Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

About / Mission

FAO’s strategy is built around country-level, results-oriented programming that ties technical expertise to measurable outcomes in hunger eradication, sustainable agriculture, rural poverty reduction, food systems, and resilience. Its UN system mandate is implemented through strategic programmes and thematic initiatives, with a strong emphasis on supporting governments, coordinating international action, and translating global standards and knowledge into practical policy and field delivery. A defining feature of FAO’s approach is that it does not treat agriculture as a single-sector issue. Instead, it links production, nutrition, natural-resource management, and climate resilience, using a systems lens that spans farms, markets, ecosystems, and policy frameworks. This is visible in initiatives such as the Global Soil Partnership, the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture, and the Save Food Initiative, which combine evidence, technical guidance, and partnership-based implementation to address structural drivers of food insecurity and environmental degradation. FAO also relies heavily on convening power and international norm-setting. Through platforms such as the Committee on World Food Security and FAO/WHO food standards work, it helps align governments and partners around common rules, shared evidence, and coordinated responses. In practice, this means FAO often acts as both a technical agency and a policy broker: it helps countries design solutions, strengthens institutions, and builds global consensus on food and agriculture priorities.