Agriculture Development Strategy (2015-2035) recognizes this challenge and aims to create “a self-reliant, sustainable, competitive, and inclusive agricultural sector that drives economic growth, and contributes to improved livelihoods and food and nutrition security leading to food sovereignty.”
Recent shocks like COVID-19 and increasing climate change have further exposed the vulnerabilities of Nepal’s food systems. R-HVAP will help farmers to adopt market-oriented agroecological practices through five-year, locally developed plans; training in financial management and business skills (including special agroecology apprenticeships for young agricultural trainees); supporting producer organisations to graduate to professional operations; and developing an ecosystem of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
A significant component is the construction of the estimated US$40 million state-of-the-art Semlar Agricultural Regional Wholesale Market in the city of Butwal for fruit, vegetables, cereals, and other commodities. It is strategically located within a 20-minute drive to the Gautam Buddha International Airport and about 40 km from the Indian border. The market will improve the ability of smallholders to reach both domestic and export markets efficiently and at competitive prices.
R-HVAP will also support the development of small-scale irrigation systems, water storage facilities, post-harvest processing facilities, and renewable energy technologies.
Of the total programme cost of US$120.9 million, IFAD is contributing US$70.93 million, while the Government of Nepal is contributing US$24.6 million. Provincial and local governments will contribute US$2.02 million and producer organizations and project participants will add US$20.87 million of their own funds. MSMEs will also contribute US$2.56 million.
Nepal was one of the first countries to benefit from IFAD’s financial support, beginning in 1978. IFAD’s strategy in Nepal supports the development policies and programmes of the government and as such, invests in smallholder agriculture, poverty alleviation, and redressing inequality and social marginalization. IFAD has focused its work particularly in the hill and mountain areas, where poverty levels are high and access to infrastructure, services and markets is extremely limited.
To date, IFAD has supported 22 rural development projects in Nepal worth US$854 million, of which it has contributed US$409 million, reaching nearly 1.1 million families, thus significantly reducing rural poverty. -
Frontline World Food Programme
10 December 2024, Maria shares a meal with two of her daughters, Petronila and Elena Lucrecia, at their home in the Cocop community of Nebaj municipality, Quiché, Guatemala. Over 50 percent of the smallholder farmers that WFP supports in the country are Indigenous and over 80 percent are women.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has a presence in over 120 countries and territories. We provide food and other assistance to people affected by conflict, climate change, economic crises, pandemics and other challenges. At the same time, we provide governments with the support and skills to manage food security in the long term. WFP won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 in recognition of our strong advocacy for the critical role of peace in ending hunger, and for the use of food as a tool for peace.
Quick facts
“WFP is funded entirely by voluntary donations, with US$8.3 billion raised in 2023.
“We provided assistance to 152 million people in 2023.
“WFP has over 22,500 staff, of whom 87 percent are field based.
A global hunger crisis
The year 2024 has been another of extreme jeopardy for millions of people around the world struggling to feed their families. A stream of global crises – overlapping and escalating in countries and regions – has generated an unremitting demand for urgent humanitarian and development assistance. Learn more here about the hunger crisis.
Funding shortfall and ration cuts
While global humanitarian needs are skyrocketing, funding is failing to keep pace. This has forced WFP – and other organizations – to scale back assistance and refocus on the most severe needs.
It is also getting harder for our teams to do their work, with humanitarian access restricted by conflict.
The year 2025 is projected to be one of unrelenting humanitarian needs, driven by escalating conflicts and climate and economic shocks. WFP needs US$16.9 billion to address the humanitarian needs of 123 million vulnerable people in 2025, as detailed in the WFP 2025 Global Outlook.
Main areas of work
Emergency response and preparedness
We respond to emergencies caused by conflict, climate shocks, pandemics and other disasters. We coordinate responses to large-scale emergencies on behalf of the wider humanitarian community, as lead agency of the Logistics Cluster and the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster. We further work with partners to provide early warning and help communities lessen the impact of looming disasters. Learn more here about the emergencies we are currently tackling.
“Each day WFP has up to 5,000 trucks, 132 aircraft and 20 ships on the move, delivering food and other assistance.
Climate action
WFP works with governments and humanitarian partners to respond to an increasing number of climate-related disasters, which wipe out crops, disrupt markets and destroy infrastructure such as roads and bridges. At the same time, we take pre-emptive action including restoring degraded ecosystems that serve as shields against disasters. Forecast-based Financing allows families to buy food, reinforce their homes and take other steps to build resilience ahead of climate disasters.
“WFP aims to empower 23 million people to build resilience against climate-related and other shocks in 2025.
Ending malnutrition
Sustainable development is only possible in communities where malnutrition is eradicated. WFP’s work goes beyond emergency interventions to address all forms of malnutrition, including vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and overweight and obesity. We address malnutrition from the earliest stages, targeting the first 1,000 days from conception to a child’s second birthday. We provide access to healthy diets, with a focus on young children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people living with HIV.
