The Republic of Moldova's table grape sector is set to gain new opportunities thanks to its inclusion in the "One Country One Priority Product" (OCOP) initiative, led globally by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). A pivotal technical assistance agreement, valued at USD 350 000 for two years, was formalized at the start of this week between the FAO Representative in the Republic of Moldova, Raimund Jehle, and the Deputy Prime-minister and Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAFI), Vladimir Bolea.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) welcomed an additional $3 million contribution from PhosAgro, Russia's leading phosphate-based fertilizer producer, to support the efforts of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) to help more farmers implement soil-improving management measures and boost the capacities of national soil laboratories in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Near East.

The Republic of Moldova is at high risk of drought and extreme weather events, two challenges exacerbated by climate change. Family farmers and others in the agriculture sector are the most vulnerable to the impacts of these extreme events. The severe drought in 2022, for example, was devastating for smallholder farmers. In 2023, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) distributed 30 tonnes of seeds and 60 tonnes of fertilizer to 1 224 small farmers in the Calarasi, Rascani and Cantemir districts.

A competition to find new ways to reduce antibiotic misuse in production animals has resulted in promising findings on how improved gut health in broiler chickens could boost immunity and reduce antibiotic-resistant bacteria, an approach that could bring wider benefits across the entire sector. The competition was organized by the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and supported by the Ukraine Ministry of Education and Science and the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection.

The urgency of a coordinated response to contain the threat of African Swine Fever was high on the agenda at the recent National Convention on Animal Health, Food Safety, and Quality in Serbia. At the event, lessons were shared from an EBRD/FAO project in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia that has taken a regional cross-sectoral approach to containing the spread of the disease.

The AgriTech Observatory has just been launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and is now live for review. The knowledge portal offers a tool to monitor the rapidly evolving landscape of digital agriculture in Europe and Central Asia, identify innovative solutions to regional challenges and scale up good practices.

Threats posed by infestations of Asian chestnut gall wasps have cast a vast shadow over the chestnut-growing regions of Albania. FAO, through its global One Country One Priority Product programme, has launched a project to support Albania in implementing a comprehensive programme to monitor Asian chestnut gall wasps, prepare a biological control plan and build capacity among local farmers and extension officers.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has greenlighted 48 FAO-led projects worth about $2.9 billion –$294 million in project financing and $2.6 billion in co-financing– that will play a pivotal role in fostering a sustainable agrifood systems transformation to end hunger and conserve the environment. As a partner agency for the Global Environment Facility (GEF), FAO supports countries worldwide in addressing the complex challenges at the nexus between the agrifood systems and the environment.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in the Republic of Moldova, in collaboration with the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the operational unit of Austrian Development Cooperation, the Government of Japan  and the  Government of Switzerland, has initiated a new phase of emergency agricultural assistance for vulnerable smallholder farmers and households struggling with the effects of the 2022 drought and the ongoing regional crisis.

The small ruminant sector is poised for significant change in the Western Balkans, a region deeply rooted in agricultural tradition. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has released Small Ruminant Value Chains in Western Balkan Countries, a report that provides an unprecedented look into the current state and future direction of this important sector.