The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is holding an intensive awareness campaign in the Republic of Moldova to mark World Soil Day, celebrated globally on 5 December. Under the theme Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities, the campaign aims to educate and engage the next generation on the critical importance of soil health and land degradation neutrality.

Although fisheries sustainability in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea remains a source of concern, the percentage of overfished stocks has dropped to its lowest level in a decade, a milestone that coincides with aquaculture’s rapid expansion as a major source of aquatic foods in the region, according to a report released today by FAO’s General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM).

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) brought together governments, producer groups, civil society and international experts for the Fifth Regional Consultation on Geographical Indications (GIs). This year’s event was dedicated to advancing the economic, environmental and social sustainability of GI systems in Europe and Central Asia.

In a quiet field outside Madrid, a sheep owner looks up at a drone humming above grazing sheep, scanning for signs of stress, injury or predators. Tens of thousands of kilometres away, a young farmer shifts gears entirely, leaving a job in banking to return to his family farm in a Kyrgyz village. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, an engineer turned dairy farm owner opens her gates, creating a unique, multifunctional space focused on ethical farming, veteran rehabilitation and community well-being.

Parliament members from across the globe gathered 10–11 November at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome to exchange views and ideas on the use of legislative tools to boost progress in food security and nutrition. The Europe and Central Asia region was represented by Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Greece, with each country reaffirming its commitment to transforming the region’s food and agricultural sectors to be more efficient, inclusive and grounded in shared values.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Albania Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development are working closely together to scale up efforts to equip the country for the effective implementation of the European Union LEADER measure under the instrument for pre-accession assistance for rural development (IPARD III).

Agricultural land in Georgia is highly fragmented, limiting productivity and investment in farms and in rural areas in general. Aiming to address this problem, representatives from a wide range of Georgian institutions participated in a 20 November workshop in Tbilisi under the first phase of a planned three-and-a-half-year project to support the introduction of land consolidation in Georgia. The project is being implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with financial support from the World Bank and the Government of Georgia.

As the world marks World AMR Awareness Week, 18–24 November, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reaffirmed its strong commitment to tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across Europe and Central Asia during the closing day of the second International Conference on Food Safety and Joint Efforts to Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance.

With stronger knowledge in livestock care and feeding, women from rural areas of Kosovo¹ are improving their livelihoods and taking the lead in transforming their communities. From June through October 2025, more than 100 rural women from the municipalities of Istog/Istok, south Mitrovica and Skenderaj/Srbica participated in hands-on trainings designed to improve cow health, enhance milk quality and increase household incomes through better livestock management. Conducted directly on participants’ farms, the sessions helped women strengthen both productivity and sustainability on their farms through practical experience in stable hygiene, feeding, milk handling, disease prevention and calf care.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Ukraine, with the financial support of the European Union (EU) and in partnership with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the Global Crop Diversity Trust (Crop Trust), and Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen) has officially opened the Duplicate Centre for Plant Genetic Resources of Ukraine and handed it over to the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences (NAAS).

Challenges related to water, sanitation and health are multifaceted. However, resilient water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems – coupled with the One Health approach – can provide the right framework for safeguarding public health. This was the main message from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) at the Seventh session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Water and Health in Budapest, Hungary, in early November. It was delivered by Raimund Jehle, FAO Regional Programme Leader, during the high-level segment of the session, which was marking the twentieth anniversary of the protocol’s entry into force.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a project to strengthen competitiveness and climate resilience among smallholder farmers in the Republic of Moldova. This is the second phase of the Programme on Resilient and Inclusive Markets, implemented jointly by FAO and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with key support from Switzerland.

A delegation of government officials from Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Agriculture visited Lithuania from 27 to 30 October to learn from the country’s experience in digital transformation in the agriculture and land management sectors, including land registration and cadastre. The four-day study tour was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as part of its ongoing technical assistance to the Government of Turkmenistan in digitalizing its land administration and land-use monitoring systems.

Forest biodiversity experts and policymakers from five Central Asian countries, along with Azerbaijan, Montenegro and Türkiye are gathering in Trabzon for a regional training workshop on “Mainstreaming forest biodiversity into national strategies and action plans” to chart a course towards healthier, more resilient forests. 

A workshop on the surveillance and control of brucellosis took place in Ashgabat from 20 to 24 October. It was led by experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) within the framework of the regional project “Pandemic preparedness and response under the One Health approach in Central Asia”. 

A fruitful collaboration between Azerbaijan and Türkiye in advancing agricultural services received an award from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) at the FAO Global Technical Recognition Ceremony on 15 October 2025 for its outstanding contribution to South–South and triangular cooperation (SSTC). The project, titled Support for Structural Reform and Strategic Development of the Agrarian Services Agency (ASA), received this accolade under the category of Projects Championing SSTC, celebrating its role in promoting institutional capacity development, knowledge exchange and sustainable agricultural innovation between the two countries.

Agriculture in Europe and Central Asia is increasingly vulnerable to climate change, which impacts food production, rural livelihoods and ecosystems. Yet, the agricultural sector also offers powerful opportunities for advancing low-emission and climate-resilient development. To strengthen collective action and regional cooperation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) convened the Fourth Regional Climate Workshop on Enhancing Climate Action in Agriculture in Europe and Central Asia on 23–24 October 2025 in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Abdusattor Muzaffarov remembers when fruit trees barely survived on his land. No matter how carefully he planted or watered, roaming livestock would trample the seedlings, undoing weeks of work overnight. “We tried everything, but it kept happening,” he says. “We didn’t have fences, local seeds or support. Most of the time, we just had to start over.” Abdusattor, 58, lives with his wife, Zulkhumor Nabieva, and nine children in a village in Baljuvon district. He spends most of his days working the 2 ha of forest land he leases from the Forestry Agency.

Zoonotic diseases – infections transmitted from animals to humans – remain a serious threat to global health, livelihoods and food systems. In an era of climate change, antimicrobial resistance and increasing interaction between humans, livestock and wildlife, the risk of zoonoses is greater than ever. To strengthen regional preparedness and promote early detection, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a Russian-language version of its online course Zoonoses for Field Veterinarians. 

High in the heart of the Pamir-Alai mountain system, the Almosi Valley of Tajikistan appears, at first glance, an almost impossible place for agriculture. Characterized by steep gradients and the harsh climate of the Hisor Range, this landscape is anything but forgiving. Yet, nestled just 37 kilometres from the capital city of Dushanbe, a resilient and integrated way of life has sustained nearly 59 000 people across 49 villages for centuries.