The Ministry for the Environment collaborates with FAO through specific agreements in some areas of common interest – including sustainable development promotion, climate change contention, Climate Smart Agriculture and bioenergy – and through the participation, within the national co-ordination led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, to the FAO institutional work and governing bodies (FAO Council, and FAO Conference).

In March 2014, the Ministry for the Environment has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with FAO in order to establish an International Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture to support, inter alia, the Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture (GACSA), and in particular to support its Facilitation Unit that serve as Secretariat of the Alliance. Since April 2015, Italy is also a member of GACSA. Climate Smart Agricolture (CSA) is an approach launched by the FAO since 2010 that helps to guide actions needed to transform and reorient agricultural systems to effectively support development and ensure food security in a changing climate. CSA aims to tackle three main objectives: sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes; adapting and building resilience to climate change; and reducing and/or removing greenhouse gas emissions, where possible.

The activities promoted under the Memorandum have been co-financed by Italy with $ 4,580 million and will be completed by 2020.  Under the framework of the MoU IMELS and FAO will develop strategic partnership, pilot projects and other climate smart initiatives on field, in cooperation with several developing countries. Particular attention will be given to the realization of projects based on the  pre-feasibility studies already developed, designed to build project opportunities that respect the CSA approach, with particular reference to some countries including for example  Botswana, Ecuador.

The Ministry for the Environment also supports the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP): an international initiative launched in July 2005 at the G8 meeting in Gleneagles (UK), with the aim of promoting an efficient use of biomass and bio-fuels, particularly in developing countries. Through the Ministry for the Environment, Italy co-chairs, together with Brazil, the GBEP, which now comprises 23 States and 14 international organizations as partners, as well as 27 other States and 12 international organizations as observers.