Agriculture
Private sector partnerships are key to securing FAO’s vision of a world built on sustainable, inclusive and resilient food systems. The private sector, from smallholder farmers to major companies, is at the forefront of transformative change and innovation, and can provide valuable support in driving social and economic inclusion by facilitating participation across value chains, providing access to markets, and promoting investment.
As a global leader in food and agriculture, FAO helps to connect its Members with private sector partners around shared priorities, in support of the most vulnerable people. As a knowledge organization, FAO is an independent and neutral broker which supports the private sector in designing fit-for-purpose solutions that have the power to create positive development impacts where they are most needed.
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 will only be possible if all actors and key stakeholders, including the private sector, are fully engaged. Private sector organizations can play a catalytic role in improving the ways in which we invest and operate in agri-food systems. At the same time, private sector knowledge, expertise and innovation can be leveraged to ensure that the world moves forward in an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable way.
FAO is committed to engaging with a variety of private sector partners in order to advance knowledge and innovation to achieve the SDGs, including:
- Farmers and farmers’ organizations
- Producers’ organizations and cooperatives
- Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)
- Large national and multinational corporations
- Financial institutions
- Industry and trade organizations and consortia which represent private sector interests
- Philanthropic foundations
Agriculture, known also as husbandry or farming, is the science of cultivating plants, animals, and other life forms for food, fiber, and fuel. The agricultural industry, which includes enterprises engaged in growing crops, raising fish and animals, and logging wood, encompasses farms, dairies, hatcheries, and ranches. It is a major industry in the United States.
The development of agriculture spans thousands of years and has been affected by human cultures, climate variations, and evolving technologies. Despite the industry's evolution over the centuries, all types of farming still rely on methods to maintain environments conducive for raising domestic species. In terms of plants, the land must be sustained with a type of irrigation system; for raising livestock, rangeland must be cultivated to support animal life. Nowadays farm yields have greatly increased due to improvements in breeding, chemicals, and technology. Yet some of these measures can cause damage to the environment and pose health risks to humans.
A modern innovation in the agriculture industry is the Green Revolution, which began in the second half of the 20th century. This development is cited for saving people around the world from starvation through initiatives involving irrigation systems, production of high-yielding crops, and better management strategies.
Today farming professionals face the daunting challenge of keeping current with increasingly rapid changes in equipment technology and agricultural research. For instance, biotechnology is being applied to industrial livestock operations to provide healthier animals and improve breed development, resulting in more meat, eggs, and dairy products to meet consumer demands.
