When the announcement was made that FAO regional offices around the world would each receive...
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
The Bosphorus, the narrow strait in Istanbul that connects the Black Sea basin to the rest of the world, hosted a special guest on 12 July. Affectionately named “Bilim” (Turkish for “Science”), the oceanographic research vessel (RV) from Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Turkey was just embarking on a 21-day survey of the Black Sea.
A group of Turkish scientists were joined on board by six international researchers for a mission to study Black Sea anchovy stocks and monitor the environmental conditions that influence them.
Montenegro is looking to strengthen the links between agriculture, food and tourism, uniting its mesmerising coastline and spectacular mountains with its traditional foods – ranging from speciality cheeses and cured hams to bitter greens and crisp wines.
As part of this agritourism push, at the end of June a Montenegrin delegation of government officials and producers travelled to Austria to learn from the country’s exemplary model of sustainable management of mountainous areas.
To spur progress in the development of organic agriculture in Kazakhstan, FAO continues to support the Kazakh Government in establishing and piloting a rigorous traceability and certification system.
Framed by a multiannual effort to support the development of organic agriculture in the country through the establishment of a trusted organic guarantee system, FAO conducted several workshops and held meetings with national partners in July.
Organic agriculture is considered to have prospects for profitability in Kazakhstan, and it has triple benefit – for the environment, for farmers, and for public health.