The Thirty-fourth Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Conference for Europe (ERC), scheduled from 14 to 17 May in Rome, is in full swing. This conference, which is the main FAO decision-making body for its Europe and Central Asia region, features ministerial round-table discussions and side events on current challenges and opportunities for the food and agriculture realm of the region. Hosted at FAO’s headquarters and webcast live online, the ERC side events welcome speakers from governments, the private and civil sectors, and the academic community to look at such key issues as sustainable locust management, foresight drivers and triggers, climate action, water resource management, true cost accounting, and the challenges of transforming agrifood systems in landlocked developing countries to be more inclusive, resilient and sustainable – all from a regional perspective.

Today, during the second day of the Thirty-fourth Session of the Regional Conference for Europe (ERC), ministers of agriculture from the Europe and Central Asia region explored the role of innovation and digitalization in the sustainable use of natural resources and reviewed the response of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to the multiple crises in Europe and Central Asia.

In the picturesque landscape of northern Albania's Tropoja region, nestled within the expansive chestnut forest massif, an ambitious initiative is taking shape. The chestnut sector is now the focus of the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The programme is a global FAO initiative that helps countries identify and then leverage the potential of special agricultural products to facilitate improved access to stable markets and acting as a key entry point for reaching their defined priorities. Special Agricultural Products are those which are unique to their agroecological production systems or of importance to national or cultural heritage. 

In aquaculture, seed encompasses the different life stages of the young species – from egg to juveniles. Therefore, improving fish farmers’ access to quality seed is key to the growth of successful small-scale aquaculture, especially in developing countries. The ways and means to meet this need was the main theme of the discussions at an expert workshop co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Research Institute for Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences and held in Szarvas, Hungary, 27—28 March 2024.

Horticulture can not only help farmers improve their incomes and livelihoods but also offer nutritious food and healthy diets for citizens in Bishkek and around the world. However, achieving this will require a great deal of innovation.

For this reason, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with the Kyrgyzstan Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry, launched the project “Introduction and promotion of innovative approaches for adopting best technologies for horticulture” in 2023 that aims to introduce and promote advanced practices and innovative solutions in horticulture in Kyrgyzstan.

Locust infestations, aggravated by climate change and environmental factors, are a serious problem for agricultural production in Tajikistan, threatening food security and economic stability. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supports the country via regional projects as part of its “Programme to improve national and regional locust management in Central Asia and Caucasus (CCA)”.

The International Day of Zero Waste reminds us of the need for action at all levels and collaboration among diverse actors. Working together, we can create a transformative shift towards a more resilient and sustainable food system that ensures a better future for generations to come. The BioDAF project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), for example, has set up a farm school for the production of black soldier fly larvae. The larvae feed on organic waste and thereby reduce food waste. The dried larvae are used as animal feed in agriculture, and the frass can be turned into organic fertilizer.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is taking a leap forward in bolstering animal health training globally. The FAO Virtual Learning Center (VLC) for the Europe and Central Asia region has secured accreditation for three of its online courses through the Veterinary Continuing Education in Europe (VetCEE) – an international non-profit association founded as a joint initiative of veterinary academia, specialists and the profession. These accredited courses include topics as diverse as biosecurity for ruminants, African swine fever preparedness, and an introduction to One Health.

Realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensuring a sustainable future for all is central to the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Data released by FAO from 2023 showed that the world is off-track to meet most of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets linked to hunger, food security, and nutrition. Given the increasingly short deadline to meet the 2030 Agenda, FAO, in collaboration with UN partners, has contributed to the 2024 Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, an event that provided a venue for participants to exchange knowledge, best practices, and policy solutions to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Zoonotic diseases – diseases that can pass between animals and people – continue to have major impacts on human health and cause economic losses. To support the Kyrgyz Republic in controlling such diseases, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Government of the United States of America through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic launched the Global health security and pandemic preparedness programme. It should enhance the One Health approach in the country and support its ability to prevent, detect and respond to zoonotic and other public health threats. 

Slovenia has become the latest country to join the European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission. Mateja Čalušić, Slovenia’s Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Food, submitted a letter to QU Dongyu, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), on 18 January 2024, expressing Slovenia’s wish to join EIFAAC.

Agriculture is the main source of income for more than half of the population in the Republic of Moldova. To spur investments into the sector and provide a better life for Moldovan rural people, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Moldova organized a special event on investment in the republic in the framework of the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture in Berlin, Germany, within the Agrifood Partnership Forum of the Republic of Moldova launched in October 2023. 

Globally, we are faced with an urgent and unprecedented need to significantly reduce the growing global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the livestock sector caused by overuse and misuse of antimicrobials. 

To  accelerate work to combat AMR in the Western Balkans, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) convened a technical consultation meeting on antimicrobial use and resistance in the Western Balkans, from 6 to 7 December, in a hybrid format. 

In historic Samarkand, Uzbekistan, leading thinkers from around the globe convened for an international conference on food security to discuss a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient future for the world's agrifood systems. The event was organized by the Government of Uzbekistan, with technical support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) hosted a groundbreaking workshop that unveiled the findings of a pioneering survey on antimicrobials use (AMU) within the food and veterinary sector in Armenia. The survey, the first of its kind in Armenia, represents a significant step towards understanding and addressing the challenges posed by antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to the country's vital livestock sector.

A new FAO emergency and resilience project funded by Luxembourg will provide cash and voucher assistance to 1 500 war-affected families engaged in livestock production.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with Mohii Tojikiston, the Tajik national authority responsible for fisheries and aquaculture development, held a workshop on warm-water aquaculture 22–23 August in Dushanbe. The workshop provided a venue for discussion of the challenges and opportunities to development of the aquaculture sector in the country, and updated participants on current warm-aquaculture technologies and production systems.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has announced its commitment to assess the competence of veterinary graduates in the field of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial stewardship in selected countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia. 

Potatoes are cultivated in over 150 countries and consumed all over the world, including here in Europe and Central Asia where it is both an important crop and a staple in regional diets.  It is food, fodder, and a source of income for farmers.

Dairy and meat businesses in Central Asia, especially smaller ones, are being hit by multiple shocks – from the war in Ukraine, to droughts, to the lingering effects of COVID-19.