For nearly 120 years, farmers in the northeastern region of modern-day Croatia have been making and enjoying artisanal dried sausage from high-quality local pork. Traditionally eaten on special occasions and often included in holiday gift baskets, Baranjski kulen (Croatian for a delicatessen sausage from the Baranja region) is now gaining popularity as an international delicacy. That's in no small part thanks to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) who worked with the Croatian government to help Baranjski kulen gain its Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status from the European Union (EU) over 10 years ago.

Solving global food and agriculture challenges can start with an act as simple as looking to nature. Imitating nature’s processes and ecosystems can help solve global challenges via local approaches that minimize environmental impact. “Frugal innovation” is the development of sustainable and affordable solutions that maximize value while preserving natural resources, biodiversity and ecosystems. The concept was front and centre during a 3 October hybrid event that aimed to advance sustainable, inclusive and resilient agrifood systems in Europe and Central Asia. It is crucial for empowering smallholders, women, youth and rural communities to create locally relevant solutions that strengthen the resilience and inclusivity of agrifood systems.

The global appetite for livestock products is increasing rapidly, amplifying the already significant impact livestock systems have on the environment. But what if farm animals could be of help in a changing climate? The French movie “Shepherding Hope” that received the recognition of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) at the 40th International Agrofilm Festival today, is trying to answer to this question.

Having marked the fifth International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste on 29 September 2024, experts and observers reaffirmed that only a coordinated response can overcome the significant challenge this issue presents to achieving sustainable agrifood systems. For over a decade, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has led efforts to reduce food loss and waste because of its crucial role in transforming agrifood systems to be more efficient, inclusive, sustainable, and resilient. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Albania, held an important meeting to address the challenges faced by the country’s agricultural cooperatives and farmer associations. The event took place within the framework of the FAO project “Support for the amendment of the existing law on organizations of agricultural cooperation,” assisting to provide technical assistance for the final revision of the law and for the necessary institutional capacities building to ensure sustainability of the project’s objectives. Participants represented the line Ministry, FAO and various cooperative and agribusiness associations.

A new project by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will tackle issues arising when agricultural land is co-owned by the state and private persons and will also improve local capacity in agricultural land management. The project, “Support for resolving private-public co-ownership to improve agricultural land management and land tenure in the Pelagonija Region,” was launched on 19 September. The event in Bitola organized by FAO and the Macedonian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Economy (MAFWE), was attended by more than 60 representatives from the Ministry, the Municipality of Bitola, the National Extension Agency, the Agency for Real Estate Cadastre, local farmers, agricultural organizations, the academic community, and the media. 

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture of Azerbaijan, convened a regional workshop on “Enhancing climate action in agriculture in Europe and Central Asia” to support national governments in the region to prepare for the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that will be held in November this year. 

Livestock related emergencies, including conflict or disease induced crises, are becoming increasingly widespread. Their effects can be devastating on families, communities and whole countries, with serious economic and social consequences felt long after emergencies end. To help protect national and global food security as well as smallholder farmers’ livelihoods, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS) published a desk review covering 25 years of lessons learned from livestock-related emergencies and response in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. 

A landmark declaration of support for smallholders and small-scale agriculture in the Republic of Moldova was adopted today at an international conference on strengthening the inclusion of small-scale farmers in agrifood value chains. The declaration will serve as a crucial road map for future policy actions aimed at empowering small family farms in the country.

Supported by all participants at the conference, the declaration is the result of collaboration from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Moldovan Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, and the German–Moldovan Agricultural Policy Dialogue project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is encouraging private-sector investments and private-public partnerships to make agrifood systems more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable, Director-General QU Dongyu today told the Partnerships and Investment Forum in Tashkent.