Kazakhstan and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have launched three new projects under the FAO–Kazakhstan Partnership Programme. Raimund Jehle, FAO Deputy Regional Representative, and Yermek Kenzhekhanuly, Vice-Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, exchanged signed official documents at a ceremony on 22 July.

Sustainable forest management not only helps reduce forest degradation but also supports poverty reduction and improves livelihoods. Achieving these outcomes requires the meaningful participation of all groups that depend on and contribute to forest resources, including women, who play important roles in forestry and agroforestry systems. For this reason, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) calls for greater recognition of women’s contributions to forestry and agroforestry systems across Europe and Central Asia. 

As Montenegro works to realize its climate ambitions and build greater resilience, strengthening institutional capacity to access international climate finance is becoming increasingly important. Building a common understanding of climate finance mechanisms across institutions is a key step in translating national priorities into high-quality investment projects. To support this process, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Region Development, implemented the Month of climate finance learning, a unique six-week awareness-raising initiative under the Readiness Project of the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

Brucellosis remains one of the world's most significant bacterial diseases transmissible from animals to humans, threatening livestock production, rural livelihoods, food safety and public health. As most human infections originate from direct contact with infected animals or the consumption of contaminated dairy products, controlling the disease depends on well-trained veterinarians who can apply science-based approaches to surveillance, vaccination, diagnosis and outbreak response while working closely with partners across sectors. To strengthen veterinary capacity, the FAO Virtual Learning Center (VLC) for Europe and Central Asia has launched the pilot edition of its online tutored course, Management of brucellosis in domestic ruminants. 

In Kyrgyzstan, rangelands are under increasing pressure from climate change, land degradation and growing livestock production. Yet healthy pastures are essential not only for feeding livestock and supporting rural livelihoods, but also for protecting biodiversity, conserving water resources and storing carbon. Their sustainable management is therefore vital for both people and the environment. As part of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026, the Inter-Regional Summer School of Young Pastoralists took place in Kyrgyzstan. 

In Georgia, farming remains at the heart of rural life. At the same time, limited local employment opportunities, financial insecurity, and unequal access to education, finance, and essential services continue to shape the choices of young people in rural areas, often contributing to migration. These constraints have widened the gap between the realities of rural life and the aspirations of a younger generation seeking professional growth, decent livelihoods, and, where opportunities exist, a greater role in local development. 
World Youth Skills Day, observed annually on 15 July, is an opportunity to reflect on these obstacles and recognize the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship.

A successful wheat harvest is often measured in tonnes. For Uzbekistan, this year's wheat season also reflected the country's progress towards a more sustainable and resilient agrifood system, underscoring the impact of the past decade of reforms focused on strengthening food security, modernizing farming and improving rural prosperity.

What began as an effort to restore an old family house has evolved into one of the best-known agritourism destinations in the Tropoja region. Today, Chestnut Hill welcomes travellers from around the world, serves dishes prepared with locally sourced ingredients, produces chestnut honey, and works closely with farming families across the area. Its success story is also becoming part of a broader transformation taking place in Albania’s chestnut sector.

Agriculture plays a central role in Uzbekistan’s economy. While being a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, it is also highly exposed to climate risks. To this end, the Government of Uzbekistan has officially endorsed a new investment roadmap to support the transition towards climate-smart agrifood systems, marking an important step from the ambitious national climate commitments to concrete investment action.

FAO designed and implemented a foot-and-mouth disease simulation exercise in Ganja, Azerbaijan, on 30 June 2026. Exercise participants included private and official veterinarians, with the aim of equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills to react quickly and effectively in the event of a disease outbreak.