“WFP supported 27 million women and children with measures to prevent and treat malnutrition in the first 1,000 days of life, during 2023.
School-meal programmes
WFP is the largest humanitarian organization implementing school-meal programmes, which improve children’s nutrition and health, while also increasing access to a potentially life-changing education. Home-grown school feeding sources food from millions of smallholder farmers, increasing their incomes and boosting local economies. WFP is secretariat of the School Meals Coalition, with over 100 governments and nearly 140 organizations working for every child to receive a healthy, nutritious school meal by 2030.
“WFP provided nutritious school meals, take-home rations or snacks to 21.4 million schoolchildren in 61 countries in 2023.
Supporting smallholder farmers
Smallholder farmers produce most of the world’s food and are critical in achieving a zero-hunger world. WFP’s support ranges from business-skills training to post-harvest management, to opening up access to finance and roads to markets.
” WFP bought 90,000 metric tons of food from smallholder farmers in 24 countries for our operations in 2023, worth US$56 million, boosting their livelihoods and injecting cash into local economies.
Resilience building
WFP’s early-warning and preparedness systems allow governments to prevent or respond quickly to crises. We help develop national capacities to manage disaster risk through approaches such as weather insurance. Our work includes vulnerability analysis and mapping, as well as support to governments’ social protection systems such as cash transfers.WFP’s Food Assistance for Assets programme sees people receive food or cash to meet immediate food needs, which frees up their time for work on community assets and livelihood resources.
“WFP plans to support the rehabilitation of 3 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, under the Climate and Resilience Investment Pipeline.
Cash assistance
WFP is the largest cash provider in the humanitarian community. Cash allows for increased choices and diet diversity for people, while boosting smallholder production, retail and the financial sector through increased spending and trade. It is also an effective means of giving more economic power to food-insecure women.
“WFP transferred US$2.9 billion in cash-based transfers and commodity vouchers (which are redeemed for specific items) in 76 countries in 2023, reaching 51.6 million people.
Capacity building
WFP shares skills and knowledge with public, private and civil society organizations who are pivotal to sustaining national policies and programmes. We are building governments’ and other partners’ capacities to manage disaster risk and improve food security, while also investing in the aforementioned early-warning and preparedness systems.
“In 2023, WFP supported 58 countries in becoming better prepared for, and more able to respond to, emergencies, through development and training related to preparedness and response systems.
Digital innovation
New technologies and innovation help drive WFP’s work to achieve zero hunger. WFP’s Munich-based Innovation Accelerator sources new ideas, pilots projects and implements high-impact innovations, by connecting them with WFP’s global network and field operations.
The Accelerator reached 60.7 million people across 70 countries and territories in 2023, working with a network of WFP country offices and regional bureaux, innovation hubs and partners.
UNHAS
WFP Aviation manages the only UN-mandated air transport service, the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), which allows humanitarian staff and cargo to reach the world’s most remote and challenging locations.
“UNHAS transported more than 388,000 humanitarian staff and 4,800 metric tons of cargo in 2023, ensuring that 647 organizations could reach over 437 remote and hard-to-reach destinations. -
|Organic World Congress 2024
7 December : We are thrilled to announce the successful conclusion of the Organic World Congress (OWC) 2024 and the IFOAM General Assembly. The events were a testament to the incredible support, dedication, and engagement of our members and attendees. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed to making these gatherings truly impactful.
As we close this chapter, we are excited to share some of the key outcomes and updates from these landmark events:
We are pleased to announce that the province of Negros Occidental in The Philippines has been selected as the host for the Organic World Congress 2027. We eagerly look forward to working with our host to craft another inspiring and transformative gathering for the global organic movement.
A special message from one of our members in the Phillipines
Meet the New World Board
IFOAM-Organics International’s General Assembly, the organization’s highest decision-making body, has concluded with the election of a new World Board. This triennial gathering unites members to shape the future of the organic movement, approve motions, and elect the leadership that will guide the organization for the next three years.?
The New World Board?
This diverse team of global leaders brings exceptional expertise and dedication to advancing organic agriculture. Together, they will steer IFOAM-Organics International according to the strategic direction set during the General Assembly, ensuring the organization remains at the forefront of ecological sustainability and innovation.?
Introducing the New Executive Board?
The General Assembly also announced the new Executive Board, tasked with operational leadership:?
The Executive Board will work closely with the Executive Director and the World Board to implement the organization’s strategic goals.
Looking Ahead?
With the new visionary leadership in place, IFOAM-Organics International is ready to advance its mission with renewed energy and purpose.
