One of our food system's main challenges is the inadequate relationship between the cost of production and production factors as a whole. Therefore, food production and distribution systems are often at a disadvantage to local producers. New research reveals the benefits for farmers and growers, local suppliers, citizens, and the environment...

According to experts, overuse of pastures, as well as undergrazing, have a negative impact on the environment. If placed evenly throughout the pasture area, drinking wells for livestock can mitigate these negative consequences. However, many wells in desert and semi-desert pastures have become unusable over time, and their restoration is a...

FAO has finished delivering a series of trainings at various locations in Kosovo1 on detecting and preventing African swine fever (ASF) in pig farms.  The disease was first detected in 2019 in Serbia, with its first incursion into the Western Balkans. As the disease is still present in the country, the risk...

With the main aim to improve the animal health and production practices of smallholders and reduce the threat of antimicrobial resistance, FAO published an animal health and production strategy for Europe and Central Asia. Available in English and Russian, A wake-up call for impact urges both the private and public sectors to...

In late 2015, the world pledged to transform our future by committing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which foresees reforms providing women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, in accordance with national laws. This gave further...

This video shows how to manage pastures so that the cows have good grass throughout the growing season. The farm is set up for fully grazing a herd of Kiwi-Cross with seasonal calving.

For a long and healthy life, we all need good quality air, food and water. Unlike air and water, to be available and consumable, food needs to be produced, processed, and often transported and traded – a chain of actions that constitute the ‘food system’. We stand ready to transform...

On the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, FAO, Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Regional Coordination Centre for Food Security of the Economic Cooperation Organization held a conference to reflect on existing challenges pertaining to food loss and waste in Azerbaijan, Central Asia, and Turkey...

Natural resource management requires cross-sectoral policy integration because the scope of current environmental and sustainability issues surpasses traditional sectoral boundaries. While the emergence of policy networks in such cases has been observed in the policy integration literature, little is known about how these networks are formed and how they influence...

This country study is an important output of the regional FAO project on Empowering Smallholders and Family Farms. This report aims to analyse the development trend and current state of smallholders and family farms in the country and to study the current political priorities and policies affecting smallholders and family...

FAO provides assistance to Albanian farmers through agricultural grants that aim to add value to local agricultural production. The project, financed by the United Nations Joint Fund and the Albanian government, supports smallholders through facilitating good practices on rural income diversification, innovative short food value chains, and farmers' cooperation, as...

The overall objective of this report is to identify and conduct analysis of short food supply chains (SFSCs) among small farmers in the Western Balkans and Turkey. The report’s analyses are based on the primary data collected from 397 smallholder farmers through semi-structured interviews in all Western Balkan countries/territories (Albania,...

Social protection has a critical role to play in reducing poverty, improving food and nutrition security, and stimulating inclusive economic growth in rural areas. However, social protection alone cannot address all the risks and challenges faced by vulnerable rural populations. Integrated interventions have shown greater impacts than stand-alone social protection...

In Europe and Central Asia, FAO has remotely trained hundreds of animal health professionals in African swine fever (ASF) preparedness. African swine fever is a viral disease of pigs (and wild boar) with a lethality rate of up to 100 percent that leads to huge economic losses, trade disruptions, and...

FAO is leading a two-day simulation exercise on African swine fever starting today in Podgorica, Montenegro. The exercise is part of a wider FAO effort helping Balkan countries bolster their capacities for responding to a possible outbreak of African swine fever, a dangerous transboundary animal disease without a cure or...

In April 2021, OREKA MENDIAN published a booklet of good practices showcasing 31 inspiring examples for the sustainable management of mountain grasslands gathered across 18 European countries. These good practices will inspire farmers, breeders and other local actors to increase the biodiversity of mountain grasslands, tackled climate change impacts and better market their products,...

Agriculture in the Republic of Moldova is set to become more resilient to climate change vulnerabilities thanks to a new USD 0.685 million project. The agriculture sector is a mainstay of the country’s economy with the majority of the population living in rural areas and depending on agriculture for food and...

Over 240 videos from the Organic Farm Knowledge Platform are now available on its own YouTube channel organised into six playlists, along with a short introduction video.

Considering the many challenges small-scale cattle breeders face, FAO launched a project on artificial insemination to boost breeders’ livelihoods. The project aims to improve breeding and service quality in the livestock sector through a better organized and high-quality system for delivering artificial insemination and animal production services to farms. Improved and...

The virtual event, hosted by the Government of Kyrgyz Republic, focused on innovations in agri-food systems. With focus on science, technology and innovation, Central Asian countries can contribute to agri-food systems transformation and serve as a model for other regions facing similar challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.