Agrifood systems face complex and unprecedented challenges related to climate change, biodiversity loss, migration, conflict, economic instabilities, and COVID-19. Inequality of income is growing, and many rural inhabitants live in poverty or extreme poverty.
The world is not on track to achieve zero hunger by 2030. FAO believes that Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) can accelerate the transformation of agrifood systems so that they become MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, agrifood systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.
Latest
News
FAO and ITU launch “Robotics for Good - Youth Challenge 2025-2026” to tackle global food insecurity
10/07/2025
At the opening of the AI for Good Summit (8-11 July) in Geneva today, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the...
-marketing-manager-of-the-mar%C3%ADa-de-la-altagracia-association-and-anacleta-jim%C3%A9nez-(right)-president-of-jaguamocha-women-association.jpg?sfvrsn=4f3f9c99_7 "Ámbar Rijo (left), Marketing Manager of the María de la Altagracia Association, and Anacleta Jiménez (right), President of Jaguamocha Women Association.")
Podcast
Young Scientists, Big Solutions
In this episode, we delve into the dynamic intersection of science, innovation and youth leadership as catalysts for building resilient, inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems. Joining us are Beth Crawford, FAO’s ADG and Chief Scientist a.i. and Vincent Martin, Director of FAO’s Office of Innovation, along with the Young Scientists Ana Maria Bertolini and Nicolas Gholam.
Publications
Science and Innovation Forum 2024: A Roadmap to Transformation
06/2025
The Science and Innovation Forum (SIF) 2024 Report captures the key outcomes and insights from one of the cornerstone events of the World Food Forum...
Event
FAO Science and Innovation Forum 2025
The Forum serves as a dynamic platform to drive collaboration, knowledge exchange, and transformative action for sustainable agrifood systems. Each year, it explores how frontier knowledge, traditional wisdom, and bold partnerships can forge new pathways.
Register here
Blog
Food systems sustainability must be prioritized in all its dimensions
25/07/2025
The use of science and new technologies in food systems dates back at least 10,000 years to the earliest days of agriculture and farmers and communities have long been at the forefront of innovation in the sector.
Blog
Innovation Driven by Needs: Visions of the Amazon Socio-Bioeconomy
26/06/2025
Faced with the interconnected challenges of hunger, the climate crisis, deforestation and degradation of Amazonian biomes and biodiversity loss, rethinking agrifood systems has become a global urgency.
Blog
Evidence must be fit for purpose to support science and innovation for people and planet
03/06/2025
Continued investment in science, technology and innovation is critical for meeting the challenges of food security and sustainable development and to achieve better production, better nutrition, better environment and a better life.
Blog
Gender Equality, food and nutrition security: What can science and innovation contribute?
04/05/2025
Gender equality and agrifood systems are intertwined, we cannot achieve one without the other. Women need agrifood systems, and agrifood systems need women. Women are agents of change in the agrifood sector.
Blog
The Relationship Between the Right to Food and Science and Innovation
21/03/2025
The FAO Science and Innovation Strategy recognizes that science and evidence are essential for sound decision-making while not necessarily providing a singular course of action. To better connect science and innovation to decision-making and guide the FAO’s work, the Strategy identifies the first guiding principle to be a rights-based and people-centered focus, namely using the right to food.
Key messages
FAO’s role in science, technology and innovation
FAO contributes to strengthening the link between science, research and development and does contribute to science (for example, through its work on data) and develops innovations (for example, institutional innovations such as Codex Alimentarius, social innovations such as Farmer Field Schools and technological innovations such as the geospatial platform of the Hand-in-Hand Initiative).FAO translates the science and innovation that is developed by other actors into practical tools and policy guidance for development. FAO provides support to countries on innovative practices, approaches, methodologies and tools. It also supports science-driven innovative processes, platforms, and multi-stakeholder mechanisms.
Due to its unique position as a specialized agency of the UN and facilitator of intergovernmental processes, FAO is well-positioned to connect technical, development and financial partners, policymakers, producers, scientists and innovators, in all sectors of agrifood systems through a shared global agenda. FAO’s Governing and Statutory Bodies provide an interface for science and policy. FAO is uniquely placed to convene all agrifood systems actors to discuss and debate contentious scientific issues, including prevailing power asymmetries and socioeconomic inequalities. FAO is also uniquely placed to support its Members in strengthening national policy frameworks for enhanced science and innovation, identifying research priorities at regional and global levels and communicating them to the major research institutions.
Technology
Technology is an instrumental part of the package of solutions needed to transform agrifood systems, and the development and diffusion of new technologies and associated knowledge, can be a powerful driver of sustainable development.
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Innovation
Innovation is a central driving force for achieving a world free from hunger and malnutrition. Technological, social, policy, institutional, and financial innovations are key to transforming agrifood systems.
Read moreScience, technology and innovation and the SDGs
Science, technology and innovation are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and appear in numerous Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets.
Several agrifood systems-related SDG targets address technology (SDG2a, SDG 6a and SDG14a for agriculture and rural infrastructure, water use, and marine technology respectively). Other SDGs include targets on technology related to energy, women’s empowerment, infrastructure and industrialization, and means of implementation (including partnerships).
Innovation is included in relation to economic productivity, decent job creation, industrial development and capacities of developing countries.
Science (with technology and innovation) is recognized as a key means of implementation of SDGs. The 2030 Agenda's Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) and its UN Interagency Task Team on Science, Technology and Innovation (IATT), in which FAO is an active member, provides a multistakeholder cooperation mechanism to promote coordination within the UN system.
