FAO conducts national training on mountain vulnerability assessment in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Assessing the vulnerability of mountain societies to provide data that can inform communities and government in developing climate change-adaptation strategies is an essential task that requires a thorough understanding of a range of technical and socio-economic parameters.

The German Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, Cem Oezdemir and the Italian Minister for Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, hosted a special event on Ukraine. Maximo Torero, Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture of the United Nations (FAO), presented FAO’s current assessment on the situation in Ukraine and neighbouring countries as well as FAO’s rapid response plan for Ukraine in 2024 and the FAO Development Strategy for Ukraine (2024–2027). 

Agriculture is the main source of income for more than half of the population in the Republic of Moldova. To spur investments into the sector and provide a better life for Moldovan rural people, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Moldova organized a special event on investment in the republic in the framework of the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture in Berlin, Germany, within the Agrifood Partnership Forum of the Republic of Moldova launched in October 2023. 

In the agricultural heart of Kosovo¹, under the radiant sun, stands Pajazit Thaci. At the age of 81, his face bears the traces of seven decades of farming, yet his spirit remains young and vibrant. Pajazit's presence is felt by all who pass by, his standard white shirt recognizable to all the village. He cares deeply for the land and is always looking forward to the next harvest.

In Central Asia, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture represent significant untapped potential, yet enhancing institutional capacity for increased production and development remains a persistent challenge.

In response to these challenges, the FISHCap project was launched under the umbrella of the FAO–Türkiye Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture, and implemented in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, to address obstacles to sustainability in the fisheries and aquaculture sector.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recognizes that scaling up science, technology and innovation is necessary for a profound transformation of food and agricultural systems. Engagements with the private sector help energize digital ecosystems and catalyse innovations and integration of digital technologies. 

Shaodatkhon is one of the farmers taking part in the Smart Farming for the Future Generations project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It is closely aligned with the Digital Villages Initiative, which was introduced in the villages of Novkent and Yuksalish in the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan in 2023.

In Europe and Central Asia, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is expanding its online learning opportunities for animal health and production specialists. The platform is the regional Virtual Learning Center that has successfully conducted a series of virtual tutored trainings in 2023 and is set to roll out new courses that will respond to the dynamic needs of the region. 

A project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with financial support from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) on mainstreaming adaptation into the planning process to reduce vulnerability to climate change aims to help local governments in the Republic of Moldova better respond to climate change and improve access to technology for agricultural producers.

The Digital Villages Initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is rolling out at full speed in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The Hack4DigitalVillages innovation challenge concluded at the end of November, awarding agricultural startups and innovators for creative technical solutions to agricultural challenges faced by rural Fergana. Simultaneously, two Memoranda of Understanding were officially signed to foster cooperation between Fergana valley (Uzbekistan) and Hisor valley (Tajikistan), solidifying the basis for knowledge exchange between rural communities of the two countries.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with Albania’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, have recently launched in Albania the FAO One Country, One Priority Product (OCOP) programme aimed at transforming agrifood systems. Through establishing sustainable chestnut value chains, the project in Albania will, foster economic growth, and enable community empowerment in the pilot region of northern Tropoja. 

With less than seven years left until the deadline, Europe and Central Asia are making progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 of Zero Hunger, including tackling food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition, despite serious challenges experienced in the past few years. ...

Globally, we are faced with an urgent and unprecedented need to significantly reduce the growing global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the livestock sector caused by overuse and misuse of antimicrobials. 

To  accelerate work to combat AMR in the Western Balkans, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) convened a technical consultation meeting on antimicrobial use and resistance in the Western Balkans, from 6 to 7 December, in a hybrid format. 

After two days of intense discussions and information sharing, the first Rural Youth Forum for Europe and Central Asia concluded on 30 November. Organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),  it gathered representatives of 20 countries, farmers’ associations, youth groups in Budapest, Hungary – and online – to share ideas and build bridges for advancing the well-being, livelihoods and prosperity of rural youth. 

The Government of Montenegro and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have agreed in the joint priorities for the country’s food and agriculture sector for the coming years. According to this, they will work together to contribute to improved state and management of natural resources and to an innovative, competitive, gender-responsive, and inclusive economic development that is climate resilient and low-carbon, too.

Kazakhstan will be the first country to host a national dialogue supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The consultation will be convened by the UNCCD Focal Point for the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Committee for Land Resources Management in the Ministry of Agriculture from 6 to 7 December 2023 in Astana.

FAO’s Global Soil Partnership (GSP) collaborates with soil scientists in Uzbekistan to develop climate-smart soil management practices so that crops can continue to thrive even when grown in salt-affected terrains, all with the goal of stemming further salinization. Smallholders like Adyl are benefitting from such expertise, scaling-up sustainable agricultural techniques to restore natural habitats and tackle the impacts of drought.

Agriculture plays a central role in Montenegro’s economy, with livestock breeding being the most important agriculture subsector. Now, farmers are learning how to take ownership of their local farm development by applying the Farmer Field School (FFS) approach of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 

Thirteenth annual technical workshop on locust management (20 —24 November) in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. The meeting is organized by FAO in collaboration with the Ministry of the Agriculture of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, with the financial support of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

A joint session of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) European Forestry Commission and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry will meet in San Marino this week to review and coordinate strategy on forests and the forest industry in Europe.