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Conceptual Framework on Agriculture

This paper sets out a conceptual framework to guide a future approach to agriculture and the agrifood sector.

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Conceptual Framework on Agriculture

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Agriculture is an important sector for many developing countries, both to drive economic development but also to support poverty reduction and boost food and nutrition security. Since the last paper on agriculture in 2005, the world has changed immensely. We have achieved significant successes in reducing poverty and hunger, and have boosted the incomes and livelihoods of many people, including in the poorest countries.

At the same time, new challenges and opportunities have presented themselves. For example, how will we ensure the food security of a rapidly growing global population in an era of climate change and increasing shocks and disasters? How to make agriculture more productive and food systems more sustainable and resilient? How to better benefit girls and women who make up the majority of people working in agriculture in developing countries, but who are not currently getting enough from their labours? How to adopt a new approach to agriculture in a context where more and more people migrate to towns and cities, and where plot sizes and climatic conditions make it less and less likely that future generations will be able to feed themselves and their families with their own agricultural production?

This publication presents the latest evidence and a conceptual framework to design agriculture policies and programmes, differentiated by context and responding to the new trends highlighted above, to make a meaningful contribution to the Global Goals.

Published 2 November 2015