Regional Programmes for Food Security (RPFS) boost regional integration among neighbouring developing countries so the impact of national programmes is maximized. This is done by promoting cross-country partnerships and regional integration to enable countries to successfully confront the challenges of globalization and solve regional problems through collective action. FAO works directly with Regional Economic Organizations (REOs) to achieve these goals.

Regional Programmes focus on three key areas:

• Structural reforms and policy harmonization
• Transboundary issues: trade, food safety, water resources and crop and livestock diseases
• Support to National Programmes for Food Security

In preparation for the World Food Summit: five years later held in Rome in 2002, FAO assisted REOs to prepare regional strategies for food security and formulate suitable projects through which these strategies could be implemented. Since then three Regional Programmes for Food Security have become operational supported by FAO and its donors.

• The South Pacific Forum
  The RFSP supports 14 Small Island Developing States. It was prepared in February 2002, with a budget of US$11.47 million; it is presently financed in part by the FAO Voluntary Trust Fund with resources amounting to US$4.5 million from Italy, supplemented by US$2.8 million from the TCP. A second and expanded phase of the Programme has been formulated and approved.
• CARICOM/CARIFORUM
  Prepared in 2002 in close collaboration with the CARICOM/CARIFORUM Secretariat, and subsequently approved by the Council of Ministers responsible for Trade and Development, the US$26 Million programme benefits 15 Small Island Developing States. It is financed in part by the FAO Voluntary Trust Fund with resources amounting to US$5.3 million from Italy, supplemented by US$1 million from other trust funds and almost US$5 million from FAO Technical Cooperation Programme projects. A second expanded phase of the Programme has been formulated and approved.
• UEMOA
  The programme, which covers eight countries within the Union économique et monétaire ouest africaine (UEMOA), is supported by a Trust Fund project, financed by UEMOA (US$4 million), and three TCP projects for a total of US$1 million covering phytosanitary control, zoosanitary control and food safety. A second expanded phase of the Porgramme is being formulated.

Among the programmes currently in the development and formulation phase, is the Community of the Sahel Saharan States (CEN-SAD) regional food security programme where FAO is supporting the organization in the completion of a comprehensive regional programme for its member countries.

FAO trust funds and FAO Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) grants are used to fund regional programmes in the development, formulation and implementation stages.