After two days of intense discussions and information sharing, the first Rural Youth Forum for Europe and Central Asia concluded on 30 November. Organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),  it gathered representatives of 20 countries, farmers’ associations, youth groups in Budapest, Hungary – and online – to share ideas and build bridges for advancing the well-being, livelihoods and prosperity of rural youth. 

The Government of Montenegro and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have agreed in the joint priorities for the country’s food and agriculture sector for the coming years. According to this, they will work together to contribute to improved state and management of natural resources and to an innovative, competitive, gender-responsive, and inclusive economic development that is climate resilient and low-carbon, too.

Kazakhstan will be the first country to host a national dialogue supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The consultation will be convened by the UNCCD Focal Point for the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Committee for Land Resources Management in the Ministry of Agriculture from 6 to 7 December 2023 in Astana.

FAO’s Global Soil Partnership (GSP) collaborates with soil scientists in Uzbekistan to develop climate-smart soil management practices so that crops can continue to thrive even when grown in salt-affected terrains, all with the goal of stemming further salinization. Smallholders like Adyl are benefitting from such expertise, scaling-up sustainable agricultural techniques to restore natural habitats and tackle the impacts of drought.

Agriculture plays a central role in Montenegro’s economy, with livestock breeding being the most important agriculture subsector. Now, farmers are learning how to take ownership of their local farm development by applying the Farmer Field School (FFS) approach of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 

Thirteenth annual technical workshop on locust management (20 —24 November) in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. The meeting is organized by FAO in collaboration with the Ministry of the Agriculture of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, with the financial support of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

A joint session of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) European Forestry Commission and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry will meet in San Marino this week to review and coordinate strategy on forests and the forest industry in Europe.

Signing of the 2022—2026 Country Programming Framework (CPF) by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) ushers in a new phase of the progress towards sustainable and resilient agrifood systems and improved rural livelihoods for the country. 

In countries of Europe and Central Asia, as well as globally, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) furthers the identification and registration of new geographical indications (GI) in the food and agriculture sector, and works to improve current geographical indications schemes to make them simpler and more effective.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – when antimicrobial drugs lose their effectiveness against microorganisms they should kill – is a global threat that affects human, animal, and environmental health. For effective action to prevent AMR, it is essential that all professionals handling antimicrobial drugs are well aware of this phenomenon and become familiar with the best practices to combat it. 

Global goals – just like regional and national goals — can only be achieved if we work together. This is a reason that revitalizing partnerships is at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

World Food Day is celebrated every year on 16 October, the date FAO was founded in 1945. This year’s theme, “Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind,” highlighted water's importance to food production, food security, healthy environments, and human health and the need to protect global water resources.

It is estimated that around half the obsolete pesticides in the world can be found in the former Soviet Union, with a large portion currently sitting in Central Asia. During Soviet times, the region was an important centre for agriculture, particularly cotton production, with mandatory pesticide application and oversupply.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) works to support countries to move to sustainable agriculture, adapt to climate change and to mitigate climate change by reducing or preventing greenhouse gas emissions. As part of this effort, FAO organized a two-day workshop on advancing climate action in agriculture in Europe and Central Asia, from 27 to 28 September in Istanbul, Türkiye.  

Major food security challenges caused by unsustainable water management were presented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Hungarian Food Bank Association and the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture today, World Food Day, in Budapest. Olympic aquatic athletes also joined the water-themed event, which featured water-friendly dishes of the future and the World Food Day convoy – a line of 21 trucks carrying 50 tonnes of food donations for needy families.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Economy of the Republic of North Macedonia, in partnership with the 'Hans Em' Faculty of Forest Sciences, Landscape Architecture, and Environmental Engineering, convened an event in Skopje, focusing on good practices and experiences in forest restoration.

African swine fever, an infectious viral and highly lethal disease that kills pigs and wild boar, first appeared in the Balkans and the Republic of Moldova nearly a decade ago. While not a threat to human health, the virus is a major hazard to pig farms, livelihoods, local economies, and food security. 

The multitude of vital benefits that nature provides to society are called ‘ecosystem services’. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) applauds the Czech movie The values of nature that helps us understand the value of these ecosystem services, and has just awarded it the Osiris Prize at the thirty-ninth international Agrofilm festival in Slovakia (2 – 7 October 2023).

Hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the first-ever Science and Innovation Week for Europe and Central Asia   facilitated robust discussions and knowledge exchange on the integration of science, research, and innovation with policymaking to drive the transformation of agrifood systems in Europe and Central Asia toward sustainability, inclusivity, and resilience.

In historic Samarkand, Uzbekistan, leading thinkers from around the globe convened for an international conference on food security to discuss a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient future for the world's agrifood systems. The event was organized by the Government of Uzbekistan, with technical support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).