The Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP), a collaboration between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Türkiye, includes a spectrum of activities aimed at strengthening the food and agriculture sector in Central Asia. FAO, with funding from Türkiye, is now midway through the implementation of a three-year project to improve food safety systems in the region to deliver safe, reliable and nutritious food from farm to table.

Whenever we drink water, eat fruit or take a deep breath, we should thank the forests that make it all possible. Forests and trees play a crucial role in addressing climate change and achieving sustainable development by absorbing greenhouse gases and creating more sustainable landscapes.

Farmers and rural communities need support to restart food production and livelihoods after major earthquake

FAO renews its funding appeal to scale efforts to help affected rural communities sustain and recover basic food production

Sustainable development is a pressing issue that requires global attention. To ensure that no one is left behind, it is essential that agrifood systems be made more sustainable, equitable and resilient.

To that end, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) recently held a Regional Forum on Sustainable Development to discuss ways to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region in times of crisis.

Sayad village is one of the most ancient settlements nestled on the Caspian Sea coast of Azerbaijan’s Khachmaz district. It’s long been famous for its numerous varieties of succulent tomatoes thanks to the farmers’ careful cultivation of the crop and the sunny climate.

Over the past 50 years, food production has grown by almost 300 percent. And yet, by 2050, we will need to produce 60 percent more food to feed a world population of 9.3 billion.

Nearly 2 000 rural families in the Republic of Moldova are receiving emergency cattle feed through a EUR 2 million project being implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and with financial support from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). 

Seed quality management, seed policy frameworks, and principles and elements for seed quality assurance and certification were the main topics during a four-day workshop just conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Yerevan, Armenia.

In Europe and Central Asia, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the outbreak of the war in Ukraine put food security and healthy nutrition under enormous pressure. Food prices peaked, posing a challenge for decision makers to ensure that no one is left behind.

Acknowledging the negative impacts of climate change on agriculture and food production, ministers from the five Central Asian countries discuss today potential solutions for addressing regional and global food and climate change challenges. The meeting was fostered by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The first set of systematic and in-depth National Food Systems Assessments in Central Asia show that consumer food preferences are changing. Agrifood systems are becoming industrialized and globalized. Increasing numbers of people live in cities and personal income levels are rising. These developments bring not only immense opportunities but also multiple challenges, such as unbalanced diets, increased incidence of food safety issues, transboundary animal and plant disease outbreaks, and significant levels of food loss and waste.

Nestled in the vast plains of Georgia, in the shadows of the snow-covered Caucasus mountains, Malika Machalikashvili’s farm in Pankisi Gorge was once pretty traditional. She and her family shared the day-to-day work of caring for the livestock and poultry, gardening the vegetables and taking care of the hazelnut orchard, along with a few fruit trees and berry bushes. She used to bring the produce to the local market or sometimes even the one in the country’s capital, Tbilisi. Today, on top of the farm’s new additions, such as a greenhouse and modern irrigation, perhaps the most novel change is that she now sells her produce using a smartphone.  

Digital innovation and technology can transform agrifood systems into environmentally and economically sustainable systems that will promote better production and enhance more equitable rural livelihoods with increased opportunities for women, youth, and vulnerable groups.  The challenge is how to move ahead with a digitalization programme that is effective and efficient, and which harnesses the existing wealth of knowledge held by farmers, agribusiness entrepreneurs, researchers, and extension service agents.

The abandonment of agricultural land in North Macedonia is a pressing concern, with approximately 32 percent of arable agricultural land in the country having been abandoned – a much higher rate than in most other European countries.

A group of Virginia juniper seedlings now decorates an area outside the United Nations House in Bishkek, near the intersection of Chui and Manas avenues. The trees were planted in memory of the late Adnan Quereshi, the former Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Representative in Kyrgyzstan.

A cheerful black dog dashes around the backyard farm of Liubov Yakovleva, greeting any and all visitors with a wag of not just his tail but his entire body. This four-legged friend, Karandash, helps keep Liubov from feeling lonely now that her husband has passed away and her children and grandchildren can only visit on holidays or vacations. It was, in fact, her grandchildren’s idea to give her this ball of energy so that their grandmother would not feel so alone in her village of Vyshneve, situated in the Dnipropetrovska oblast of southeastern Ukraine.

 A three-year FAO project is providing recovery and reconstruction assistance to smallholder farmers in the Republic of Albania impacted by the 2019 earthquake. 

FAO raises concerns over disruptions to basic food production, seeks support to address immediate livelihood needs

Today, for the sixth time, ministers from Central Asian countries gathered virtually to share experiences on current agricultural issues. The meeting, facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and supported by the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan, provided a platform for representatives of the five countries to discuss how agricultural finances serve a sustainable increase in production.