.jpg?sfvrsn=c2b9e520_3)
Our work
In their pursuit to ensure an equitable and sustainable future, governments can rely on FAO expertise in food and agriculture. Responding to the needs of Europe and Central Asia, the Organization is offering support in many specific areas.
Agribusiness and agrifood chain development
FAO contributes to the development of agribusiness and agro-industries through improved efficiency and inclusiveness of agri-food chains and establishment of appropriate support services and enabling environments for value chains development. It also advises on policies and strategies to improve agribusiness competitiveness, and helps countries strengthen their agricultural support systems, supply chain management and coordination. This work also helps empower farmers and rural entrepreneurs to improve their position in markets and value chains.
Food Loss and Waste Reduction
Under the global SAVE FOOD Initiative, FAO in Europe and Central Asia implements a comprehensive food loss and waste reduction programme in the region, aimed to raise awareness about the issue, promote good practices and solutions to it, and facilitate collaboration among the actors along food value chain to advance the progress in reducing food loss and waste through joint efforts and efficient use of resources. The programme also supports the low and middle-income countries in the Region in developing and implementing national strategies and action plans to reduce food loss and waste and advises policymakers and national stakeholders, including public and private sector players, on appropriate interventions and evidence-based solutions. For this, FAO takes a multi-disciplinary and integrated food supply chain approach to ensure that food loss and waste reduction is technically, economically, environmentally, and socially acceptable, feasible and cost-effective.
Robert van Otterdijk
Agro industry officer
Budapest, Hungary
Tel: +36 1 8141 269
Agricultural trade and commodity policies
The regional office provides information and analysis on trade agreements, including WTO, and market integration in the region. It works to improve regional and national capacities to use the evidence generated, facilitates public dialogue on agri-trade policy issues, and supports the design and implementation of appropriate agricultural policies at country level. This work is central to FAO’s Regional Initiative on Agri-Food Trade and Regional Integration.
Cheng Fang
Commodity and trade economist
Budapest, Hungary
Tel: +36 1 4612 034
Pedro Marcelo Arias
Economist
Budapest, Hungary
Agricultural policy
The aim is to provide evidence-based analysis of agricultural policy issues for member countries and international and donor organizations in the region. Analyses are intended to assist governments in meeting their food security and poverty reduction commitments under Millennium Development Goal 1. Publications in the REU Policy Studies on Rural Transition series cover such topics as land reform and farm restructuring, livestock development, agriculture in the new EU member states after accession, crop diversification and farm debt.
Sumiter Broca
Senior policy officer
Ankara, Türkiye
Agricultural innovation systems, e-agriculture, experience capitalization
FAO helps member countries develop their capacity for innovation. It assists them with policies, frameworks and models for sustainable, safe use of new technological and social innovations, including for biotechnology and biosafety. It enables countries to co-create and share knowledge among all actors– through networks and communities, while focusing on linking agricultural research, education and extension.
E-agriculture is the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), including digital technologies, in the rural domain – improving access to information so that people whose livelihoods depend on agriculture can make the best possible decisions and use resources sustainably.
Through experience capitalization, practices can be tailored, improved, adopted, and scaled up by others, leading to a greater organizational visibility and impact.
Daniela Di Gianantonio
Digital agriculture team leader
Budapest, Hungary
Tel.: : + 36 1 8141 266
Animal health and production
FAO helps farmers, government officials and scientists identify solutions to the most pressing problems facing livestock in the region. Development programs are restructuring, modernizing or revitalizing the livestock sector with more sustainable production systems and better veterinary health services. Diagnosing and containing transboundary animal diseases continues to be a top priority, as they can threaten production, food safety and human health.
