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.

The Europe and Central Asia region remains broadly on track for many Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 targets, with undernourishment staying well below global levels. Yet millions of people across the region still face food insecurity and cannot afford a healthy diet, according to the new edition of the annual Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Europe and Central Asia, produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) The report provides an annual assessment of progress towards ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture.

Ukraine has deposited its instrument of accession to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and will become the 156th Contracting Party (member) of the International Treaty.

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.