SDG2 Zero Hunger

Finance Ministers of the economies of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) endorsed the new Better Than Cash Alliance report on the role of digital payments in sustainable agriculture on 21st October, in Viet Nam.

The report examines how shifting to digital payments can provide powerful solutions to help countries improve agricultural productivity and ensure food security, bringing higher incomes and greater financial inclusion.

The objective of the courses is to bridge the knowledge gap in production, marketing, financial, institutional and policy-related risks at the farm level, as well as across the agricultural value chain, with a holistic approach in the developing country context. They are targeted to national policy makers, farmer organizations and operators in the agro-food value chains, to transfer skills and competencies to mitigate Agricultural risks, using concrete tools and strategies.

Amongst the most notable skill deficiencies was proficiency in project and programme cycle management (PPCM). PPCM provides an overall analytical and decision-making framework for results-based management. Proficient use of PPCM techniques is essential when it comes to ensuring that programmes and projects are relevant, feasible and effective in promoting development.

It cuts across all economic sectors and constitutes 15–30 per cent of the gross domestic product in most countries, hence its significance for enhancing market competitiveness and sustainable development. Setting up effective national public procurement systems has often been a challenge, not least because of a deficit in competent human resources and the need to keep up to date with the ever-increasing complexity of the legal framework, the globalization of markets, and sophisticated contractual and tendering systems.

This one-lesson course considers the gender dimension of rural migration. As men and women experience migration differently, to reduce the vulnerability and empower both rural women migrants and women who stay behind, it is essential to integrate gender into policies and programmes on migration and rural development.

Audience

Individuals who would especially benefit from taking the course include:

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes the need for inclusive participation and effective stakeholder for the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2019, the theme of the high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) and of the 6th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) will be “Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”.

We are extremely pleased to inform you that the five elearning courses related to Climate Smart Agriculture are now available online, free of charge, as a global public good, through the FAO elearning Center under the Category: “Climate Change, Adaptation and Mitigation“.
 
The course titles and direct links are provided below and the corresponding fact sheets, which are now included in the FAO elearning Center digital catalogue (available below), are attached for easy reference. 

This publication was launched at the COP24 in Poland by FAO’s Deputy Director General, Ms. Maria Helena Semedo at the Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture side event yesterday. 

The fifth in the series of Inequality of Opportunity in Asia and the Pacific policy papers (following Education, Decent Work, Clean Energy and Children’s Nutrition) , this paper highlights why it is important to reduce inequalities in access to clean water and basic sanitation. It also introduces new ways of analyzing surveys to measure inequality of opportunity and to identify the shared circumstances of those “furthest behind” in 22 ESCAP member States.