Eran Raizman
Senior animal health and production officer
Budapest, Hungary
Tel: +36 1 4612 025
Climate Change and Natural Resource Management
The long-term viability of the region’s land, water, soil, and biodiversity requires sustainable use of natural resources. FAO urges farmers and policymakers to practice climate-smart agriculture, a blueprint of environmentally-friendly practices and policies that sustainably increase agricultural productivity while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As climate change increasingly threatens agriculture, disaster risk reduction plans help farms adapt and improve their resilience to environmental shocks.
Tania Santivanez
Agricultural officer
Budapest, Hungary
Tel: +36 1 8141 240
Jeremy Schlickenrieder
Natural Resources Officer
Budapest, Hungary
Fisheries and aquaculture
Production of fish and seafood provides the most vulnerable small-scale coastal and riparian communities with livelihoods and food security. Fish is the most highly traded food commodity and international value chains have increased in complexity, resulting in both challenges and opportunities. Through policy guidance and technical assistance, FAO assists governments and other actors with sustainable management of aquatic resources, adoption of international standards for improved fish quality, and development of adaptation strategies for climate change.
Haydar Fersoy
Senior fisheries and aquaculture officer
Ankara, Türkiye
Food Safety and Consumer Protection
Guaranteeing food safety from farm to table is a complex and multi-dimensional effort. The regional office guides member countries as they build quality insurance programs, train food inspectors and strengthen laboratory analysis services. But consumer protection at FAO goes even further than food safety; it strives for a food value chain that promotes good nutrition and sustainable diets.
Forestry
Forests are one of Europe and Central Asia’s most vast natural resources, and the region’s ability to capitalize on this valuable resource in a sustainable way is vital. FAO partners with member countries on a range of ventures in this sector, from developing national forest management plans to establishing forestry research labs to studying the potential for local wood-based bioenergy industries.
Forestry officer
Budapest, Hungary
Tel: +36 4612 006
Peter Pechacek
Forestry officer
Ankara, Türkiye
Tel: +90 312 307 9533
Gender
Women are the invisible pillars of rural societies. Their contribution to agriculture and food security is indispensable, yet their work is often undervalued. Many forms of gender-based inequalities are difficult to track, for example, rural women’s work in family farms as unpaid family workers; and/or rural women’s access to and ability to exercise control over the productive resources and assets such as land, credits, training, agricultural inputs, etc. Guided by FAO’s Policy on Gender Equality and Regional gender equality strategy for Europe and Central Asia 2019 – 2022, the regional office supports the empowerment of rural women, by expanding their economic opportunities through increased access to land, technology, and markets.
Land and water management
Land degradation and pressure on renewable water resources are among the greatest threats to food security and livelihood improvement in Central Asia. FAO is providing technical assistance and enhancing institutional capacities for sustainable land management to combat land degradation, drought preparedness and management, modernization of irrigation systems, improvement of water use efficiency and crop water productivity. It is also committed to strengthening policy dialogue on the management of transboundary water resources, such as the Aral Sea Basin.
Land tenure and rural development
Rural populations need secure access to land and natural resources in order to relieve poverty and promote economic development. FAO supports governments as they reform public administration procedures, streamline land tenure policies and implement land consolidation plans for a more competitive agricultural sector. Initiatives promoting local, traditional agricultural products and agro-tourism further underpin sustainable rural development.
Plant production and protection
Safeguarding and intensifying crop production is the cornerstone of FAO’s technical assistance in this field. For a strong and healthy harvest, the regional office helps farmers incorporate innovative techniques, such as conservation agriculture and integrated pest management, into traditional farming practices. Other priorities include preventing and responding to transboundary pest outbreak, as well as mitigating the damage caused by outdated pesticides.
Piotr Wlodarczyk
Agricultural officer
Budapest, Hungary
Statistics
Crafting smart policies and innovative solutions for the region’s agricultural challenges depends on a strong foundation of agricultural data and statistics. FAO takes agricultural censuses and collects data ranging from production levels to food consumption and expenditures. Sharing regional and country-level statistics helps leaders make informed decisions and has even led member countries to begin developing their own statistical monitoring tools and systems.