Natural disasters are becoming more frequent and severe, with profound consequences for food systems and public health. Floods, earthquakes, droughts, wildfires and volcanic events can disrupt supply chains, damage infrastructure, contaminate water sources and compromise food storage. While restoring food supplies usually dominates the immediate response, food safety risks cannot be overlooked, as unsafe food and water in the aftermath of a disaster can prove as deadly as the disaster itself (i.e., cholera outbreaks). 

National Convenors and stakeholders from across the Arab region convened in Cairo, Egypt, for the Arab Region Food Systems Transformation Meeting, part of the 2026 regional meeting series led by the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA), the League of Arab States, and the regional offices of FAO and WFP.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), King Saud University (KSU), the National Livestock and Fisheries Development Program (NLFDP), and Saudi REEF, organized a highly...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (RNE), convened the first virtual meeting of 2026 of the Strategic Dialogue on Cooperative Development Network, bringing together ministerial representatives, cooperative leaders, colleagues from FAO country offices, regional, and  headquarters teams, and partners from the International Cooperative Alliance. The meeting marked the official launch of the regional initiative “Building Resilient, Inclusive and Business-Oriented Cooperative Ecosystems for Agrifood Systems Transformation in the NENA Region”. 

Under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Saeb AlKhreisat, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organized a national consultative workshop that brought together national, regional, and international stakeholders in Amman to participate in the First National Consultative Workshop on Strengthening Rural Advisory Services. The workshop represents a key step toward establishing the Jordan Forum for Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (JFAAS), with regional and international participants also joining remotely. 

FAO convened a regional technical meeting on child labour and family farming in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region on 4 May 2026, bringing together FAO country offices and technical experts to strengthen understanding and identify coordinated actions to address child labour in agriculture.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Japan, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, signed an Exchange of Notes to launch a new project aimed at enhancing food production capacity for vulnerable farmers in River Nile State, Sudan.

More than 2 000 herders in the Gaza Strip – every herding household with at least one sheep or goat that survived the conflict – have received conditional cash assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to sustain remaining livestock, FAO announced today.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launches the second phase of consultative sessions aimed at promoting climate-smart agriculture in the Dead Sea Basin governorates—Madaba, Karak, Tafileh, and Ma’an. These sessions are part of the project “Building Resilience to Cope with Climate Change in Jordan through Improving Water Use Efficiency in the Agriculture Sector (BRCCJ),” funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and being implemented by FAO, in cooperation with the Ministries of Water and Irrigation, Agriculture, and Environment, and in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

A recent report issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission (CFSAM) in Sudan revealed a sharp decline in cereal production due to the ongoing conflict, rising agricultural input costs, and disruptions to livelihoods and markets, further exacerbating food insecurity across the country. 

The 2026 conflict in the Middle East is adding further pressure on fragile agrifood systems and global supply chains, threatening the availability, accessibility, and affordability of food, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, told the 38th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East (NERC38).

 The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in coordination with the Ministry of Education, launched an awareness program on rainwater harvesting and water consumption rationalization in the governorates of Al-Karak, Tafila, and Ma'an. This initiative is part of the project “Building Resilience to Cope with Climate Change in Jordan through Improving Water Use Efficiency in the Agricultural Sector (BRCCJ)” funded by the Green Climate Fund.

Private sector entities and development partners convened today for a dialogue on “The Role of the Private Sector in Agrifood Transformation and Climate Resilience in the Near East and North Africa,” bringing together leading voices to examine how businesses can accelerate sustainable agrifood systems transformation in a region facing mounting climate pressures and complex, overlapping crises.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Rotterdam Convention Secretariat, held a regional virtual training titled: “Enhancing Capacities for the Implementation of the Rotterdam Convention and Promoting Sustainable Alternatives to Hazardous Pesticides in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) Region.” The training brought together more than 70 experts and representatives from national plant protection organizations and pesticide registration and management authorities across the region.

Held under the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, the first in a series of cross-regional webinars explored how the Voluntary Guidelines for Gender Equality and Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment (VG-GEWGE) in the context of food security and nutrition; can help turn commitment into action across agrifood systems, with a focus on the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through its Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa (FAO RNE), participated in a high-level technical meeting hosted by Egypt’s Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation to explore opportunities for advancing phytosanitary systems through the use of advanced digital technologies and strengthened international cooperation.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched the Regional AI Dialogue for Agrifood Systems in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region, beginning with its first webinar on “Data Ecosystems for AI in Agrifood Systems.”

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concluded the Senior Officers’ Preparatory Meeting of the 38th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East (NERC 38) with a renewed commitment to advancing resilient, inclusive, and sustainable agrifood systems across the region.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) yesterday convened the Senior Officers’ Meeting (SOM) of the Thirty-eighth Session of the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East, bringing together senior government officials and partners from across the Near East and North Africa region at a critical moment for agrifood systems and food security.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today scaled up conditional cash assistance to support reactivation of local crop production by an additional 1 000 farmers in the Gaza Strip.