FAOFAOFFOOD ANDOOD AND AAGRICULTUREGRICULTURE

OORGANIZATIONRGANIZATION OF THEOF THE UUNITEDNITED NNATIONSATIONS

CENTER OF INFORMATION

AND KNOWLEDGE

• Raise levels of nutrition and standards of Raise levels of nutrition and standards of livingliving

• Improve agricultural productivityImprove agricultural productivity • Better the conditionsBetter the conditions

of rural populationsof rural populations• Contribute to theContribute to the

expansion of theexpansion of the

world’s economyworld’s economy

FAO’s MandateFAO’s Mandate (founded in 1945--Quebec City)(founded in 1945--Quebec City)

FAO What it is, What it doesFAO What it is, What it does

InformationInformation

AdviceAdvice

Neutral forumNeutral forum

Development Development AssistanceAssistance

• FAO collects, analyses, interprets and FAO collects, analyses, interprets and disseminates informationdisseminates information

• FAO provides independent advice on FAO provides independent advice on agricultural policy and planningagricultural policy and planning

• FAO offers a neutral forum for discussion FAO offers a neutral forum for discussion and formulation of policy, negotiation of and formulation of policy, negotiation of agreements and establishment of standardsagreements and establishment of standards

• FAO provides practical help to developing FAO provides practical help to developing countries through technical assistancecountries through technical assistance

FAO’s roleFAO’s role

One of the FAO’s major roles is “ Putting information in reach”

FAO highlights information as one of the priority areas in achieving agricultural development and food security

How to reach information?

Policy Makers

Farmers

Support ServicesMarket

Opportunities

Knowledge Support Services

Diffusion of InformationDiffusion of Information

The FAO web site contains approximately50,000 web pages, over 100 databases, and

thousands of documents

http://www.fao.org/

PlatformPlatform

W A I C E N TW A I C E N T

WAICENTWAICENT (World Agricultural Information Center)

For enhancement of access to timely and relevant technical information by FAO member nations and the general public

For encouragement of FAO Member Nations to utilize information as a key for development

ObjectiveInformation is one of priority areas in achieving agricultural development and food security

A corporate framework and platform for agricultural information management and dissemination

What is WAICENT?

Consolidating more than 40 separate databases under the umbrella of WAICENT

Statistical databasesStatistical databases

FAOSTATFAOSTAT(FAO Statistical Databases)(FAO Statistical Databases)

FAOSTAT FAOSTAT (FAO Statistical Databases)

Following areas of agriculture, fisheries, forestry and nutrition

ProductionTradeFood Balance SheetsProducer PricesForestry Trade FlowLand Use and IrrigationForest ProductsFishery ProductsPopulationCodex Alimetarius Food Quality

ControlFertlizers and PesticidesAgricultural MachineryFood Aid ShipmentsExports by Destination

Contents

A multilingual online databases currently

containing more than 1 million time-series

records of international statistics

for more than 210 countries in the areas

of agricultures

What is FAOSTAT?

Information Access ToolsInformation Access Tools

David Lubin Memorial David Lubin Memorial LibraryLibrary

David Lubin Memorial David Lubin Memorial LibraryLibrary

Agriculture Food and Nutrition Rural Development Plant Production and Protection Animal Production and Health Agricultural Machinery Agro-industries Agro-forestry, Forestry, Fisheries Sustainable Development Statistics Agricultural Economics and other related subjects

Contents

The library was established in Rome in 1952. it is considered one of the

world's finest collections in food, agriculture and international

development

The On-Line site allows you to search itsextensive catalogue and FAO databases, as

well as providing links to both FAO and otherinstitutional electronic journals and other

sites of interest to FAO users.

What is On-Line Library?

Over one million volumes; the journal collection contains approximately 13,000 titlesof which 1,450 are electronic. The heavily used working collection consists of FAOdocumentation, books and serials in FAO subject fields, a comprehensive referencecollection and specialized Branch Library collections in Fisheries and Forestry

Collections

Specialized Information Specialized Information SystemSystem

GIEWSGIEWS

GIEWSGIEWS (Global Information and Early Warning

System) Food Outlook Food crops and Shortages Africa Report Sahel Report Special Reports and Alerts Other

Publications

To keep the world food supply/demandsituation under continuous review, issue

reports on the world food situation(Food Outlook, Food Crops and

Shortages, etc.), and provide earlywarnings of impending food crises

in individual countries.

