The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) commissioned the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow to organize the international forum “Food policy, rural development and gender equality in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia: current trends and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic” which took place on 10, 12 and 17 March 2021. This paper is based on the discussions held at the webinars. It identifies and documents the key issues to inform stakeholders, and serves as a reference for the work of FAO and other development actors in the region.

National gender profile of agriculture and rural livelihoods: the Republic of Moldova reflects FAO’s commitment to promoting gender equality, while integrating a gender perspective into its operations. The report focuses on the intersections of gender, agriculture and rural development, and presents a snapshot of critical gender-based inequalities and their consequences for agricultural production and rural livelihoods in the Republic of Moldova. A picture of significant gender gaps in terms of the rural population’s access to educational and employment opportunities and social services is presented. In the area of agricultural production, women have much more limited access to and control over vital resources, including land, extension and advisory services and irrigation. 

The project will help grass-roots rural women in Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan, gain knowledge and skills to improve their economic status, start businesses and cooperatives, while empowering them to become agents of change in their communities. The project will also contribute to the creation of an enabling environment for rural women’s economic empowerment.

The project will create a regional platform where the ministries of agriculture of Turkey, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will share challenges, best practices and policy solutions for the implementation of gender responsive agriculture and rural development policies and programmes with the support of regional workshops.

FAO’s work in Europe and Central Asia and throughout the world is guided by the FAO Strategic Framework, reviewed every four years. In its support for the 2030 Agenda and its drive for a transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, the new FAO Strategic Framework 2022–2031 focuses on what are called the four betters – a set of goals that, when implemented, will help ensure that no one is left behind. In each of the FAO programme countries and territories in Europe and Central Asia, the Organization and its many partners achieved great success in 2021 in advancing towards the four betters – better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life. This report provides a snapshot of these important efforts and achievements

This research report for a regional study on the impacts of climate change on the spread of pests contributes to FAO’s normative work, as a milestone for 2020–2021 under the Regular Programme. The year 2020 was designated by the United Nations as the as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH), with the aim of reducing crop loss from pests, which is estimated at 40 percent. In the current report, agricultural pests as any organism harmful to plants, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, insects, etc are defined by the authors. We include those that cause direct damage as well as disease-causing organisms. Climate change is projected to worsen crop losses by another 10–25 percent...

The report is an output of a two-day webinar which was organized as part of the project titled “Capacity Development for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture Management in Central Asia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey (FISHCap), which was developed under the FAO-Turkey Partnership Program (FTPP II). The aims of the webinar were twofold: (i) to acquaint participants with principles and techniques of carp farming in Eurasia and (ii) to share knowledge on modern and innovative technologies in carp farming.