Chișinău (Moldova). Last 11th of October, farmers, civil society organizations, government representatives and FAO officers from the Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia participated in the roundtable “Promoting agroecological approaches and innovations for the design and management of sustainable food systems in Moldova”. The roundtable analyzed Moldova’s legal framework on organic and agroecological production and discussed future steps to enhance and improve the legal environment. “Ecological farming is the future of agriculture in Moldova”, said Iurie Uşurelu, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture. Tudor Robu, assistant FAO Representative in Moldova: “[FAO reaffirms] that promoting agroecology is one of FAO’s mandates and in the Republic of Moldova, it represents an opportunity, not a constraint, to transform the food system”.

The roundtable is one of the results of an ongoing FAO supported project to support the development agroecology in Moldova. For the last year and a half, FARM [Federation of Agricultural Producers of Moldova] and FAO have worked closely with farmer’s organizations to generate and share knowledge tailored for Moldova’s reality and farmers’ needs. In words of Aurelia Bondari, FARM’s Executive Director: “The transition from traditional to agroecological farming systems is an absolutely necessary process. Agroecology is a long-term solution for sustainable agriculture. We are glad we followed FAO’s initiative in Moldova on promoting agroecological practices among farmers, thus contributing to sustainable food systems in the country”. The project has led to the creation of 10 demonstration sites that provided training activities, exchange visits and field days to about 1,100 farmers.

Rodica Garstea, the project coordinator, said that “FAO’s initiative on promoting agroecological practices it has been welcomed among farmers. All activities implemented by FARM in this direction, such as demonstration field plots, farmer field schools, information materials, etc. have greatly contributed to a better understanding among farmers, across the country, of the importance of agroecology and the application of agroecological principles in the preservation of environmental assets and in ensuring food security. The benefits are already visible”.

Find out more about FARM here.

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