A Memorable Milestone for IFOAM-Organics International
The General Assembly 2024 marked yet another inspiring chapter in the history of IFOAM-Organics International and the global organic movement. Over the two days, we witnessed the power of collective decision-making, the diversity of ideas from our global membership, and the shared commitment to a sustainable and equitable future.
From electing a visionary new World Board to approving motions that will steer our work for years to come, every moment underscored the strength of our shared purpose. We also celebrated the selection of the next host for the Organic World Congress 2027, setting the stage for another landmark event that will bring us together to advance the organic agenda.
A special thank you goes to the organisers of this year’s General Assembly and Organic World Congress for creating a space where meaningful connections could flourish. We also express our heartfelt gratitude to our strategic partners, including BIOFACH and FiBL, whose unwavering support sustains our shared mission. And to the IFOAM staff-thank you for your tireless dedication, ensuring that not just this event, but the organisation itself continues to thrive.
A Message from Ravi R. Prasad, Executive Director
“A big thank you to all our members for being there and believing in us. Meeting our members for the first time, listening to their experiences and getting to hear from them how we can serve our membership better has inspired me and my colleagues. There is no doubt that we are bigger than the sum of our parts. We look forward to heightened collaboration and action as we move ahead implementing the new Strategy. Before we meet again at the next General Assembly in 2027, we will strive to increase our engagement with our members, improve our outreach, seek their support in expanding our work, our network, and our impact.
This OWC and GA would not have been successful without our members, and my colleagues at IFOAM-Organics International, who toiled hard overcoming challenges and turning them into opportunities. They left no stone unturned to make these events a success. -
Eco-Friendly Practices Replace Antimicrobials in Apiaries Across Ghana
Beekeepers battle against Antimicrobial Resistance, hive by hive
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when microorganisms persist or grow despite the use of drugs designed to inhibit or kill them. This can lead to treatments failing, with increased illness and mortality in humans, plants, animals and even bees. ©FAO /Sara Giuliani
18 November : Martha Adjorlolo’s beehives, set amid the rural landscape of Donkorkrom, in Ghana’s eastern region are her livelihood and her passion. Though she only started beekeeping a year ago, she has quickly become committed to sustainable beekeeping practices. She already uses local methods—like the top bar hive, a type of beehive that allows bees to build their comb on horizontal bars made from natural materials, as well as natural repellents such as lemongrass oil and wood ash— to manage pests.
But recently, her awareness of the importance of reducing chemicals and antimicrobial use has only grown sharper, especially after a hands-on training by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) through its Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD). The workshop, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), “was an eye-opener; it highlighted the urgent need for change in handling antimicrobials, not just for bee health, but for food safety and our environment,” says Martha.
Martha Adjorlolo is committed to sustainable beekeeping practices, particularly after a workshop by FAO on reducing the use of antimicrobials in agriculture. © Photos courtesy of Martha Adjorlolo
Beekeepers sometimes use antibiotics in hives to manage bacterial infections or as a measure to support the health of their bee colonies. That’s why the workshop focused on raising awareness and preventing the problems posed by Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). This occurs when microorganisms persist or grow despite the use of drugs known as antimicrobials designed to inhibit or kill them. These drugs are used to treat infectious diseases caused by microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoan parasites.
When microorganisms become resistant to antimicrobials, standard treatments are often ineffective. In some cases, no drugs can provide effective therapy and treatments fail, leading to increased illness and mortality in humans, animals and plants.
The same goes for bees. “We learned at the FAO training that we use antibiotics without fully understanding the consequences,” Martha says. “Every choice we make ripples through our ecosystem,” she adds.
Another critical factor is that some beekeepers combine beekeeping with crop and animal farming, using antibiotics to control diseases in crops and livestock. While bees may not be the target, this approach has inadvertently introduced AMR to their bee colonies.
This matters all the more because honey production in Ghana is not just a livelihood; it’s a pillar for rural communities and a source of economic stability. In 2019, the University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana conducted a study in the Northern Region of the country and discovered antibiotic residues in both imported and locally produced honey, underlining the contamination risks that could diminish consumer trust and potentially impact honey sales negatively.
Adopting sustainable practices that cut down on the use of antimicrobials does more than just improve honey quality. It bolsters local economies, protects public health and enhances the resilience and biodiversity of ecosystems.
By improving hygiene and management practices, Martha is determined to protect her bees and produce honey that’s safer for everyone. She has also integrated AMR education into local training sessions she runs for a beekeeping non-profit, helping other beekeepers understand the risks of indiscriminate antibiotic use. Her commitment is echoed by the other 62 workshop participants, who dove into practical lessons on bee disease management, AMR risks and sustainable practices.
For local beekeepers like Martha, FAO is helping to spread the message that adopting these practices does more than just improve honey quality; it bolsters their local economy, protects public health and enhances the resilience and biodiversity of their ecosystems.