The potato has a long history that began in the Andes of South America about 8 000 years ago when communities of hunters and gatherers began domesticating wild potato plants that grew around Lake Titicaca.

Every year since 2001, 22 May is celebrated globally as the International Day for Biological Diversity. On that day, the UN House hosted a roundtable on the "Progress in Developing Corporate Programmes for Biodiversity Conservation in Russia”. 

FAO is convinced that the youth of today have a leading role in addressing the challenges that bees and other pollinators face. This is why Bee Engaged with Youth is the theme of World Bee Day (WBD-2024). 

Armen Harutyunyan, Director of the Department of Agro-Industrial Policy of the Eurasian Economic Commission, spoke to the organizers of the 34th session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe (ERC34).

Galina Bondarenko, Head of the Testing Laboratory Centre, conducted the “first round” of the familiarization tour for the delegation of the informal agricultural diplomatic club set up within the Moscow diplomatic corps with the facilitation of the FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation.  

An important item on the agenda will be a review of the results of FAO’s work in the region during 2022 and 2023 as well as a discussion of future priorities through 2031, reflecting on the implications of global and regional challenges and the FAO Strategic Framework.

A renowned scholar Shiroma Sathyapala, Forestry Protection and Health Officer, FAO Forestry Department (co-author, among other academic papers, of the Global forest area disturbance from fire, insect pests, diseases and severe weather events), attended the seminar devoted to the International Day of Forests, organized in Moscow by the FAO Liaison office with the Russian Federation, and contributed her presentation to this event.

Giant “ships of the desert” are recognized as a flamboyant attraction of the Astrakhan Oblast – the world’s tallest two-humped Bactrian camels of the Kalmykian breed. In this southern part of the Russian Federation there are more than 3500 of them. But only two farms in the region are engaged in the breeding of Bactrians – Aksaraysky municipal unitary agricultural enterprise and agro-industrial cooperative, cattle-breeding state farm called Rodina.  

The delegation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Liaison Office with the Russian Federation and the Moscow representative office of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) visited the leading fisheries university of Russia - Astrakhan State Technical University (ASTU) during a business trip to the Astrakhan region.

The growing interest of Russian media in food security agenda, challenges faced by agrifood systems, and achievements and setbacks on the path towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) taken on by international community have dictated the demand for information and analytics produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Rome – Rising international quotations for vegetable oils, dairy products and meat pushed the benchmark index for world food commodity prices up by 1.1 percent in March, its first increase in seven months, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported Friday.

On 21 March, the FAO Moscow Office celebrated the International Day of Forests (IDF) with two events: a press conference at TASS and a scientific and practical conference on Forests and Innovation: New Solutions for a Better World at the UN House.  

On 4 March, the FAO Moscow Office celebrated World Wildlife Day with a large press conference at the TASS news agency and with a scientific and practical seminar, which was held in the UN House in a mixed attendance format.

On February 28 – March 1, the XVII Winter Grain Conference was held in the city of Belokurikha in Altai Krai. The event that is traditionally held with support of the Altai Krai government and the Ministry of agriculture of the Russian Federation was organized by the Altai Grain Processors Union, the analytical company ProZerno and the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies (IKAR).

On 28 February, Oleg Kobiakov, director of the FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation, participated in two forums, held in Moscow, that included in their agenda, among other things, the delivery of food products to end consumers and, in general, the development of the agro-industrial complex (AIC).

The funds will enable FAO to upscale national and regional capacity building in soil assessment and sustainable soil management worldwide.

On 9 February, the Ninth Mountain Grain Assembly finished its work in the resort town of Rosa Khutor in Krasnodar Krai. The already traditional event happening halfway through the agricultural season is a professional discussion platform that brings together leading industry experts, analysts, heads of companies operating in the market of grain and products of its processing, and key agricultural producers from various regions of Russia.

To achieve the crucial goals of the Agenda for Sustainable Development, more women need to be engaged in scientific and practical research.

A national of the Republic of Moldova, Viorel Gutu was appointed to the post of FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia in February 2024. Prior to that he served as FAO Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia and Representative for Türkiye and Uzbekistan.

FAO is actively involved in food and nutrition education, with special emphasis on the school system: students, their families, teachers, school administrators, local farmers, caterers, food vendors and government officials.