Sayad village is one of the most ancient settlements nestled on the Caspian Sea coast of Azerbaijan’s Khachmaz district. It’s long been famous for its numerous varieties of succulent tomatoes thanks to the farmers’ careful cultivation of the crop and the sunny climate. But something new and transformative is happening....

Agriculture is a fundamentally important human activity that intrinsically depends on nature and at the same time poses a threat to it. Agriculture depends on healthy ecosystems and ecosystem services, such as fresh water, soil fertility, nutrient cycling, pest regulation and pollination. Biodiversity forms the foundation of food production: without...

Olga Babayeva, a 52-year-old farmer from Samukh region in northwestern Azerbaijan, is a well-recognized businesswoman in her community. Apart from being the biggest producer of vegetable seeds for onions, coriander, dill, radishes and parsley, among others, she is also known for her strong support of women’s engagement in farming.  She was...

The publication is prepared in the framework of "UTF/AZE/010/AZE - Improvement of Cattle Production in Azerbaijan through Establishment of Effective Cattle Breeding and Feeding Systems" project implemented under the FAO-Azerbaijan Partnership Programme (FAPP, 2016-2021) that aims to improve cattle productivity through appropriate breeding management and strengthened services for artificial insemination,...

Breeding and raising sheep are complex tasks requiring rich, traditional experience. In this aspect, Farmer Field School (FFS) platforms are now helping farmers’ education and empowerment in Azerbaijan and assist them in achieving sustainable food production and improve livelihoods through testing, validating, and adopting good agricultural and marketing practices. In Azerbaijan,...

This facilitator’s guide for sheep-related Farmer Field Schools (FFS) has been developed for the FAO project UTF/AZE/009/AZE, “Development and application of sustainable sheep production and food value chains”, in Azerbaijan. In Azerbaijan, small ruminant production plays an essential role in the livestock sector as it provides income for rural families...

Since 1990th Azerbaijan which in the past supplied tomatoes to the whole Soviet Union has been flooded with a wave of imported tomato varieties. Never mind that the tomatoes didn’t have a refined taste, the main criteria were beautiful appearance and transportability, so prized in the market. But my family...

Azerbaijani and Georgian teas took centre stage during an online celebration on the eve of the second International Tea Day. FAO and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) hosted the roundtable event to highlight the countries’ potential to produce high quality and specialty teas. They also shared findings from their...

From baking sweets to raising chickens, the members of Arzu Women’s Group in the Ismayilli region of Azerbaijan have found a variety of ways to improve their income while gaining new knowledge in farming, innovative technologies and business planning.  The group, formed in Sumagalli village under the Agro Action of Azerbaijani Women Project with income generated by the women...

On the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, FAO, Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Regional Coordination Centre for Food Security of the Economic Cooperation Organization held a conference to reflect on existing challenges pertaining to food loss and waste in Azerbaijan, Central Asia, and Turkey...

Considering the many challenges small-scale cattle breeders face, FAO launched a project on artificial insemination to boost breeders’ livelihoods. The project aims to improve breeding and service quality in the livestock sector through a better organized and high-quality system for delivering artificial insemination and animal production services to farms. Improved and...

A year before the country was faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, Tahmina Isayeva from Zaqatala district in northwest Azerbaijan started a small business of drying fruits in her kitchen. “In the beginning it was my hobby to preserve fruits by drying them. We arranged fruits on the drying tray, spacing them...

Unsafe food is a major threat to human health and economies globally. A new project has been kicked off to strengthen official food safety control and risk communication systems in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, and Turkey. Implemented under the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture, funded by Turkey,...

Although the once booming tea industries in Azerbaijan and Georgia have long been in decline, interest in revitalizing the sector is gaining steam in both countries. Tea has a long tradition in Azerbaijan and Georgia, where tea has been produced since the 19th century. The two countries became the main tea...

FAO and the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry convened a meeting of high-level officials from Central Asia to establish a joint Food Loss and Waste Strategy Committee mandated to oversee the development and implementation of the regional food loss and waste reduction programme. The newly launched body will also support...

The Soviet Union collapsed nearly 30 years ago, but its effects linger in the fragmented farm structures and market channels that plague food value chains throughout Europe and Central Asia. A series of FAO publications is dedicated to improving this issue by revealing a path forward to a system that is...

The Value Chain Gap Analysis Report on Azerbaijan is meant to fill the “gap” in professional literature via providing a snapshot on how the government, the private sector and donor organizations work on creating an enabling environment to support value chain (VC) development. The report won’t answer any particular questions...

For centuries, rural people in Azerbaijan have produced honey. The country's mountainous regions allow for the production of high-quality, natural, mountain flora honey that has a high market value. Native Caucasian bees -- naturally resilient to the environment and to parasites -- make it possible to achieve good productivity rates. Today...

Silk manufacturing is as an ancient tradition in Azerbaijan, and spring is silkworm season. The Otharashvili family in Gakh region have a long, enclosed porch that they dedicate to the care and feeding of these distinctive white larvae. Care means maintaining the right temperature and humidity in the room. Feeding...

Cooperatives are a relatively recent business model, dating back only to the 1840s, but their short history has been full of twists and turns. Today, in countries once part of the Soviet Union, cooperatives operate under a wide variety of laws, regulations and tax codes. Now those laws, civil codes and...