Following the 4Is model proposed by FAO to improve the effectiveness of food security and nutrition policies by means of a territorial approach, the course will first explain the theoretical foundations of the territorial approach to FSN policies and then present the main pillars characterizing it, as well as some empirical evidence. It will be based on the four pillars characterizing this approach: Institutions, Inclusiveness, Information and Innovation.

In particular, various international experts will explain the following modules:

• Institutions: The success of rural development policies depends on the capacity of different local, national and international stakeholders to coordinate their actions within a broad governance framework. Effective rural development policies should be integrated in a multi-level governance system that is conducive to territorial policies and that ensures compatibility of territorial policies with the local socio-economic dynamics and with national policies and institutional structures. These may require a shift from a vertical hierarchical structure common in many developing countries to more flexible and contractual systems that emphasize partnership approaches, roles and responsibilities of actors and structures, accountability, and performance monitoring.

• Inclusiveness: Inclusiveness is at the heart of the territorial approach. It has an economic and social dimension. It is, for example, about inserting small, often efficient, farmers in markets, integrating lagging areas (mostly rural) with leading areas (mostly urban), connecting people and places by generating employment opportunities in remote areas, and providing rural services (health, education, rural finance). However, it is also about enhancing opportunities for all, particularly for women and ethnic groups, and finally it is about being able to better aim social spending at the most vulnerable places and populations.

• Innovation: Innovation has recently become a central idea in explaining and understanding rural development processes and dynamics. Rural development policies increasingly involve the combination of “hard innovation” and infrastructures, such as broadband telecommunication links or transport facilities, with “soft” support for networking and knowledge transfer, to build innovation capacity and foster collective knowledge creation, application and learning. Innovation – in terms of social processes, new governance mechanisms, innovation as a change in policy, strategies and approaches - is increasingly recognized as a key driving force for rural development. The capacity of rural areas to support learning and social innovation processes is a key source of competitive advantages, a multiplier of economic activity, employment and development.

• Information: The introduction of an integrated and territorial approach to strengthen the effectiveness of responses to rural poverty and food insecurity requires the support of information, tools and approaches that can help to describe and analyze the different dimensions and territorial assets of rural areas and understand the territorial dynamics and their implications for rural development policies and strategies.