For generations, table grapes have been one of the most important agricultural products in the Republic of Moldova. The country produces over 130 000 tonnes a year, exporting roughly 60 percent of its harvest to markets across Europe and beyond. But in recent years, the farmers behind those numbers have been caught between rising agricultural input costs, disrupted export routes, and the growing demands of EU market standards — a combination that has left many struggling to keep pace.

On 25 June, David Songulashvili, Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, and Raimund Jehle, Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Georgia, signed the new Country Programming Framework (CPF) 2026–2030. 

“You can’t keep cows just for profit. You have to love the animal. You have to love the land. You have to love the work itself.” 
For 39-year-old Vitalie Vrabie, these words capture everyday life as a small-scale dairy farmer in the Republic of Moldova. A former migrant worker who left for the Russian Federation at 16, Vitalie spent years working abroad, returning home only briefly between jobs.

Experts, policymakers, researchers and forestry practitioners from across Europe and Central Asia gathered in Kyrgyzstan from 9 to 11 June for the Annual Meeting of the Forest Invasive Species Network for Europe and Central Asia (REUFIS), advancing regional efforts to address shared forest health issues and invasive species threats.

Agricultural economics has a critical role to play in preventing conflict-related shocks from deepening, said Raimund Jehle, Deputy Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), during a panel discussion at the three-day IAMO Forum 2026 in Germany. Agricultural economics has the potential to support reconstruction after conflicts, Jehle said, and help countries build more resilient food and agriculture systems.

Representatives from across Europe gathered in Tartu, Estonia, on 3–4 June 2026 for a technical workshop on the European Union’s LEADER approach and its contributions to the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems.
The event was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Tartu County Development Association, a local action group.

The medieval, hilltop town of Sermoneta straddles the bright blue Tyrrhenian Sea in the distance to the west and the Lepini mountain chain of the Apennines, rearing dramatically to the east. The twisting cobblestoned streets and imposing castle have changed little over past centuries, and against this medieval tableau of grey stone crenelated fortress walls, towers and arches, one bright treasure glows yellow in the warming sun.

An international treaty to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is now in force in the Republic of Moldova, linking the country to a global control system and aligning it with international and European standards.

The CACFish meeting marked an important step towards establishing a practical, regionally harmonized data collection mechanism to support evidence-based fisheries management across Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Twelve-year-old Tomo Popovski from Skopje has been selected as one of the global winners of the FAO World Food Day 2025 Poster Contest, marking the fourth time a young artist from North Macedonia has been recognized among the winners of the competition. A seventh-grade student at "Kocho Racin" Primary School, Tomo won in the 9–12 years category with his poster inspired by the World Food Day theme, "Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future", which highlights the importance of collective action and solidarity in building a more sustainable and food-secure world.

The Central Asia Water-Land Nexus (CAWLN) programme launched its implementation phase at the Eighth Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Funded by the GEF and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the regional programme brings five countries together to advance integrated approaches to land and water management in Central Asia. 

In western Georgia, where humid conditions and increasingly unpredictable weather create constant pressure from pests and diseases, farmers are learning that producing safe food begins long before harvest. For Giorgi Gvaramia, responsible production starts with observation. With support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the European Union, and Sweden under ENPARD IV, his farm has been developed into a demonstration plot for local farmers to improve their knowledge on crop monitoring techniques, integrated pest management, greenhouse management, with the plan to use plant protection products more effectively resulting in safer crop production.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has provided the Committee for Food Security under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan with laboratory equipment and ELISA diagnostic kits to support national efforts to strengthen disease surveillance, food safety monitoring, and preparedness for animal health emergencies. The support is provided through the regional initiative “Pandemic Preparedness and Response through a One Health Approach in Central Asia”, financed by the Pandemic Fund. 

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) QU Dongyu concluded a two-day visit to Belarus by calling for greater investment in science, innovation and human capital to address growing global food insecurity. He also emphasized the importance of stronger partnerships among governments, research institutions, universities, farmers, the private sector and international organizations to accelerate agrifood systems transformation across Europe, Central Asia and beyond.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Europe and Central Asia held a webinar celebrating the growth of its AgriTech Observatory, a Digital Public Good designed to help navigate digital agricultural developments across the region. The event explored what has been accomplished so far and what is in store for the platform.

A virtual event organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on 28 May showcased practical, scalable solutions from across Europe and Central Asia, highlighting how circular bioeconomy approaches in agriculture can drive innovation, support sustainable development and help translate commitments into concrete action on the ground. The event marked the launch of the publication “Case studies promoting bioeconomy through agricultural practices in Europe and Central Asia”, which presents examples of sustainable and circular agricultural practices already being implemented across the region.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with the Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry of Kyrgyzstan and international partners, has launched a new initiative to strengthen the country’s aquaculture sector, bringing together key actors in Bishkek for a high-level inception workshop under the project Sustainable Fish Value Chains for Landlocked Developing Countries (SVC4LLDCs).

A new generation of ideas and partnerships took centre stage recently in Dushanbe at the GENERATION YSInvest event organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Held alongside the Thirty-fifth Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe, the multi-day event was structured around three interconnected pillars – youth engagement, science and innovation, and investment – highlighting how inclusive dialogue and coordinated action can drive sustainable change in the region.

The ancient Greek physician and philosopher Hippocrates once said: “We are what we eat.” This statement remains relevant today: human health depends directly on one’s diet. To this end, a three-day technical workshop on the development of healthy dietary guidelines took place from 20 to 22 May. The event was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the multi-country project “Multisectoral Policy Recommendations for Addressing Malnutrition from an Agrifood System Perspective", aimed at improving nutrition and transforming Central Asian food systems through enhanced cross-sectoral collaboration. 

Thousands of hectares of agricultural land in Khersonska oblast in Ukraine remain uncultivated due to explosive ordnance contamination combined with prolonged drought and the destruction of irrigation systems, preventing farmers from cultivating their land and rebuilding their livelihoods. Taken together, these overlapping crises have reduced agricultural output in the oblast by more than 98 percent since the onset of the full-scale invasion. To help Ukrainian farming communities safely return to agricultural production, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) have launched a new joint project funded through the Ukraine Community Recovery Fund (UCRF).