FAO and the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry convened a meeting of high-level officials...
Regional Initiatives
As economic reforms in the 1990s shifted land ownership into the hands of private smallholders, family farmers became the predominant source of agricultural production in the region. To address the absence of well-developed institutional support, FAO is implementing a Regional Initiative on Empowering Smallholders and Family Farms for Improved Rural Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction.
While international trade policy is usually implemented at the border, adherence to food safety and quality standards concerns national food safety systems as well as food safety and quality control at the enterprise level. This means that a supportive policy environment for modern agrifood trade encompasses not only border policies, but also policies and institutions at the national and enterprise level.
The impact of climate change can already be felt on food production systems in the region, posing considerable challenges for agricultural production and food security. FAO is helping countries to manage their natural resources sustainably, while also coping with climate change and reducing the risk of disasters affecting agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
Stories from the field
Launched today, a new endeavor to strengthen sustainable and multipurpose forest management in Kosovo has set sail with the ultimate goal of tackling rural poverty and climate change[1]. Since forests have a major role in fighting climate change, they are also an important natural asset in Kosovo.
Altogether, by the end of the four-year programme , forests in Kosovo should be in a better shape, and forest users should equally value its wood and non-wood products, environmental value and ecosystem health.
A valuable encounter at an FAO -organized study tour last year gave Keti Tomeishvili, a Georgian vegetable producer, the lucrative idea of growing culinary herbs alongside her cucumbers. This opportunity, coupled with high demand for herbs in neighbouring Russia, has really paid off. Now this extra income is not only helping Keti during these difficult times brought on by the pandemic, but she is also able to help other women in her community.
Keti hails from Imereti in western Georgia. She initially began her business in 2017 by growing cucumbers in greenhouses. In this part of Georgia, greenhouses don’t require much heating in winter, making them an affordable option to grow produce all year round.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Government of Japan, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Tajikistan will continue to collaborate in the second phase of a regional project to enhance locust management in Tajikistan.