Thumbnail Image

Pakistan and FAO: Achievements and Success Stories

Year of publication 2011

Pages 33 p.

Category Other document

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Within one month of gaining its independence, Pakistan joined FAO on 7 September 1947, the first UN body it joined, clearly signalling the high priority assigned to developing its agriculture sector. The first agreement between FAO and the government was for technical assistance in agricultural policy and planning in June 1951. FAO support to the government was coordinated through UNDP until the accreditation of an FAO Representative to Pakistan in 1978. Agriculture is a mainstay of the Pakistan economy, although it has been declining as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) as the country’s industrial and service sectors have grown. Agriculture accounted for 21 percent of GDP in 2010, compared to 36 percent in 1980. The sector provided livelihoods for 45 percent of the population in 2010, down from 53 percent three decades earlier. Pakistan’s food security rests upon its wheat production. The country produced 24 million tonnes of wheat in 2010, compared with 11.6 million tonnes a year in the early 1980s. Wheat has helped feed a population that has grown to 174 million people from 85 million in 1980. Rice production has more than doubled over the same period, rising to 7 million tonnes from 3.3 million tonnes, and is now a major export crop earning US$2.2 billion in foreign exchange. Cotton has become a major industrial feedstock, with production increasing to 12 million bales in 2010, up from 4.5 million bales in the early 1980s. Livestock production has also substan tially increased to a value of US$758.604 million from US$51.51 million in 1980. Livestock exports totalled US$37.46 million in 2010, compared to US$1.170 million three decades ago. FAO has been at the government’s side throughout this process of development, implementing 573 projects worth US$314 million that have provided support to policy development, capacity building and pilot and key demonstration projects. Pakistan is a pilot country for the One UN system and FAO has been at the forefron t of developing the approach that ensures the highest priority is given to the agriculture sector in line with the government’s priorities.

Language English

Also available in:
No results found.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Other document
    Philippines and FAO: Achievements and Success Stories 2011
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    The Philippines is one of the 34 charter member nations that founded FAO in Quebec City, Canada on 16 October 1945. The first FAO operations in the Philippines started in 1959 under the auspices of the United Nations Special Fund and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). FAO activities in the Philippines gradually increased over the years, and complemented government’s efforts through technical and development interventions in the fields of agriculture, fisheries, forestry and rural d evelopment. The Philippines has always taken a keen interest in the work of FAO because of its mandate and the country’s strong traditions in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, nutrition and rural development. In view of FAO’s expanding programme in the country, and in order to better serve its target clientele, an FAO Representative Office was established in the Philippines on 1 January 1978. In more than three decades of cooperation between the Philippine government and FAO, a multitude of FAO supported projects have been implemented in the country in close partnerships with the Departments (Ministries) of Agriculture (DA), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Agrarian Reform (DAR), and Science and Technology (DOST) in addition to a number of state universities and colleges. Coordinating the preparation and implementation of various projects is done through the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), or the central planning agency, to minimize duplication and overlapp ing activities with other multilateral and bilateral donor agencies. Among the past FAO-assisted projects in the Philippines are those on Coconut Research and Development, Multiple-Use Forestry, Aquaculture Development and Training, Soils and Land Resources Appraisal and Training, Agro-Forestry, Forestry Education, Small Farmers Development, Carabao (WaterBuffalo) Research and Development, Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, Integrated Pest Management, Food Security and Nutrition, Control of Animal Diseases, Master Plan for Forestry Development and many others. To date, FAO has implemented a total of 393 national projects, of which 130 were funded by TCP, 99 by UNDP, 114 by Trust Fund, 18 by TeleFood, 5 by Unilateral Trust Fund (UTF), 4 by Freedom from Hunger Campaign, 20 by UNFPA, and 3 are joint programmes funded by UNDP and JICA. Total FAO assistance for all the national projects amounted to around US$102.4 million. In addition, the Philippines also benefitted from other FAO regi onal and inter-regional projects.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Other document
    Nepal and FAO: Achievements and Success Stories 2011
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    Nepal is a landlocked country covering an area of 147 181 square km and with a population estimated to have reached 27.5 million in 2010. With a per capita income of US$480, Nepal is the 12th poorest country in the world. However, Nepal has made some progress in reducing poverty: in 1996 the poverty level, as defined by national standards, stood at 42 percent; in 2009, poverty was reduced to 25.4 percent. However, disparity between rural and urban areas is still persistent with urban poverty sta nding at eight percent while rural poverty is 22 percent. In addition, the gap between rich and poor is high and increasing. Nepal is committed to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as reflected in its Three-Year Plan 2010/11-2012/13. Despite persistent deep structural disparities across ethnicities, social and economic backgrounds, geography and gender and other contextual difficulties, Nepal is on track to achieve most of its MDG targets, with a few exceptions which are mor e complex such as the one related to environmental sustainability. Based on the 2008 Global Hunger Index, Nepal ranks 57th out of 88 developing countries and countries in transition. With a Global Hunger Index (GHI) of 20.6, the severity of hunger in Nepal is alarming. However, the prevalence of hunger varies substantially across sub-regions with the highest prevalence in the Far- and Mid-Western hill and mountain regions. However, there is not a single sub-region in Nepal that falls within the moderate or low hungercategories. This underscores the seriousness of the food security situation in Nepal. Nepal became a member of FAO in 1951 and an FAO Representative office was established in Kathmandu in 1977. Since then, nearly 200 projects covering various aspects of agricultural development have been completed. Presently FAO is co-operating with various agencies and development partners in Nepal through a number of projects – all aiming to introduce and sustain innovative approaches to agriculture and rural development. The country’s achievements in the areas of aquaculture, fresh vegetable and vegetable seed production, community and leasehold forestry are highlighted in this publication.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Other document
    Timor-Leste and FAO: Achievements and Success Stories 2011
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    As one of Asia’s smallest and poorest nations, Timor-Leste is relying on international assistance to help build the capacity of the nation. While 90 percent of Timor-Leste’s one million people depend on subsistence farming and fishing to make a living, the country’s infrastructure is poor and its agriculture suffers from frequent drought. The tiny half-island country – the other half belongs to Indonesia – has no industry to speak of and produces hardly anything for export. Annual per capita inc ome is only US$431, and one in three households live below the poverty line. On a more promising note, vast offshore oil and gas fields in the Timor Sea hold great potential for the country. Natural gas could eventually earn as much as US$180 million a year. At present the Petroleum Fund is about US$6 billion. But for now, Timor-Leste is ranked as a lower-middle-income economy. It continues to suffer the after-effects of a decades-long independence struggle that damaged its infrastructure and di splaced thousands of civilians. The country ranks 120th out of 169 countries on the Human Development Index (HDI). FAO has been implementing emergency relief and rehabilitation activities in Timor-Leste since 1999, and established an Emergency Coordination Unit in Dili in 2000. FAO’s emergency activities include food security, bio-security, strengthening animal health services, nutrition, post-harvest management practices, forestry, fisheries and capacity development. Timor-Leste also benefits f rom FAO’s Initiative on Soaring Food Prices (ISFP), a global programme launched in 2008 to assist countries reeling from the rapidly rising prices of food commodities. Total FAO support to Timor-Leste amounts to US$38.5 million through 34 emergency and technical assistance national projects. In addition, Timor-Leste has been a participant in three regional and global programmes from FAO.
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.