Women farmers continue to be at a disadvantage position with limited access to resources, financial services, and government subsidies, among other things. Aside from farm work, women take care of their children and the elderly. Thus, the multiple crises such as the pandemic, extreme weather events, and increase in agri...

Climate change has a detrimental effect on Macedonian agriculture contributing to water scarcity, temperature variations, intense drought, severe fires, and flooding. At the same time, declining biodiversity causes (or triggers) reduced yields and damage to agricultural production, all of which affect the food security and livelihoods of the agriculture-dependent rural...

The Europe and Central Asia region is rich in biodiversity, hosting a great variety of wild relatives of cultivated plants and domesticated breeds. Biodiversity provides ecosystem services – such as pollination, healthy soils and clean air – that are essential to all forms of life and are key to improving food...

An effort to improve animal health in Central Asia that started in March 2019 concluded with 2021. Despite the COVID-19 and related limitations, FAO managed to redesign the project and, whenever possible, move to a virtual format to achieve goals set up at the start. The most prominent achievement has been...

Cassava should have a clean, fresh scent and a pure white center when cut open. Fresh roots also have a pleasant taste.When using bitter cassava, ferment the peeled roots for 3 days to leach out the poison cyanide, Then wash the roots.

In the context of the release of our latest publication ‘Peasant agroecology according to ECVC’, ECVC invites members,allies and policy makers to a webinar to explore and discuss its approach to peasant agroecology. In this webinar, ECVC wishes to develop its vision and policies proposals for a new paradigm, based on...

The recent escalation in conflict in Ukraine is affecting the food security of the most vulnerable rural households. According to the United Nations (UN) Flash Appeal, given the scale and direction of the ongoing hostilities, 18 million people are projected to be affected, including up to 6.7 million projected to...

Olga Babayeva, a 52-year-old farmer from Samukh region in northwestern Azerbaijan, is a well-recognized businesswoman in her community. Apart from being the biggest producer of vegetable seeds for onions, coriander, dill, radishes and parsley, among others, she is also known for her strong support of women’s engagement in farming.  She was...

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”...

In the arid south-western borderlands of Tajikistan stand the ruined mud walls of Kuhdomani bolo. The village was once lush and green, but when the irrigation systems failed, the fields and pastures dried up. Unable to earn from their land, one by one the villagers left. Today, Kuhdomani bolo is abandoned. Yet just...

Following an intense week with a symposium in which 105 scientists participated and a session with 15 Member countries, the European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission (EIFAAC)adopted for the first time resolutions and recommendations on inland fisheries and aquaculture. These included four resolutions on the Code of Conduct for Recreational...

While food security is a renewed source of concern at the global level, the greening of agrifood systems remains a top priority to limit its impacts on climate change and natural resources. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and FAO released two new reports that explore climate-smart technical solutions...

Food and agriculture lie at the heart of the 2030 Agenda. This week at the Regional Forum for Sustainable Development, three FAO events shed light on the strong role agriculture and food systems play in realizing the global sustainability goals. The first UN Food Systems Summit will have a long-lasting impact on a global...

Setting the basis for developing an integrated whole-of-government National Food Security Strategy in North Macedonia will be the focus of a new FAO project. The project was launched today through an event in Skopje, organized by FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy in partnership with the Rural...

FAO and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH have been providing support to the Western Balkans region to promote progress on gender equality, with a focus on measuring the proportion of countries where the legal framework guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control.

This practice describes the innovative technology that uses halophyte plants to create winter fodders reserves stocks to improve animal feed systems. The Aral-Caspian Depression, with its sharply continental arid climate, faces a severe problem in producing enough food for a rapidly growing local population. The intensive use of water and land...

This practice shows the use of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) as a multipurpose salt- and drought-tolerant agricultural food crop. The practice describes how quinoa was used for increasing the food security in marginal conditions in Central Asia.

Honeybee viruses are important threats for honeybee health. However, there are no effective agents to prevent and control honeybee viruses. In association with the proper Varroa management and control, a suitable thermal insulation of the beehive and keeping the beehive dry and insulated can reduce the outbreak and development of...

FAO is deeply concerned about the food security situation in Ukraine. The war that began on 24 February 2022 has caused extensive damage and loss of life in key population centres, spread across rural areas, and sparked massive displacement. It is clear that the war has resulted in a massive,...

For three days, FAO Members from Europe and Central Asia discussed current agricultural issues that are key to transforming the region’s food systems for better nutrition. Ending today, the Forty-Second Session of the European Commission on Agriculture also voted on policy recommendations to improve agrifood production, support rural economies, and advance gender...