Food is fundamental 

Food and Agricultural Commodity Systems (FACS) are fundamental to the sustainable development of the 170 countries UNDP supports. They are often the largest contributor to developing country economies; food and nutrition is fundamental for citizen health, and FACS have a key role to play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

UNDP work on FACS focuses on three key areas: forest positive agriculture, sustainable landscapes, and food systems resilience - all of which address the key impacts that food systems have on nature. 

• UNDP's vision is, through multi-stakeholder collaboration, to transform food and commodity systems into resilient, equitable, inclusive, environmentally, socially and economically sustainable systems.  
• UNDP works in a holistic manner, with the understanding that Food and Agricultural Commodities are part of an interlinked, complex global system. Therefore, any attempt to tackle the crises in food and agricultural commodity production must take a systems approach and address multiple issues (and multiple facets thereof) simultaneously.
• UNDP focuses on countries where shifting the production of food and agricultural commodities towards sustainability has the potential to address rural poverty and reduce the negative effects that food production can have on local and global ecosystems.  

UNDP is building trusted relationships with governments to:  

• Integrate the Sustainable Development Goals with a broad development mandate, bringing a multi-disciplinary approach at country level, thereby linking inclusive growth, climate change, crisis recovery, forest conservation, landscape management, and gender equality to tackle the root causes of unsustainable food systems.
• Bring its unique convening power to bear, facilitating a government- and society-wide approach, using multi-stakeholder collaboration for systemic change, and ensuring constructive dialogue and collaboration across ministries and stakeholders - from government to smallholder farmers to large corporations.  
• Bring technical expertise in 170 countries to unlock synergies and build capacity for integrated work.  
• Build partnerships and leverage strengths within UN sister agencies, IGO/NGO partners, and other stakeholders, including FAO, IFAD, WHO, UNEP and others. 
• Support the implementation of global commitments including the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Nationally Determined Contributions; the New York Declaration on Forests; the Convention on Biological Diversity, and others.  
• Work across multiple geographical scales and organizational vectors, both top-down and bottom-up.  
• Unlock and catalyse financing across the private and public sectors, with bilateral and multilateral funders.