The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. It was founded in 1945 and currently has 192 member countries and over 4,000 staff members. FAO works to achieve global food security and reduce poverty through technical assistance, capacity building, knowledge sharing, policy support, and partnerships with countries and other organizations.

1. What is FAO?

2. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• founded in October 1945 as
World Secretariat for Agriculture
for Member Countries
• largest special agency within the UN
system
• 192 members
• ~ 4 000 staff members

3. FAO’s members and partners
• 192 members (191 nations & the European Community)
• national counterparts:
– Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock
– Environment
– Health, Planning etc.
• partners:
– international conventions and bodies (OIE, CODEX, WHO,
CBD, UNDP, WB, etc.)
– regional organizations (EC, SADC, UEMOA, MERCOSUR, etc.)
– CGIAR/ARIs/NARs
– NGOs/CSO (WVF, WAAP, etc.)
– private sector (IDF, IMS, IPC, IFIF, IFAP, EFFAB, etc.)

4. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FAO
4000 staff - 192 Members

5. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FAO
5 regional offices
4000 staff - 192 Members

6. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FAO
4000 staff - 192 Members
10 sub-regional offices

7. FAO
4 FAO/OIE Animal
Health Offices
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
4000 staff - 192 Members

8. FAO
5 liaison offices –
136 country offices
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
4000 staff - 192 Members

10. FAO’s global goals
• reduction of the number of people suffering
from hunger
• elimination of poverty, increased food
productivity, enhanced rural development
and sustainable livelihoods
• sustainable management and utilization of
natural resources, for the benefit of
present and future generations

11. FAO
• leads international efforts to defeat hunger
• acts as a neutral forum where all nations
meet as equals to negotiate agreements
and debate policy
• is a source of knowledge and information
• helps developing countries and countries in
transition to modernize and improve
agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices
and ensure good nutrition for all

12. FAO’s core function
• monitor and assess trends in food security and
agriculture, fisheries and forestry;
• generate, disseminate and apply information and
knowledge, including statistics;
• negotiate international instruments; set norms,
standards and voluntary guidelines,
• support the development of national legal instruments
and promote their implementation;
• articulate policy and strategy options and advice;
• provide technical support and build capacity;
• advocate and communicate to mobilize political will;
• work in an integrated interdisciplinary and innovative
approaches through strong partnerships and alliances.

13. FAO’s budget
• biennium 2008-2009 - US$ 1.8 billion
– technical work
– cooperation and partnerships including the Technical
Cooperation Programme
– information and general policy
– direction & administration
• extra budgetary resources (48%)

14. FAO’s tasks
• putting information within reach
– knowledge network
– analyse and disseminate data that aid
development

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17. FAO’s tasks
• sharing policy expertise
– devising agricultural policy
– supporting planning
– drafting effective legislation
– creating national strategies
to achieve rural development and hunger
alleviation goal

18. FAO’s tasks
• providing a meeting place for nations
– neutral forum
– FAO provides the setting where rich and poor
nations can come together to build common
understanding

19. FAO’s tasks
• bringing knowledge to the field
– thousands of field projects throughout the world
– FAO mobilizes and manages millions of dollars
provided by industrialized countries,
development banks and other sources
– FAO provides the technical know-how and in a
few cases is a limited source of funds

20. Technical Cooperation Programme
• since 1976, it
provides FAO
members with
specialized assistance
to address priority
issues
• in 2007 - 1615 active
field programme
projects, of which 520
were emergency
operations
more info: www.fao.org/tc/tcp

21. FAO’s organization
FAO is composed of eight departments:
• Agriculture and Consumer Protection;
• Economic and Social Development;
• Fisheries and Aquaculture;
• Forestry;
• Human, Financial and Physical Resources;
• Knowledge and Communication;
• Natural Resources Management and
Environment and
• Technical Cooperation.

22. Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department
It’s composed of 5 Divisions
• Animal production and health
• FAO/IAEA Joint division for nuclear
techniques
• Nutrition and consumer protection
• Plant production and protection
• Rural infrastructure and agro-industries

23. Animal Production and Health Division
Themes of work:
• Animal Health
• Human Health
• Livelihoods
• Income Generation
• Genetic Resources
• Environment

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25. Animal Production and Health Division
approach to programme design
animals and livelihoods
lic
Social Equity (poverty alleviation)
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Veterinary
Sustainable Public
Natural Health
Resources
animals and land, water, air, animal health in
biodiversity, ecology the wider context

26. Agriculture Production Service highlights
• Animal Genetic Resources
• Animal nutrition and feeding
• Animal welfare
• Food and feed safety, support to CODEX
and its implementation, capacity building
• Livestock Emergency Relief
• Milk & dairy products/ meat and meat products
• International Network for Family Poultry
Development
• Field Programme: e.g. poultry (Afghanistan),
dairy (Mongolia, Afghanistan)

28. Collaboration with the private sector
representatives
• International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF)
• International Dairy Federation (IDF)
• International Meat Secretariat (IMS)
• International Federation for Animal Health
(IFAH)
• International Federation of Agricultural
Producers (IFAP)
• Safe Supply of Affordable Food Everywhere –
SSAFE Initiative
• International Poultry Council (IPC)
• European Forum of Farm Animal Breeders
(EFFAB)

29. Collaboration with the NGOs
• World Society for the Protection of Animals
(WSPA)
• Compassion on World Farming (CIWF)
• the Brooke
• Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (RSPCA)
• Humane Society International (HIS)
• League for Pastoral People and Endogenous
Livestock Development
• Heifer International
• Oxfam/Novib

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32. IDF/FAO/EC Joint
Animal Health and
Welfare Conference
(within the World
Dairy Summit 2009)

33. thank you