Food and Agriculture Organization
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.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1945
- HeadquartersRome, Italy
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
Food and Agriculture Organization firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Food and Agriculture Organization industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Food and Agriculture Organization is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rome
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
Food and Agriculture Organization business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free Public Access |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Food and Agriculture Organization product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Food and Agriculture Organization
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Food and Agriculture Organization technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Food and Agriculture Organization partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)coreFAO 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)coreFAO 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)flagshipFAO 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)coreFAO 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)flagshipFAO 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)coreFAO 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)coreFAO 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)coreESA 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 UKcoreFAO 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)coreFAO-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 ResearchcoreFAO-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
Food and Agriculture Organization competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
Food and Agriculture Organization social profiles
Digital presenceFood and Agriculture Organization financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Food and Agriculture Organization leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Food and Agriculture Organization funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
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Food and Agriculture Organization M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&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
What does Food and Agriculture Organization do?
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.
Is Food and Agriculture Organization a public or private company?
Food and Agriculture Organization is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Food and Agriculture Organization founded?
Food and Agriculture Organization was founded in 1945. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Food and Agriculture Organization based?
Food and Agriculture Organization is headquartered in Rome, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Food and Agriculture Organization make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Member State Contributions are the primary driver. The others are voluntary Contributions and Trust Funds and technical Assistance and Project Delivery.
Who are Food and Agriculture Organization's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are World Food Programme (WFP), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and CGIAR. Broad incumbents are World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank Group, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is listed as a regional player. Others are Global Environment Facility (GEF) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Does Food and Agriculture Organization have an API?
No public API is recorded for Food and Agriculture Organization.
What industry is Food and Agriculture Organization in?
Food and Agriculture Organization's product category is International Agricultural Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFACABAE, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Advisory, with a secondary code of AFAAAHAK, Biosecurity, Pest & Disease Control for CEA (IPM, Screening, Sanitation). Its NAICS code is 92 and its SIC code is 8888.