Mission

Information Analysis (Crops monitoring/ national level and global level) Report publication, Special Reports and Alerts, etc) Report dissemination (email, Facsimile) Communications Free access to databases and tools to allow viewers to develop their own

information Participation Exchange information supply up-dated information

Means

EMPRESEMPRES

EMPRESEMPRES (Emergency Prevention

System )

A special focus programme of FAO to help countries fight agricultural pestsand diseases which migrate or spread

across borders and cause major Lossesand emergencies, leading to famines and trade restrictions. Emphasis is on

early warning and early reaction.

Initial priority 1. Animal Diseases2. Desert Locust

http://www.fao.org/EMPRES/default.htm

What is EMPRES?

Early Warning, identified as all disease initiatives Lead to improved awareness and knowledge Forecast further evolution of an outbreak Effective implementation(e.g. Avian influenza, bovine spongiform encephalopathy)

Mission

FIVIMSFIVIMS

Information about food insecure and vulnerable people is lacking in many countries.

At the International level, FIVIMS implements diverse activities in support of national information systems, for them to become part of an international information exchange network.

At the country level, FIVIMS works with a network of information systems that gather and analyze relevant national and subnational data that measure food insecurity and vulnerability.

What is FIVIMS?

Raise awareness about food security issues; Improve the quality of food security related data and analysis; Facilitate integration of complementary information; Promote better understanding of users' needs and better use of

information; Improve access to information through networking and sharing.

Mission

FIVIMS (Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping Systems )

FAO Country Profiles and FAO Country Profiles and Mapping Information SystemMapping Information System

The system offers decision-makers

around the world a fast and reliable

way to access country-specific

Information without the need to

search individual databases and

systems.

What is this system?

Brings together documents, statistical

data, project details and maps from FAO's

existing specialized country profiles

which are listed below, as well as

information from the Organization's Web

pages and systems and those of its

partners.

Mission

FAO Country Profiles and FAO Country Profiles and Mapping Mapping Information System Information System

Aquastat Country Profiles Biotechnology Country Profiles BIODEC Biotechnologies in Developing Countries Country Pasture/Forage Resource Profiles FAO Projects in the country FAO Terminology - Names of Countries Fisheries Country Profiles Forestry Country Profiles Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and

Agriculture (GIEWS) Information on Fisheries Management in the Country Livestock Sector Briefs METART ARTEMIS and AGROMET Data and Information Nutrition Country Profiles Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean - Information

by country Water and Food Security Country Profiles Compendium of Food and Agriculture Indicators 2004 (PDF) Directory of National Agricultural Research Institutions EXPORTS - Commodities by Country Food Balance Sheet of fish and fisheries products in live weight

and fish contribution to protein supply (PDF) IMPORTS - Commodities by Country Major Food and Agricultural Commodities and Producers Review of water resource statistics by country

Links to other FAO Country Information Systems and Country Profiles

Publication, News, Photos, Publication, News, Photos, GraphicsGraphics

FAO Corporate Document FAO Corporate Document RepositoryRepository

An electronic library that holds FAO’s huge collection of publications and meeting documents in full-text, electronic format.

Since the initiative started in 1998, over 6 000 documents have been converted into HTML allowing users to download valuable agricultural formation from anywhere in the world, free of charge.

Several types of search facilities allow users to look for documents using a combination of search fields such as title, language, publication year and keywords.

FAO FAO Catalogue OnlineCatalogue Online

The FAO on-line catalogue (FAOBIB) is a multilingual, on-line catalogue of documents and publications produced by FAO since 1945, books added to the library collections since 1976, and serials held in the FAO library.

Full text links are provided for all documents that are available in the Corporate Document Repository. Requests for copies of FAO documents in print or microfiche (pre-1998) may be addressed to the library

FAO FAO Publications Catalogue Publications Catalogue OnlineOnline

The FAO Sales Catalogue lists a wide selection of FAO publications and CD-ROMs in English, French and Spanish that are available to buy over the Internet, by mail, by fax or through official distributors.

The interactive catalogue covers a wide spectrum of FAO subjects including agriculture, genetics, plant production and protection, animal production and health, forestry, fisheries, land and water development, statistics, trade, biotechnology and food and nutrition.

