In aquaculture, seed encompasses the different life stages of the young species – from egg to juveniles. Therefore, improving fish farmers’ access to quality seed is key to the growth of successful small-scale aquaculture, especially in developing countries. The ways and means to meet this need was the main theme of the discussions at an expert workshop co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Research Institute for Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences and held in Szarvas, Hungary, 27—28 March 2024.

Horticulture can not only help farmers improve their incomes and livelihoods but also offer nutritious food and healthy diets for citizens in Bishkek and around the world. However, achieving this will require a great deal of innovation.

For this reason, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with the Kyrgyzstan Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry, launched the project “Introduction and promotion of innovative approaches for adopting best technologies for horticulture” in 2023 that aims to introduce and promote advanced practices and innovative solutions in horticulture in Kyrgyzstan.

Locust infestations, aggravated by climate change and environmental factors, are a serious problem for agricultural production in Tajikistan, threatening food security and economic stability. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supports the country via regional projects as part of its “Programme to improve national and regional locust management in Central Asia and Caucasus (CCA)”.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) helped organize the GCF Regional Dialogue with Eastern Europe and Central Asia and fostered peer-to-peer learning related to country experiences and best practices. In facilitating the identification and development of climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives, FAO strengthened the GCF’s impact in the region.

The International Day of Zero Waste reminds us of the need for action at all levels and collaboration among diverse actors. Working together, we can create a transformative shift towards a more resilient and sustainable food system that ensures a better future for generations to come. The BioDAF project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), for example, has set up a farm school for the production of black soldier fly larvae. The larvae feed on organic waste and thereby reduce food waste. The dried larvae are used as animal feed in agriculture, and the frass can be turned into organic fertilizer.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is taking a leap forward in bolstering animal health training globally. The FAO Virtual Learning Center (VLC) for the Europe and Central Asia region has secured accreditation for three of its online courses through the Veterinary Continuing Education in Europe (VetCEE) – an international non-profit association founded as a joint initiative of veterinary academia, specialists and the profession. These accredited courses include topics as diverse as biosecurity for ruminants, African swine fever preparedness, and an introduction to One Health.

Realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensuring a sustainable future for all is central to the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Data released by FAO from 2023 showed that the world is off-track to meet most of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets linked to hunger, food security, and nutrition. Given the increasingly short deadline to meet the 2030 Agenda, FAO, in collaboration with UN partners, has contributed to the 2024 Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, an event that provided a venue for participants to exchange knowledge, best practices, and policy solutions to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Zoonotic diseases – diseases that can pass between animals and people – continue to have major impacts on human health and cause economic losses. To support the Kyrgyz Republic in controlling such diseases, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Government of the United States of America through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic launched the Global health security and pandemic preparedness programme. It should enhance the One Health approach in the country and support its ability to prevent, detect and respond to zoonotic and other public health threats. 

On March 12–13 the first National Forum of Cooperatives in Tajikistan was convened, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture of Tajikistan. The forum provided a platform for participants who were representatives of government authorities of Tajikistan, FAO, cooperatives, development partners, scientific and expert circles of Tajikistan to share knowledge, debate current issues and consider potential future developments of national cooperatives.

Slovenia has become the latest country to join the European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission. Mateja Čalušić, Slovenia’s Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Food, submitted a letter to QU Dongyu, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), on 18 January 2024, expressing Slovenia’s wish to join EIFAAC.

For International Women’s Day, the perspectives of three remarkable women, are in the spotlight: an entrepreneur and community organizer from rural Albania, a distinguished academic from Türkiye, and a forward-thinking policy-maker from Uzbekistan.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which had been supporting the cooperative even before the earthquake, stepped in to help the collective get back on its feet. By providing machinery and equipment, FAO ensured that women-led cooperatives received the help they needed to rebuild and recover. Such initiatives align with FAO's commitment to invest in gender equality and women’s empowerment in agrifood systems. These go a long way in advancing progress and enhancing the resilience and food security of households and communities.

Approximately ten percent of the Tajikistan’s population is working abroad. This income-driven migration has serious socioeconomic impacts such as divorce, labour shortages in agriculture, legal and financial issues, and increased hardships for rural women’s livelihoods. A joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), UN Women and UNICEF project, “Empowerment of Abandoned Families for Improved Migration Outcomes in Khatlon”, tackled multiple issues faced by rural women and families made vulnerable by outmigration of family members. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Committee of Veterinary and Livestock Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan have launched a new project, implemented by the FAO Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), under USAID’s Global Health Security program. The project will support Uzbekistan’s ability to prevent, detect and respond to animal and public health threats. The inception workshop of the FAO ECTAD project brought together representatives in the agriculture, veterinary, and livestock sectors from the Government of Uzbekistan, international organizations, national research institutes, and civil society.

More than 400 participants gathered last week in Antalya, Türkiye with the common goal to scale up science for effective fisheries management at the second edition of the Forum on Fisheries Science in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea (Fish Forum 2024). The event, organized by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is the most important scientific gathering dedicated to fisheries and related issues in the region.

The Europe and Central Asia region has a wide variety of topography and climates and is vulnerable to climate change. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been partnering with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for over two decades to support countries in sustainably managing natural resources and preserving biodiversity in a changing climate and to ensure food security and nutrition while reversing environmental degradation and its impacts.

The Republic of Moldova's table grape sector is set to gain new opportunities thanks to its inclusion in the "One Country One Priority Product" (OCOP) initiative, led globally by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). A pivotal technical assistance agreement, valued at USD 350 000 for two years, was formalized at the start of this week between the FAO Representative in the Republic of Moldova, Raimund Jehle, and the Deputy Prime-minister and Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAFI), Vladimir Bolea.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) welcomed an additional $3 million contribution from PhosAgro, Russia's leading phosphate-based fertilizer producer, to support the efforts of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) to help more farmers implement soil-improving management measures and boost the capacities of national soil laboratories in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Near East.

The Republic of Moldova is at high risk of drought and extreme weather events, two challenges exacerbated by climate change. Family farmers and others in the agriculture sector are the most vulnerable to the impacts of these extreme events. The severe drought in 2022, for example, was devastating for smallholder farmers. In 2023, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) distributed 30 tonnes of seeds and 60 tonnes of fertilizer to 1 224 small farmers in the Calarasi, Rascani and Cantemir districts.

A competition to find new ways to reduce antibiotic misuse in production animals has resulted in promising findings on how improved gut health in broiler chickens could boost immunity and reduce antibiotic-resistant bacteria, an approach that could bring wider benefits across the entire sector. The competition was organized by the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and supported by the Ukraine Ministry of Education and Science and the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection.