The purpose of this report is to increase understanding of the nature of the challenges that agriculture and food systems are facing now and will face into the 21st century. Its analysis of 15 global trends provides insights into what is at stake and what needs to be done. Most of the trends are strongly interdependent and, combined, inform a set of 10 challenges to achieving food security and nutrition for all and making agriculture sustainable. ‘Business-as-usual’ is not an option.

This paper examines the impacts of access to extension services and cooperative membership on technology adoption, asset ownership and poverty using household-level data from rural Nigeria. Using different matching techniques and endogenous switching regression approach, we find that both extension access and cooperative membership have a positive and statistically significant effect on technology adoption and household welfare. Moreover, we find that both extension access and cooperative membership have heterogeneous impacts.

This manual sets out the steps to guide rural advisory and agricultural extension workers to successfully integrate trees in rice-field and associated farms and landscapes using practical tools for implementing agroforestry practices on farms in Southeast Asia. Developed in collaboration by FAO with CIFOR-ICRAF, the manual builds on manifold experiences, consultations, and visits, especially in Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), the Philippines and Thailand. The FFS approach is introduced as one of the best ways to share learning and knowledge and to discover technologies.

This document provides practical guidance on the establishment and implementation of FFS combining local innovations and AESA for trainers and FFS facilitators in introducing and promoting improved land and water management. Agroforestry systems are introduced for fodder trees, fodder crops, their management and utilization.