Responsible investment is an approach to investment that explicitly acknowledges the relevance to the investor of environmental, social and governance factors, and of the long-term health and stability of the market as a whole. It recognises that the generation of long-term sustainable returns is dependent on stable, well-functioning and well-governed social, environmental and economic systems. (https://www.cisl.cam.ac.uk/business-action/sustainable-finance/investment-leaders-group/what-is-responsible-investment)
responsible investment in agriculture and food systems
Definition
Apidae is the largest family within the superfamily Apoidea, containing at least 5700 species of bees. The family includes some of the most commonly seen bees, including bumblebees and honey bees, but also includes stingless bees, carpenter bees, orchid bees, cuckoo bees, and a number of other groups.. Many are valuable pollinators in natural habitats and for agricultural crops. (Wikipedia, 2024. Apidae. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apidae)
For Indigenous Peoples, the land territory and natural resources is not merely a possession and a means of production. These terms encompass not only the land, but also the resources and customary rights over the management of these lands, and therefore carry a different significance. The entire relationship between the spiritual life of Indigenous Peoples and Mother Earth, and their land, has a great many deep-seated implications. Their land is not a commodity which can be acquired, but a material element to be enjoyed freely. The collective dimension of this relationship is significant, and the intergenerational aspect is crucial to Indigenous Peoples’ identity, survival and cultural viability. (Adapted by FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit (2022) from United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) 2007, (https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf)
and State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, UN 2021
https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2021/03/State-of-Worlds-Indigenous-Peoples-Vol-V-Final.pdf)
Engagement with the public sector is defined as any type of interaction with public organizations with different objectives, ranging from informal talks and discussions, to knowledge-exchange platforms, and fully-fledged partnerships entailing funding. (Adapted from FAO. 2021. FAO Strategy for Private Sector Engagement, 2021-2025. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb3352en)
A species that lives in close association and gets some benefit from another species but does not return any benefit (e.g. gopher frogs live in gopher tortoise burrows but provide no benefit for the gopher tortoise). (Wildlife Glossary, NCF-Envirothon, National Conservation Foundation, USA, 2013)
Beeswax is a fatty substance secreted by bees used to build the honeycomb and seal the cells. (Adapted from Beehive products, FAO 2020. https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8049en)
A homogeneous liquid ready for use through ultra-low-volume (ULV) equipment. (FAO/WHO. 2016. Manual on development and use of FAO and WHO specifications for pesticides. 1st Edition, 3rd revision, FAO, Rome. Available online: http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/thematic-sitemap/theme/pests/jmps/manual/en/ )
Areas allocated to preserve and protect certain animals and plants, or both. (European Environment Agency, 2024. Glossary. https://www.eea.europa.eu/help/glossary/eea-glossary/nature-reserve)
Compliance refers to the state of conformity with regulatory requirements including, but not limited to, legislative provisions, regulations, rules, standards, and orders. (FAOLEX. 2025. Glossary https://www.fao.org/faolex/)
Biofumigation is based on the incorporation of fresh plant mass into the soil, which will release several substances able to suppress soil-borne pests. Among these substances are found the MITC (methyl isothyocianates) highly toxic to pests and pathogens. Plants from Cruciferae family release large amount of these toxic compounds in soil and are considered the best material for biofumigation. Biofumigation reduces weed competition and soil-borne pathogens and is a suitable tool for soil disinfection. (http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/thematic-sitemap/theme/climatechange0/methyl-bromide/alt/biofum/en/)
The hill dam is a concept that merges ancestral knowledge with the use of nature-based solutions in a specific location with the intention of obtaining small reservoirs with a greater capacity. The hill dam is an earth structure that stores rain. Globally and nationally, a great variety of earth made dams have been built. (Mullo, Anthony & Oquendo Borbor, Carla & Velástegui Montoya, Andrés & Merchan, Bethy & Chávez-Moncayo, Miguel & Herrera, Viviana & Carrión, Paúl. (2022). Hill Dam Design to Improve Water Use in Rural Areas—Case Study: Sacachún, Santa Elena. Sustainability. 14. 12268. 10.3390/su141912268.)
