Mandate/ Mission;

Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO''s efforts - to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. FAO''s mandate is to raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural productivity, better the lives of rural populations and contribute to the growth of the world economy.

FAO provides the kind of behind-the-scenes assistance that helps people and nations help themselves. If a community wants to increase crop yields but lacks the technical skills, we introduce simple, sustainable tools and techniques. When a country shifts from state to private land ownership, we provide the legal advice to smooth the way. When a drought pushes already vulnerable groups to the point of famine, we mobilize action. And in a complex world of competing needs, we provide a neutral meeting place and the background knowledge needed to reach consensus.

About FAO Global Programme;
FAO is composed of eight departments: Agriculture and Consumer Protection; Economic and Social Development ; Fisheries and Aquaculture ; Forestry; Human, Financial and Physical Resources; Knowledge and Communication; Natural Resources Management and Environment and Technical Cooperation.

 FAO’s Regular Programme budget is funded by its members, through contributions set at the FAO Conference. The FAO budget for the biennium 2008-2009 is US$929.8 million, adjusted to the Euro/US dollar exchange rate fixed by the FAO Conference. The budget covers core technical work, cooperation and partnerships including the Technical Cooperation Programme, information and general policy, direction and administration.

In 2007, US$505 million paid for 1615 active field programme projects, of which 520 were emergency operations amounting to US$250 million across all funding sources and accounting for 49.5 percent of total delivery. The technical cooperation field programme amounted to US$255 million, of which FAO contributed 10.7 percent with the remainder coming from outside sources: Trust Funds – 72.0 percent, unilateral trust funds – 15.9 percent, and the United Nations Development Programme – 1.4 percent.
               
FAO employs more than 3,600 staff members - about 1600 professional and 2,000 general service staff - and currently maintains five regional offices, nine sub Regional offices, five liaison offices and 74 fully-fledged country offices (excluding those hosted in Regional and Sub Regional Offices), in addition to its headquarters in Rome.

                FAO in Sri Lanka currently supports development oriented programmes as well as emergency response projects.
                Under the Development oriented Project activities, Sri Lanka is currently receiving technical assistance in Hybrid-Rice Development in collaboration with the Rice Research Institute, Batalagoda, National Bio-Technology Research and Development in collaboration with Centre for Agrarian Research Policy, and Pepper Development with the assistance of the Government of Japan. Capacity building and support to National Aquatic Research Development Agency (NARA) is also underway along with Restoration and Improvement of Fish Landing Sites in collaboration with the Fisheries Harbor Corporation and the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. With the objective of enhancing livelihoods of rural people by addressing Food Security, the Special programme for Food Security (SPFS), a flagship project was launched and completed successfully recently. This project integrated the provision of low-cost technology with appropriate training in the fields of agriculture, livestock, inland fisheries, post harvest activities and storage and the appropriate marketing strategies. Further to the recently concluded SPFS project, on the request of the Government of Sri Lanka the Programme is now being elevated to a National programme for Food Security (NPFS).
                In addition many Telefood projects are implemented in Sri Lanka in response to proposals by government and approved by FAO’s technical experts. Although small in scale and cost, TeleFood projects have been making the difference in the lives of small-scale farming communities.
                The Emergency response projects are aimed at providing immediate response to the sudden requirements arising in the country. FAO installed an Emergency Rehabilitation and Coordination Unit (ERCU) in Sri Lanka to ensure that all activities in the agriculture and fisheries sectors were technically sound and accounted for, with minimal gaps or overlaps. Since its inception, FAO interventions through this unit during emergencies has empowered disaster-affected farming households with the means to resume their livelihood activities, while preparing them to better cope with future shocks. Also addressing the preparedness of Sri Lanka for Avian Influenza.
            FAO is presently operating in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Vavuniya in the North and in Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee in the East by delivering essential basic household food security supplies (agriculture and livestock inputs) to IDPs, vulnerable host households and communities, relocated, resettled families and returnee farmer families, and women-headed families in a coordinated manner. Vulnerable fishing communities who are unable to resume their livelihoods are supported through alternative income generating activities. The ultimate goal is to ensure basic food security of these households, increase their self-reliance and create the conditions for a lasting agricultural recovery and reduce their dependence on external food aid.
                In the last four months, FAO has been supporting vulnerable families in the North and East through the provision of training and essential inputs, such as quality seeds, fertilizer agricultural tools, and poultry, supported by the Emergency projects. Activities under these projects support local agriculture production, home gardening and backyard poultry rearing, which are instrumental in promoting the household food security of some 25,000 families in total, preventing their dependence on food aid, and increasing their self -reliance.
                FAO facilitates government officials for workshops, seminars, training programmes in line with FAOs areas of work, supported through different funding sources. The selection of participants is channelled through the Department of External Resources (ERD) to the relevant line ministry concerned. Once the line Ministry proposes the name/s with the ERD endorsement, FAO coordinates the rest of the arrangements.
                Apart from the core activities, FAO Sri Lanka is implementing FAO’s global initiative on Soaring Food Prices, which has simple but effective goals: distribute seeds, fertilizer and other farming supplies to smallholder farmers. Recently FAO has initiated distributing of 615 MT of seed paddy in Batticalao (12,500 Bushels), Ampara (6,250 Bushels), Polonnaruwa (6,000 Bushels) and in Anuradhapura (6,000 Bushels) respectively in addition to the Zinc Sulphate and mammoties.
                FAO works closely with the Government of Sri Lanka, other UN agencies, development partners and local communities to enhance agriculture production and strive to ensure food security for all Sri Lankans.