June 2011: Farming First has launched a six-part, online data visualization tool called “The Story of Agriculture and the Green Economy,” to illustrate agriculture’s potential contribution to building a global green economy.

The tool, which Farming First describes as “interactive infographic,” displays data from leading research organizations in a visually appealing narrative form, to facilitate the analysis of complex issues and greater understanding by broader audiences. The data tool also is designed to inform policy decisions on agriculture and food security.

The data come from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), World Bank, World Trade Organization (WTO) and World Health Organization (WHO), among others.

Each section of the data contains statistics and explanations of topics relevant to the green economy, showing the central role of farmers as stewards of natural resources, the actors involved in building a more sustainable supply chain, and how investment in women farmers may bring greater rewards and existing solutions to making the sector more sustainable, while promoting conservation agriculture and drip irrigation.

The six parts of the tool are each titled with a question: How can we feed future generations? How can we reduce poverty around the world? Why does agriculture matter to a green economy? Where do we invest to build a green economy? How can we build a more sustainable supply chain? How can we manage environmental sustainability with economic viability? The data and images in each part can be tweeted and embedded freely.

Farming First is a coalition of multi-stakeholder organisations from three of the nine Major Groups, including all groups along the food production supply chain. [The Story of Agriculture and the Green Economy]