Globally, we are faced with an urgent and unprecedented need to significantly reduce the growing global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the livestock sector caused by overuse and misuse of antimicrobials. 

To  accelerate work to combat AMR in the Western Balkans, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) convened a technical consultation meeting on antimicrobial use and resistance in the Western Balkans, from 6 to 7 December, in a hybrid format. 

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.