International food insecurity rose from 2015 to 2016, according to the Food Security Information Network’s (FSIN) Global Report on Food Crises 2017 released in March.

Jordan is set to have its first-ever operational drought monitoring system as a result of collaboration between different organizations, including the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (

GFAR is working with FAO in the H2020 project "Big Data Europe: Integrating Big Data, Software & Communities for Addressing Europe's Societal Challenges" (BDE).

In order to make changes in public policy agendas, National Committees for Family Farming in the Philippines, Honduras, Burkina Faso and Senegal will receive technical and financial support. The creation of a new Committee in Chad will be supported as well.

One of the five point priority agenda of the Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) is to build and strengthen farmers’ cooperatives and their enterprises that will give farmers a stronger involvement in value chains and increase their market power. Thus, AFA has established a Cooperative Development Program which aims to “build a strong and viable network of farmers’ cooperatives, owned and controlled by small scale family farmers, engaged in sustainable and growing business enterprises that leverage economies of scale.”

On April 25-26, the AYA Forum is being organised by the African Development Bank (AfDB), in collaboration with Partners in GFAR: CTA, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the African Agribusiness Incubation Network (AAIN). About 250 young agripreneurs from across Africa, as well as institutional and business partners, are expected to attend.

Forest degradation, deforestation and agricultural production contribute to almost a quarter of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The ways in which agricultural and forest lands are managed are critical for climate change mitigation, global food security and achieving the sustainable development goals. To reach emissions reduction targets, while avoiding negative effects on food security and other human well-being outcomes, there is an urgent need to develop effective policies and programmes in the land use and forestry sector.