FAO Free Online Courses 2026: Learn New Skills Through the FAO eLearning Academy
The FAO eLearning Academy offers a wide range of free online courses covering food and nutrition security, agriculture, sustainable natural resource management and social and economic development. The courses are designed to support learning and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The platform provides multilingual learning opportunities for professionals, students, researchers, development practitioners and anyone interested in strengthening their knowledge in areas related to food systems, agriculture and sustainable development.
What Is the FAO eLearning Academy?
The FAO eLearning Academy is an online learning platform offering courses developed around FAO’s areas of expertise. Learners can browse available courses by topic and access information about course duration and certification.
The platform also provides resources on certification, webinars, a learning repository and other services for learners.
New FAO Courses in 2026
The Academy has added several new courses during 2026. These cover subjects ranging from family farming and livestock to food markets, forestry, biodiversity and agricultural systems.
One of the newer courses is Understanding Family Farming, released in July 2026. The course has an estimated duration of 30 minutes.
Other recent courses include The Role of Livestock in Circular Bioeconomy Systems, a 1-hour and 30-minute course released in June 2026, and Sea Container Inspections: Minimizing Visible Pest Risks, which takes approximately one hour.
Food Markets and Sustainable Development Courses
The Academy also offers courses focused on food markets and their role in improving food systems.
Food Markets and Healthy Diets in Low- and Middle-Income Countries is a 40-minute course released in June 2026. Another course, Food Market Governance: Public Sector and Institutional Dynamics, takes approximately 45 minutes and examines issues surrounding food market governance.
Learners can also take Strengthening Wholesale Markets in Low- and Middle-Income Countries and Strengthening Local and Traditional Markets in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, both listed as June 2026 courses.
Agriculture, Forestry and Climate Courses
For learners interested in environmental sustainability and agriculture, the FAO eLearning Academy includes courses such as Agrifood Systems Solutions for Halting Deforestation and the E-learning Curriculum: Forest Monitoring for Climate Action.
Other learning opportunities include Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025, Uncertainty in Estimating Forest Emissions: Introduction to Monte Carlo, and Agroforestry for Sustainable Agrifood Transformation – Introduction.
The Academy also features courses addressing biodiversity, water, agriculture and livestock. These include The Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus in Agriculture, Biodiversity and Agrifood Systems – Introduction, and Sustainable Tick Control and Management of Tick Resistance in Livestock.
Data and Research Skills
Learners interested in research and data management can explore the ARENA series, which includes courses covering survey design, data management, data processing and reporting, and mobile tools. The listed courses range from approximately nine minutes to 21 minutes.
These short courses can be useful for learners looking for focused training that can be completed within a limited amount of time.
Who Can Take the Courses?
The FAO eLearning Academy presents its courses as free, multilingual learning opportunities covering a broad range of development and sustainability topics. The platform allows users to search by keyword or thematic area to identify courses relevant to their interests.
How to Access the Courses
Interested learners can visit the FAO eLearning Academy, search for a course and review its available information, including duration and course details.
The Academy also provides information about certification and other learning resources.
Explore FAO Free Online Courses
For students, researchers and development professionals looking for free online courses in agriculture, food security, climate action, forestry and sustainable development, the FAO eLearning Academy provides a broad selection of learning opportunities.
