The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations warmly welcomes you to the self-paced course “Transforming Agrifood Systems through National Programming.”
This course is designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools required to operationalize agrifood systems transformation in the design and implementation of national programmes.
It provides a comprehensive introduction to agrifood systems—from production to consumption and beyond—highlighting their strong interconnections with economic, social, and environmental outcomes.
Participants will explore why a systems approach is essential to effectively address complex and interrelated global challenges, including hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and inequality. The course introduces the core elements of the systems approach for agrifood systems transformation —encompassing thinking, knowledge, governance, investment, doing, and learning—and demonstrates how these elements support sustainable and transformative action.
Through a combination of conceptual content and practical examples, participants will develop the capacity to analyze agrifood systems, identify key leverage points, and design more integrated and inclusive interventions.
Participants will also explore the operational approaches to agrifood systems development within the UN and FAO programming and planning frameworks, enabling them to translate agrifood systems challenges into specific and concrete actions at the national level
This course is intended for staff and non-staff members of FAO Decentralized Offices, including AFAOR (Programme), planning and monitoring specialists, project managers, technical experts, and field practitioners involved in coordinating and managing agrifood systems transformation initiatives.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to apply a transformative agrifood systems approach within national programming processes.
Name: Transforming agrifood systems through national programming
Course type: Virtual course
Language: English
Course length: 15 chronological hours.
Start and end course dates: The course will begin on July 28, 2026 and conclude on August 25, 2026.
Modality and course methodology:
Asynchronous Units:
This self-paced course is delivered asynchronously through the FAO Campus Learning Management System (LMS). It is divided into two units, comprising four and five topics respectively, which participants can review at their own pace. At the end of each unit, the course content can be downloaded in PDF format.
Synchronous sessions:
In addition to the self-paced content, the course includes a series of synchronous sessions designed to support participants’ learning process, foster interaction, and deepen understanding of key topics. These live webinars will take place at key moments throughout the course, including a launch session, unit-specific discussions, and a final closing session. Interpretation will be provided for all sessions.
| Activity | Date | Time |
| Launch of the training | 28 July | 11.00 – 12.00 (Santiago, Chile time) UTC-4 |
| Unit 1 Agrifood systems transformation and the global development agendas | 29 July – 10 August | |
| Live session “A Systems Approach for Agrifood Systems Transformation: Practical application at country level” | Tuesday 11 August | 11.00 – 12.00 (Santiago, Chile time) UTC-4 |
| Unit 2: From vision to action: Operationalizing Agrifood System Transformation in Country Programming” | 12 - 24 August | |
| Live session “Best Practices and lessons learnt in CPF Formulation: An Unfiltered Conversation” | Tuesday 25 August | 11.00 – 12.30 (Santiago, Chile time) UTC-4 |
Audience:
Staff and non-staff from FAO Decentralized Offices, especially AFAOR-Programme, planning and monitoring specialists, project managers, technical specialists and field specialists.
General objective:
Incorporate a transformative agrifood systems approach into national programming.
Specific objectives:
At the end of the course, the participants will be able to:
Objective Unit 1
- Understand the basic concepts of agrifood systems and their main components.
- Explain the importance of transforming agrifood systems for achieving the SDGs and other global agendas.
- Explain the importance of using a systems approach to agri-food systems transformation.
Objective Unit 2
- Describe FAO's main planning and strategic guidance frameworks.
- Identify mechanisms for applying the agrifood systems approach in the implementation of national programmes.
Contents:
- Unit 1: Agrifood Systems Transformation and the Global Development Agendas
- 1.1 Global agendas and the role of agrifood system transformation
- 1.2 Systems approach
- 1.3 The agrifood system
- 1.4 Transformation of agrifood systems
- Unit 2: From Vision to Action: Operationalizing AFS Transformation in Country Programming
- 2.1. FAO Strategic Framework and its contribution to the SDGs through AFS transformation
- 2.2. Regional dimensions of the FAO Strategic Framework
- 2.3. UN and FAO Country’s Programming Cycle
- 2.4. Integrating a systems approach in UN and FAO programming processes to advance AFS transformation
Better: Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment, Better Life.
Latin American Officer responsible for the course:
- Johanna Flores, Strategy and Planning Officer, FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Content writer
- Camilo Ardila Galvis, Agrifood Systems Specialist, FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Technical team:
- Maya Takagi – Regional Programme Leader, FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
- Dalia Mattioni – Agrifood Systems Specialist, FAO Food Systems and Food Safety Division (ESF)
- Victor Leon - Strategy and Planning Officer, FAO Office of Strategy, Programme and Budget (OSP)
- Monica Schuster, Global Coordinator, FAO Analytical Support Mechanism for Agrifood System Country Programming and Evidence (SCOPE)
- Pierre Boulanger, Policy Specialist, FAO Analytical Support Mechanism for Agrifood System Country Programming and Evidence (SCOPE)
Course Implementation:
FAO Campus