Food and Agriculture Organization

What Food and Agriculture Organization does

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations, founded in 1945 and headquartered in Rome, Italy. It leads international efforts to defeat hunger and operates across 194 member countries through five regional offices (Accra, Bangkok, Brussels, Cairo, Santiago) and more than 130 country offices. Its mandate spans agriculture, fisheries, forestry, food security, and nutrition, with current scale signals including approximately 266 million people facing acute food insecurity globally in 2025 and 600 million livelihoods supported by the fisheries and aquaculture sector.

FAO's core technology portfolio is built around public data and knowledge platforms rather than commercial software products. FAOSTAT provides free food and agriculture data for over 245 countries from 1961 to present; FAO AGRIS aggregates metadata from global agricultural research institutions as a FAIR-aligned Digital Public Good; the FAO Knowledge Repository makes approximately 3,000 annual publications available under Creative Commons licensing since 2024; and the FAO Data Lab drives statistical innovation particularly for emergency contexts. Additional digital assets include the FAO Transparency Portal (programme, budget, HR dashboards) and country-specific platforms such as Uzbekistan's ANORA agrifood investment platform ($1.5B target by 2030).

FAO's business model is non-commercial and funded through three streams: assessed contributions from 194 member countries based on a scale of assessment (regular programme budget), voluntary contributions and trust funds from bilateral and multilateral donors including GEF and GCF, and technical assistance delivered as implementing partner for development projects. Recent major funding signals include the $3.9 billion GEF-9 replenishment (2026-2030), the $347 million Nigeria Emergency and Resilience Plan 2026-2028, and a $202 million joint anticipatory action appeal with WFP for El Niño response. FAO does not charge for publications, data, or technical guidance — its value proposition rests on neutrality, universal membership, and the convening authority of its UN mandate rather than on pricing power.

Name

Food and Agriculture Organization

Legal name

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Website

https://fao.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

FAO is a UN specialized agency headquartered in Rome that leads international efforts to defeat hunger, serving 194 member countries through technical cooperation, global data platforms (FAOSTAT), and field programmes in agriculture, fisheries, and food security.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Agricultural Development Services

NAICS

Public Administration (92)

SIC

Foreign Governments (8888)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Advisory (AFACABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biosecurity, Pest & Disease Control for CEA (IPM, Screening, Sanitation) (AFAAAHAK), Pest Risk Assessments, Audits & Compliance Documentation (AFACAGAK)

Keywords

• Food security policy
• Agricultural statistics
• Sustainable agriculture
• Fisheries management
• Hunger eradication programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Rome

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Member State Contributions: FAO receives assessed contributions from its 194 member countries and associate members based on a scale of assessment approved by the FAO Conference. These form the regular programme budget funding core operations.
2. Voluntary Contributions and Trust Funds: FAO mobilizes voluntary contributions from member states, development partners, and international financial institutions for specific programmes and projects. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Green Climate Fund (GCF) are major voluntary funding mechanisms.
3. Technical Assistance and Project Delivery: FAO implements development projects funded by bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, and recipient governments, charging programme support costs for technical cooperation and capacity building services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FAO is the UN specialized agency that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. It delivers technical cooperation, capacity building, policy advisory, and field programmes to its 194 member countries across agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and food security. It provides open-access data platforms (FAOSTAT), international food standards (Codex Alimentarius), early warning systems, emergency response operations, and analytical flagship reports such as SOFIA and the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook.

Product overview

FAO operates as a UN specialized agency focused on achieving food security and sustainable agriculture globally. The organization provides a portfolio of interconnected digital platforms and data products: FAOSTAT serves as the core statistical database providing free access to food and agriculture data for over 245 countries from 1961 to present; the FAO Knowledge Repository provides open access to approximately 3,000 annual publications under Creative Commons licensing; FAO AGRIS aggregates agricultural research metadata as a Digital Public Good; the FAO Data Lab innovates statistical processes especially in emergency contexts; the Transparency Portal provides organizational transparency through programme, budget, and project dashboards; and GIAHS safeguards traditional agricultural heritage systems. Additional initiatives include digital agriculture platforms like Cam Agri Hub and investment platforms like Uzbekistan's ANORA. FAO produces flagship analytical reports including the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook, SOFIA (State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture), Food Outlook, and Hunger Hotspots reports. The organization does not operate as a commercial SaaS product with modules or add-ons, but rather as a public good information service with interconnected data platforms and publication outputs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FAOSTAT

