Agriculture and nature are often seen as at odds with each other. Food production puts an enormous strain on the carrying capacity of the environment. Various agricultural systems, such as organic farming, are trying to reconcile the two. Regenerative agriculture takes things one step further, combining food production with ecosystem...

For effective forest biodiversity monitoring in FAO Sub-regional Office for Central Asia (SEC) countries (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Türkiye), it is important to develop cost-effective and efficient monitoring methods. The main purpose of the guidelines on forest biodiversity monitoring methodologies is to support FAOSEC countries in their...

Beekeeping (or apiculture) refers to raising the colonies of honey is hives. Honey, wax, pollen, propolis, bee milk and poisons are the most valuable foods and unique raw materials for human health, medicine and pharmaceutical industry. Another important function of beekeeping is to assist in pollination of cross-pollinated crops. Bees...

These voices will share their perspectives on FiBL and talk about their relationship with the institute. This time, it is Maya Graf's turn. She is a politician, social worker and co-owner of her family's organic farm in Sissach in the canton of Baselland. In 2001, she moved into the Swiss National...

The drought-resistant cereal millet is now undergoing a renaissance in its cultivation and consumption as an important crop in sustainable agrifood systems. Türkiye ranks high in the world as a drought-risk prone country. As climate change accelerates the frequency and severity of droughts, it is  the production of drought-tolerant crops...

Nestled in the vast plains of Georgia, in the shadows of the snow-covered Caucasus mountains, Malika Machalikashvili’s farm in Pankisi Gorge was once pretty traditional. She and her family shared the day-to-day work of caring for the livestock and poultry, gardening the vegetables and taking care of the hazelnut orchard,...

The Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP), a collaboration between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Türkiye, includes a spectrum of activities aimed at strengthening the food and agriculture sector in Central Asia. FAO, with funding from Türkiye, is now midway through the implementation...

Sayad village is one of the most ancient settlements nestled on the Caspian Sea coast of Azerbaijan’s Khachmaz district. It’s long been famous for its numerous varieties of succulent tomatoes thanks to the farmers’ careful cultivation of the crop and the sunny climate. But something new and transformative is happening....

The compounded impacts of the war in Ukraine and adverse climatic conditions underline the urgency of supporting the livelihoods of the most vulnerable farming households in the Republic of Moldova. In addition to the impacts of the war in Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova has a high level of exposure...

This article examines how social innovations influence the economic growth orientation of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in mountain regions. Social innovations can help mountain regions solve local challenges by creating novel ideas to improve the situation. This, in turn, can have various effects on the mountain economy. However, there...

The EU-funded project aimed to strengthen institutions and capacities for strategic decision-making, planning, regulation, quality control and management in the food and agriculture sectors, including livestock.  The evaluation found that the project was well aligned with the needs and priorities of national stakeholders, with FAO’s strategic objectives and with community beneficiaries....

The international symposium on “Inland Fisheries and aquaculture: advances in technology, stock assessment and citizen science in an era of climate change” was organized in conjunction with the thirty-first session of the European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission in Killarney, Ireland on 20–21 June 2022. The symposium was organized...

Dear readers, The Organic Farm Knowledge platform (organic-farmknowledge.org) provides access to a wide range of tools and resources about organic farming that can help improve production. We are pleased to share this month’s newsletter with you. We look forward to sharing more news with you in November.

In collaboration with its partners, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) leads the integration, in a structured, holistic and coherent manner, of actions for the conservation, sustainable use, management and restoration of biological diversity across agricultural sectors at national, regional and international levels. Against this background,...

This report aims to highlight the current strengths of the institutional disaster risk reduction (DRR) system for agriculture in the Republic of Moldova as well as indicate existing gaps and capacity needs to further enhance it. A comprehensive assessment is conducted, which includes a general overview of the country’s agricultural...

By taking part in the survey, people working in the agricultural practice can contribute their experiences to the project. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Every voice counts: Practical experience is essential when it comes to further developing digital tools. All businesses interested in the topic of ecology...

Tomato is a special case among vegetables, as its seeds can only be extracted from the pulp after a fermentation step. In order to optimise this working process, various harvesting frequencies and extraction timepoints were tested at FiBL Switzerland. The availability of organic seed has come into focus, as derogations to...

Organic fruit orchards are dependent on commercial organic fertilizers derived from intensive conventional animal husbandry. These inputs are contentious and to be phased out.

Agroecology as a concept for reimagining food systems has grown in popularity and is now used in several food and agriculture policy frameworks around the world. While there is a significant body of research around agroecology, its origins, applications, and as a much-needed transition pathway to sustainable food systems, there is limited understanding...

The agricultural sector faces multiple challenges linked to increased climate uncertainty, causing severe shocks including increased frequency of extreme weather events, new pest and disease risks, soil degradation, and pre and postharvest food losses. This situation is further exacerbated by geopolitical instability and volatility in energy prices impacting on fertiliser...