In the picturesque landscape of northern Albania's Tropoja region, nestled within the expansive chestnut forest massif, an ambitious initiative is taking shape. The chestnut sector is now the focus of the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The programme is a global FAO initiative that helps countries identify and then leverage the potential of special agricultural products to facilitate improved access to stable markets and acting as a key entry point for reaching their defined priorities. Special Agricultural Products are those which are unique to their agroecological production systems or of importance to national or cultural heritage. 

A stakeholders’ meeting in Rome marked a pivotal step towards greater private sector engagement for climate-smart agrifood systems. It was held as part of a joint project of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to decarbonize selected agrifood value chains and make them more resilient to climate change.

Private sector organizations from Europe and Central Asia are preparing to make a collective statement to the upcoming Thirty-fourth Session of the Regional Conference for Europe and Central Asia (ERC34) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which will be hosted by the Republic of Moldova at FAO headquarters in Rome, 14 to 17 May. 

To address these issues at their roots, the Global Soil Doctors Programme, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is creating a legion of “soil doctors”, educated and trained to support farmers on sustainable soil management. This programme, a key initiative of the Global Soil Partnership, provides heaps of educational resources to support the doctors and farmers to teach and learn from each other.

On 25 April, Otar Shamugia, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia and Raimund Jehle, Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Georgia signed a project agreement for EUR 4 million, financed by the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) on “Inclusive Rural Development and Sustainable Agriculture.” The goal of the project is to foster increased competitiveness within the agricultural sector, improve the effectiveness of policies related to gender responsive and social inclusivity, enhance food production, and concurrently alleviate rural poverty, with a specific emphasis on mitigating inequalities faced by women and youth.

Agricultural land is where food production starts; if managed well, it can boost rural economies. This is especially true for countries that are scarce of arable land. With this in mind, Montenegro has turned to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for support. A new project now in full swing is helping the country in formulating its new land policy, improving the management of state land, and piloting land consolidation.

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.