The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World: Building Climate Resilience for Food Security and Nutrition, FAO 2018

The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018 launches an urgent appeal to accelerate and scale up actions to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity in the face of changing climate variability and increasing extremes. Part 1 of the report presents the most recent trends in hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms with a focus on monitoring progress on SDG Targets 2.1 and 2.2. Part 2 closely scrutinizes the extent to which climate variability and extremes are undermining progress in the areas of food security and nutrition through different channels. The analysis ultimately points to guidance on how the key challenges brought about by climate variability and extremes can be overcome if we are to achieve the goals of ending hunger and malnutrition in all forms by 2030 (SDG Targets 2.1 and 2.2) as well as other related SDGs, including taking action to combat climate change and its impacts (SDG13). The report was jointly prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Programme (WFP). Get the full publication here


Global Status and Economic Benefits of Biotech Maize Production by 2017

Maize is at the center of global food security, as one of the most important cereal crops in human and animal diets worldwide. Together with rice and wheat, it provides at least 30% of the food calories to more than 4.5 billion people in 94 developing countries, including 900 million consumers for whom maize is the preferred staple. In the past decade, increasing demand and production shortfalls in global maize supplies have seen a surge in global maize prices. This has further been aggravated by climate change and the consequent rise in both crop biotic and abiotic stresses. In the wake of these challenges, vigorous concerted efforts have been geared towards development of high-yielding, stress-tolerant maize varieties through both conventional breeding and modern biotechnology. In 2017, biotech maize was grown in 14 countries globally, occupying 59.7 million hectares. The accumulated income benefit for farmers growing biotech maize during the 21 years of cultivation (1996 to 2016) stood at US$63.7 billion. The brief highlights the global status of biotech maize commercialization by 2017, as well as the economic benefits accrued from growing biotech maize. The publication is an annual series developed by the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB) Kenya chapter. Get the full publication here


Africa Agriculture Status Report 2018: Catalyzing Government Capacity to Drive Agricultural Transformation

This report by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) raises tough questions that accompany the challenge of delivering agricultural transformation in Africa. It looks at how to translate visions into reality; how political leaders can build buy-in to what they are trying to achieve, often in limited timeframes; how to plan and align resources; and how to manage the various obstacles, distractions and challenges that will always arise and often derail even the best laid plans. It also looks at how you create the right conditions and set out a clear and coherent policy framework which enables the private sector, supports smallholder farmers, and builds a coalition with civil society and development partners. The report emphasizes mutual accountability, recognizing that holding all stakeholders including governments accountable to the progress of implementation and delivery is central to agriculture sector performance. As a status report, it serves as a handbook for governments and their supporting partners to help them transform agriculture, and economic transformation more broadly, in Africa. Get the full publication here