The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a United Nations specialized agency that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. It is an intergovernmental institution with 194 member countries and one member organization, the European Union. The FAO was founded on October 16, 1945, in Quebec City, Canada, following the end of World War II, which had exacerbated global food shortages. Its creation was inspired by the need to tackle these shortages and improve agricultural productivity worldwide.
The FAO's mandate is to improve levels of nutrition, agricultural productivity, and the quality of life of rural people. It works by providing a neutral forum for multilateral debate, producing guidelines, and supporting governments in formulating and implementing agricultural and food policies. Its mechanism involves coordinating the efforts of governments in developing agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and land and water resources. The organization is governed by the biennial General Conference, which approves the budget and program of work, and the Council, composed of 49 member countries, which acts as the executive body. The FAO also collects and disseminates agricultural data through platforms like FAOSTAT and publishes flagship reports like The State of Food and Agriculture.
The FAO connects to other key institutions, forming the three Rome-based "food agencies" alongside the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). It also aligns its initiatives with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to zero hunger. A recent shift in its approach is the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31, which focuses on transforming agrifood systems to be MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. Furthermore, in July 2026, the FAO presented a new strategic model, the Global Partnership Programme for Transboundary Animal Diseases (GPP-TAD), which shifts from a project-by-project approach to an integrated, country-led platform for collective action against animal diseases.