Members exchange experiences on key food and agriculture matters in Europe and Central Asia

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.

Preparing for short- and long-term pressures

A warmer and changing climate is taking a toll on the food and agriculture sector and is likely to increase the intensity and range of plant pests and diseases. In ten countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia subregion, locusts are the major – and most immediate – threat to the food security and livelihoods of at least 25 million people.

In this regard, the 14 May side event on sustainable locust management in the Caucasus and Central Asia advocated for sustained regional cooperation for the management of locusts in the subregion and promoted a preventive control strategy that includes robust monitoring and early warning systems and effective and sustainable control techniques. Through country experiences, the audience heard about FAO’s interregional and multifunded programme to improve national and regional locust management in the Caucasus and Central Asia, launched in 2011. Participants agreed that sustaining achievements will require strong commitment, long-term regional cooperation and continued support from external partners.

Long-term thinking also will be at the core of a ministerial side event today to discuss foresight drivers and triggers relevant to the region. Strategic foresight is a multidisciplinary approach to addressing issues that could – or will – emerge in the medium-to-long term, providing tactical views on how to avoid undesirable scenarios for more desirable ones. The event aims to stimulate dialogue among national governments to enhance their decision-making regarding policies and action plans, improve their evaluation of various approaches and pathways, and increase awareness of the link between current and short-term pressures and their impacts on future trends. At the event, FAO will introduce its work and present a unified framework that emphasizes the need for cooperation and targeted thinking in response to the challenges and trade-offs policymakers encounter in their efforts to design and implement policies consistent with FAO’s four betters and a more sustainable and resilient agrifood system.

The event, which will be opened by FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, builds on the conceptual and methodological framework established by the recently published FAO flagship report The future of food and agriculture – Drivers and triggers for transformation. FAO’s strategic foresight work is expected to benefit from the support of Members while they in turn use FAO’s findings to transform their agrifood systems and overall national development strategies.

Climate action and adaptation

Ecosystems and landscapes in Europe and Central Asia are fragile and sensitive to climate change and environmental shocks, but sustainable agrifood systems can provide solutions. Later today, the side event on climate action in the region’s agrifood systems will facilitate a discussion on advancing climate action, emphasizing the need for integrating agriculture and climate agendas and aligning national and regional priorities with global commitments in the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Twenty-ninth Conference of the Parties (COP29), to be hosted by Azerbaijan later this year. Country representatives, including the Minister of Agriculture of Uzbekistan and the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Azerbaijan, will discuss key topics and priorities related to climate change and agrifood systems. The event also will explore FAO’s support in the preparation for COP29 and mechanisms to improve access to climate finance for agrifood systems transformation, including the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) Partnership hosted by FAO.

Sustainable water management provides one specific method of mitigating and adapting to climate change. Effective water management not only contributes to the reduction of climate change impacts but also enhances resilience in the agriculture, energy, and ecology sectors and, ultimately, human health. An ERC side event on this subject will promote multidimensional water management strategies, showcasing innovative approaches, facilitating knowledge exchange and intersectoral and international collaboration, and stimulating discussion on effective practices and policies that integrate water management into broader climate action. The event is expected to be a forum for discussion on recommendations for COP29.

Agrifood systems challenges in the region

The day will conclude with a discussion on the power of true cost accounting to transform agrifood systems in Europe and Central Asia. Introduced by FAO’s The State of Food and Agriculture 2023 report, true cost accounting allows for estimating the hidden costs and benefits of agrifood systems, providing decision-makers with the evidence needed to transform our food systems in a more sustainable manner to deliver food security and nutrition in the present without compromising the well-being of future generations. The session will aim to highlight the gaps that may need to be filled through country-led assessments based on policy priorities and commitments. An additional goal is to engage government representatives in the dialogue and collect their feedback to facilitate the usage of true cost accounting at country level and in decision-making processes on agrifood systems transformation.

The landlocked nature of some countries in Europe and Central Asia leads to unique development challenges: increased transportation costs, limited access to international markets, and the risk of significantly hindered agricultural development and food security. On the morning of 17 May, an ERC side event opened by Qu Dongyu will focus on the challenges and potential solutions for agrifood systems transformation in nine countries of the region. The event will showcase FAO activities in the region’s landlocked developing countries, including digitalizing the agricultural sector, enhancing effective Science–Policy Interfaces, and addressing climate change through land degradation neutrality. The outcomes of the side event will be incorporated into the presentations of the upcoming Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Rwanda.