Quantifiable outcome

• FAO helped 140 countries access over $2 billion in Global Environment Facility resources for climate and environmental projects since 2006.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2026FAO and OECD released joint Agricultural Outlook 2026-2035 projecting global gross agricultural income per worker to increase by 9% by 2035, while warning of 25% probability that agricultural incomes could fall below current levels if shock frequency continues.
• European Union (EU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2026FAO and EU launched training programme for chemical laboratories in Uzbekistan on pesticide residue testing as part of EUR 3.9 million technical assistance project for ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation. EU also funds multiple FAO programmes globally.
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026FAO and IAEA operate the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. They launched a five-year, $1 million Coordinated Research Project to contain New World Screwworm outbreak across Central America, Mexico, and the United States using Sterile Insect Technique. The initiative brings together specialists from over 20 countries.
• European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026FAO and EFSA signed MoU to strengthen scientific cooperation and global food safety governance covering pesticide risk assessment, water and soil quality monitoring, animal and plant health, and risk communication.
• World Food Programme (WFP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026FAO and WFP launched their first-ever Joint Anticipatory Action Appeal seeking $202 million to protect 8.8 million people from El Niño impacts across 22 high-risk countries. The agencies warned of worsening hunger across 13 global hotspots with 266 million people facing acute food insecurity.
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026FAO and EBRD developed ANORA platform for Uzbekistan targeting US$1.5 billion in agrifood investment by 2030. EBRD co-finances the initiative addressing land degradation affecting 50% of irrigated land and water scarcity with only 33% water resource efficiency.
• Tashkent State Agrarian University (TSAU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2026FAO and TSAU signed agreement to implement integrated pest management field trials in Uzbekistan's Tashkent and Sirdarya provinces covering cotton, wheat, apple orchards, and greenhouse tomatoes. Funded by the EU through FAO project on hazardous chemicals management.
• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESA extended cooperation with FAO until 2031 for Earth observation work, supporting agricultural monitoring, climate risk assessment, and environmental analysis through satellite data.
• Wikimedia Sverige and Wikimedia UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAO signed five-year MoU to expand public access to agricultural content through Wikipedia and Wikimedia platforms. FAO produces around 3,000 publications annually made Open Access since 2024. Partnership formalizes existing collaboration to strengthen information integrity including for AI applications.
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAO-IAEA initiative to combat Striga hermonthica parasitic weed causing up to 100% yield losses in severe infestations across sub-Saharan Africa. Using mutation breeding techniques to develop sorghum varieties resistant to the weed.
• Norway's Institute of Marine ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAO-Norway Nansen Programme operates the research vessel Dr. Fridtjof Nansen as a floating scientific platform collecting data on fish populations, marine biodiversity, and climate change impacts. The vessel has surveyed in nearly 60 countries and contributed to identifying 90 new marine species.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• World Food Programme (WFP): UN sister agency based in Rome that handles emergency food assistance and logistics. Direct operational peer for FAO's food security and emergency response work; the two agencies issue joint appeals (e.g., the $202M El Niño anticipatory action).
• International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD): UN specialized agency and Rome-based IFI dedicated to financing smallholder agricultural development in rural areas. Closest mandate peer to FAO on smallholder support, rural livelihoods, and agricultural investment coordination.
• CGIAR: Global agricultural research partnership operating international research centers focused on food security, crop improvement, and climate-resilient agriculture. Peer in agricultural R&D data (cf. FAO's new Agricultural R&D Data Domain) and technical research dissemination.

Broad incumbents

• World Health Organization (WHO): UN specialized agency with which FAO jointly administers the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Comparable as a UN specialized agency in scope, governance (member-state assembly), and standard-setting function, though focused on health rather than food.
• World Bank Group: Major multilateral development institution that finances large-scale agricultural and rural development projects in developing countries. Competitor/partner for FAO in project delivery, policy advisory, and investment coordination.
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): Intergovernmental economic policy organization that co-publishes the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook with FAO. Peer in agricultural policy analysis, commodity market intelligence, and economic data dissemination.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): UN development network operating in over 170 countries with a broad sustainable development mandate. Comparable as a UN system agency with country-office footprint and field delivery model overlapping FAO's.

Regional players

• European Food Safety Authority (EFSA): EU agency providing scientific advice on food safety, with a recent MoU with FAO on pesticide risk assessment, water/soil monitoring, and risk communication. Peer in scientific food safety standards and risk assessment, though regionally scoped to the EU.

Others

• Global Environment Facility (GEF): Multilateral trust fund that channels billions into biodiversity, climate, and land projects - FAO is one of its key implementing agencies. Funding partner rather than direct peer, but comparable in scale and global reach of the GEF-9 cycle.
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): UN system organization that jointly operates the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. Strategic R&D partner on Sterile Insect Technique and mutation breeding; comparable as a UN specialized agency with technical capacity-building mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FAO
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FAOoftheUN
• Facebookfacebook.com/UNFAO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fao
• Instagraminstagram.com/fao
• TikToktiktok.com/@fao
• Pinterestpinterest.com/FAO

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Food and Agriculture Organization