FAO National Forest Programme Facility Transitions to Landscape Approach

September 2013: Following a decade of allocating hundreds of small grants to strengthen the participation of stakeholders in developing national forest programmes, the National Forest Programme Facility of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) will continue as the Forest and Farm Facility.

The Facility will continue to support local organizations in forest management and policy engagement, but it will take a broader, landscape level approach in order to establish links between the forest sector and other sectors of economic growth.

Historically, approximately 900 grants, averaging around $25,000 each, have been distributed in 80 countries. The grants have been used to support national alliances of community foresters, to engage multi-stakeholder user groups and to build awareness and capacity. The new approach aims to raise the profile of the forestry sector for decision makers focusing on poverty reduction, food security and climate change policy. [FAO Press Release] [FAO Information on the National Forest Programme Facility]