The need to feed a growing global population and respond to increased demand for fish puts pressure on natural resources and challenges the sustainability of marine and inland fisheries and of aquaculture development. There is growing evidence of increases in resource conflicts (e.g. arising from competing demands for water resources in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) and ecological impacts (e…
The marine ecosystem food chain can be described in its simplest form as plankton eaten by fish and the fish eaten by whales. We can visualize this as a food pyramid in which the fewer top level organisms are supported by a larger number of food organisms. With the moratorium on commercial whaling protecting even abundant whale species, if their abundance continues to increase, the top layer al…
As this report demonstrates, women are often more economically vulnerable than men and thus are less likely to be resilient in the face of the crisis. As economies emerge out of the crisis, it is important that governments generate long-term gender-inclusive growth by addressing the constraints that women face. Although most of this report was prepared prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemi…
The World Trade Statistical Review 2023 presents recent trends in international trade at a time of geopolitical and macroeconomic strains and technological challenges affecting the global economy and supply chains. The data cover merchandise and services trade broken down by geographical origin, main product groups and sectors, along with related data on key economic developments such as GDP gr…
This brief provides a rigorous and standardized approach for value chain analysis and design (VCA/D).1 It assumes that a specific value chain (VC) has already been selected and describes how to complete the first two steps for its sustainable evelopment, namely analysing the VC and designing an upgrading strategy and development plan for it.2 The next step, beyond this brief, is the implementat…
Only with knowledge can we free the world from hunger, malnutrition and poverty. According to the Basic Texts of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Organization’s first function is to “collect, analyse, interpret and disseminate information relating to nutrition, food and agriculture”. FAO’s strategic focus on “the four betters” – better product…
Disasters are resulting in unprecedented levels of destruction across the world. These shocks and disruptions affect the functioning and sustainability of agricultural production and threaten the livelihoods of millions of people reliant on agrifood systems. Reducing the impact of disasters in agriculture requires a better understanding of the extent to which these events produce negative im…
Women, Business and the Law takes as its starting point that the equal participation of women and men will give every economy a chance to achieve its potential. Equality of opportunity allows women to make the choices that are best for them, their families, and their communities. It is also associated with improved economic outcomes. A significant body of research links reforms and policies aim…
During this global acceleration, commodity prices rebounded. Copper prices, which are closely linked to the industrial cycle, increased 43 percent between October 2016 and March 2018, more than any other commodity. Oil prices increased 30 percent over the same period (figure 1.2, panel a), providing some relief for energy exporters and recipients of remittances in the eastern part of the region…