FAO News RoomFAO News Room

Providing Information related to media by text, audio, video, etcOnline photo (access to photos related to FAO projects.)Access to Fact sheets in key subjects

Nonformal rural education: transferring practical information & innovation and opening opportunities.

Multidisciplinary - combining educational methodologies, communication, and group techniques

Agriculture Extension: FAO’s Agriculture Extension: FAO’s viewview

Special Programme for Food Security Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS)(SPFS)

What is SPFS?

the SPFS is a core agriculture extension work implemented by FAOwhich is a multidisciplinary participatory programme with a strong emphasis on meeting people’s needs directly by raising farmer’s net income, generating rural employment, increasing social equity and promoting gender sensitivity

In 2004, the SPFS has been implemented in 100 countries, Including 42 African countries

Special Programme for Food Security Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS)(SPFS) Control water through small-scale projects

to protect against vagaries of weather

Boost small farmers’ crop, livestock and aquaculture productivity through intensification and diversification

Identify and find measures to respond to socio-economic constraints on production, marketing and processing of agricultural products

Farmer Field Schools (FFS)Farmer Field Schools (FFS) Participatory farmer training through experiential learning

Focused initially on integrated pest management (IPM)

Season-long series of weekly meetings where farmers identify problems and then design, carry out and interpret field experiments.

Learning combines local knowledge with scientific ecological approaches.

Farmers of the IPM Farmer Field School, Sudan, are establishing tomato nurseries to grow healthy seedlings.

After field practicals, Farmers are discussing new cultural practices demonstrated on the IPM field in the Farmer Field School in Sudan.

South-South CooperationSouth-South Cooperation

Advanced developing countries send field technicians and experts to specific recipient countries for up to two or three years, where they work directly with rural communities and farmers.

The number of experts required at any one time is determined on a case-by-case basis, assuring critical mass and site coverage in all regions of the country.

Worldwide 28 countries are receiving help with over 1000 experts and technicians in the field.

Vietnamese technicians in the fieldswith Senegalese farmers

Rural Radio/Rural CommunicationRural Radio/Rural Communication

FAO has long supported rural radio initiatives:• Direct support for setting up/improving stations• Training rural radio workers• Supporting networking initiatives• Research & evaluation of content and impact

Advent of low-cost FM transmitters has made rural radio more participatory.

A retransmission at Radio St. Louis of broadcasts on environmental problems realized in collaboration with the regional forestry service and an FAO project

A meeting between villagers and the team from the Communications and Information Unit of the State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

Garden-Based Learning Programs Garden-Based Learning Programs (GBL)(GBL)

GBL provide pupils with environmental education, ecological literacy, agricultural literacy and agricultural education.

Main Objectives

1. Giving knowledge and skills for better agricultural productivity

2. Making Science teaching more relevant and more effective

3. Giving environmental education a sustainable practical dimension

4. Influencing pupils’ attitudes, giving positive motivation towards agriculture and rural life

5. Spreading agricultural development at village level

6. Giving girls access to basic agricultural education as the future food producers

7. Improving pupils nutritional status by providing school meals

8. Attracting pupils to school with greater local relevance of subject matter and better teaching methods

The Growing Connection – Hands-on The Growing Connection – Hands-on ExtensionExtension

Combines water-efficient Combines water-efficient vegetable production with vegetable production with modern communicationsmodern communications

At schools gardens in Ghana, At schools gardens in Ghana, Mexico and USAMexico and USA

Common growing and IT Common growing and IT practicespractices

Rural communities gain Rural communities gain access to local, nat’l & int’l access to local, nat’l & int’l sources of information & sources of information & advice on food productionadvice on food production

Enhances household level Enhances household level food security and income-food security and income-generationgeneration

Website: http://www.thegrowingconnection.org

ConclusionConclusion

FAO provides information technology tools FAO provides information technology tools to internationalize the work of extension to internationalize the work of extension agents everywhereagents everywhere

Visit Visit http://www.fao.org or contact: FAO Liaison Office for North AmericaFAO Liaison Office for North America2175 K Street NW2175 K Street NWWashington, DC 20437Washington, DC 20437Phone: 202-653-2400Phone: 202-653-2400