Highlights
Events
22/6
2026
From Measurement to Impact: Strengthening Capacities on FAO Tools to Measure, Analyze, Reduce, and Valorize Food Loss and Waste in NENA Agrifood Systems
22/06/2026
Food loss and waste (FLW) represents a critical challenge affecting food security, nutrition, resource efficiency and environmental sustainability in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region. The region faces structural constraints including water scarcity, land degradation, climate change, import dependency and protracted crises, all of which increase the urgency of addressing FLW as a str...
23/6
2026
Introduction to food systems-based dietary guidelines
23/06/2026
Hunger reached a record high in 2024 in the Near East and North Africa1, the highest in more than two decades, among the Arab States, and malnutrition continues to rise in several countries in the region. The coexistence of undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and rising overweight and obesity rates illustrates a complex “triple burden.” Nearly 38 percent of the region’s population could...
5/10
2026
9/10
2026
Youth Action Leadership for Agrifood awareness and Systems Transformations (YALAFAST) Cohort 2
Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), 05/10/2026 - 09/10/2026
Young people are central to the future of agrifood systems globally, particularly in regions where rural livelihoods continue to depend heavily on agriculture and food systems. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), agrifood systems employ around 44 percent of working youth worldwide and remain one of the main entry points into the labour market for youn...
Regional Priorities
Action Areas
Red Palm Weevil Eradication Programme
The Red Palm Weevil (RPW) Eradication Programme facilitates the coordination of regional efforts to ensure an integrated and sustainable approach to controlling the RPW and reducing its devastating effects on date palm production, the food and income security of rural communities, and the ecology of affected areas.
Youth empowerment
Young men and women have a key role to play in fostering sustainability, equity and resilience of agrifood systems in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region. FAO works with youth across the region to improve their access to high quality education and training, decent employment, rural institutions and critical assets and services, in agrifood value chains.
Sustainable and Inclusive Agrifood Value Chains
Sustainable and inclusive agrifood value chains development is a market-oriented and systems-based approach for assessing, understanding and improving the performance of agrifood value chains, to ensure their economic, social, and environmental and climate sustainability.
The UN Decade of Family Farming
The UN Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028 (UNDFF) aims to shed new light on what it means to be a family farmer in a rapidly changing world and highlights more than ever before the important role family farmers play in eradicating hunger and shaping the future of our agri-food systems.
Addressing climate change in agrifood systems
FAO’s climate change activities aim to strengthen capacities of member countries to build resilient agrifood systems, and to plan, implement and report on climate change adaptation and mitigation actions in the agriculture sectors.
Rural advisory services for inclusive transformation in the Near East and North Africa
Rural advisory services (RAS) have a central role in equipping farmers with the knowledge and skills to cope with challenges and empower them to make informed decisions, link to markets and act collectively to improve their livelihoods and claim their agency in inclusive rural transformation.
The Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity for the Near East and North Africa
In order to help NENA countries address the food and water security challenges, the FAO’s Regional Office in the Near East and North Africa and its partners established the Water Scarcity Initiative.
Gender equality and women’s empowerment for inclusive food systems transformation
The Regional Office has a stand-alone programme of work on gender equality and women’s empowerment that addresses gender as a cross-cutting theme in all its regional priorities and initiatives.
One Country One Priority Product: Global Action on Green Development of Special Agricultural Products
The Global Action on Green Development of Special Agricultural Products (SAPs): One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) was launched by the FAO Director General in 2021. The initiative will aim to support countries in transforming their agrifood systems to be more sustainable, efficient, resilient and inclusive.
Social inclusion
In NENA countries, poverty is predominantly rural. With small scale producers – including fishers and pastoralists – and landless rural workers facing growing marginalization, rural communities are left increasingly vulnerable to economic, political and environmental shocks. This and the high prevalence of gender disparities, youth unemployment, child labour and other forms of exclusion constitute a significant barrier to more equitable agrifood systems in the region.
Stories
Blogs
Technical Expertise
From burden to solutions: Advancing food safety across the Near East and North Africa
07/06/2026
Every meal should nourish, not harm. Yet millions of people continue to suffer from preventable foodborne illnesses every year, highlighting the urgent need for stronger food safety systems across the globe.
Categories: blog
Greening agriculture, water scarcity and climate action
World Bee Day 2026
20/05/2026
Bees have long been part of life across the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region. From the mountains of Morocco to the plains of Iraq, beekeeping is deeply connected to biodiversity, food production and rural livelihoods. Yet today, this centuries-old practice is under pressure from climate change, pests and diseases, habitat degradation, unsustainable pesticide use and weak market systems.
Technical Expertise
New governance pathways for food security in the Near East and North Africa
01/04/2026
Food security has become a central policy concern across the Near East and North Africa (NENA). Population growth, limited natural resources, high import dependence, and exposure to global market shocks have pushed governments to treat food security as a strategic priority.
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Greening agriculture, water scarcity and climate action
Forests and economies in the Near East and North Africa
21/03/2026
On this International Day of Forests 2026, the theme Forests and economies resonates deeply in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region. Here, forests are grazing grounds, food sources, water protectors and, increasingly, fragile lifelines.
Publications
Good practices for emergency preparedness, response and resilience in the Near East and North Africa region
2026
This brochure presents 14 good practices for emergency preparedness, response and resilience in projects implemented across the Near East and North Africa region supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), where climate change, conflict, water scarcity and protracted crises continue to threaten food security and livelihoods.
Intercropping through conditional cash assistance in the West Bank Expanding food and fodder production on underutilized agricultural land
2026
Cultivable land in the West Bank remains significantly underutilized, particularly in olive orchards where low planting density leaves large areas available for cultivation. Intercropping cereals, legumes and animal fodder offers farming families an opportunity to increase agricultural production, improve food security and make more efficient use of their land.
Innovating rural advisory services in the Arab region: A compendium of practices
2026
Innovating rural advisory services in the Arab region: A compendium of practices showcases innovative experiences that demonstrate how rural advisory services are supporting farmers and rural communities across the Arab region. Drawing on practical case studies from governments, research institutions, civil society and the private sector, the publication highlights approaches that address key challenges such as climate change, water scarcity, market access and food insecurity.
.tmb-th600x400.png?Culture=en&sfvrsn=88e9f5ea_2 "Association of Agricultural Research Institutions in the Near East and North Africa (AARINENA)")
.tmb-th600x400.png?Culture=en&sfvrsn=a8ad9034_1 "The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)")
.tmb-th600x400.png?Culture=en&sfvrsn=dfbaa9f2_1 "Inter-Islamic Network on Water Resources Development and Management (INWRDAM)")
.tmb-th600x400.png?Culture=en&sfvrsn=4eb83e5b_1 "Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE)")
.tmb-th600x400.png?Culture=en&sfvrsn=b68ea809_2 "Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO)")
.tmb-th600x400.png?Culture=en&sfvrsn=26bd6c6b_1 "Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND)")
.tmb-th600x400.png?Culture=en&sfvrsn=2b881a9b_1 "The Arab Maghreb Union (AMU)")
.tmb-th600x400.png?Culture=en&sfvrsn=ae3a73a3_1 "Regional Centre on Agrarian Reform & Rural Development for the Near East(CARDNE)")
.tmb-th600x400.png?Culture=en&sfvrsn=5fad0e0e_1 "Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)")
.tmb-th600x400.png?Culture=en&sfvrsn=adacc503_1 "Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)")
.tmb-th600x400.png?Culture=en&sfvrsn=8bd62a66_1 "Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC)")