Sustainable land and water use in the Republic of Moldova

In the Republic of Moldova, over 140 000 rural people will benefit from integrated natural resource management and the sustainability of land and water resources, thanks to a new USD 1.66 million project launched today. Financed by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and implemented by FAO in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment, the three-year effort will improve the provision of ecosystem services from the local landscape.

Additionally, the project's goal is to elicit behavioral change and support learning in 32 northeastern villages, using integrated natural resource management for two pilot regions in Orhei, Rezina, and Șoldănești districts and, ultimately, paving the way to achieving land degradation neutrality and improvement to livelihoods all over the country.

“To address the challenges related to the promotion of climate-smart agriculture, implementing integrated management of natural resources, and achieving land degradation neutrality, we will also strengthen the policy and institutional environment and ensure inter-sectoral collaboration,” said Raimund Jehle, FAO Representative in Moldova.

The work has officially begun with a virtual workshop held today to discuss and agree on the project implementation strategy, as well as review the work plan and launch the cooperation process between all stakeholders. The event gathered representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment, UN Resident Coordinator and UN agencies' representatives, agriculture and soil-related research institutions and academia, representatives of the non-governmental sector, and farmer associations with the aim to reach an agreement on the project implementation strategy, a workplan, and the institutional roles of project partners.  

The activities of the GEF-funded FAO project are designed around three main components to: (i) create an enabling environment for integrated natural resource management in the country at national and sub-national levels; (ii) restore the productivity and resilience of production landscapes through an integrated approach; and (iii) ensure learning and sharing of lessons learned through effective project monitoring and evaluation and adaptive management.

FAO’s contribution to land degradation neutrality is based on the Organization's comparative advantage and expertise in policy development on sustainable land management and addressing land degradation, including governance and land rights, and role as the foremost global custodian of agricultural information.

11 March 2021, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova