FAO in Türkiye

Workshop on plant health priorities and strategies brings together experts from Central Asia and Caucasus

Photo: © FAO
04/07/2024

Ankara – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye (TAGEM) successfully hosted a workshop on plant health in Ankara on 26–28 June 2024. The event was organized to strengthen plant health-related work and agricultural research in the Central Asia and Caucasus (CAC) region.

 

The workshop aimed to identify regional plant health priorities and determine emerging research needs. It also sought opportunities to establish a network for a collaborative framework for CAC+ countries, including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The event forms part of the FAO project “Developing a platform for applied agricultural research and innovation among Central Asian and Caucasus (CAC+) countries”.

 

The workshop commenced with opening remarks given by Aysegul Selisik, Assistant FAO Representative to Türkiye, who outlined the importance of plant pest management for food security. Yunus Bayram, Deputy Director-General for Food and Control from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye, summarized the capacities and achievements of Türkiye in the area of plant health emphasizing the country’s willingness to collaborate in the area of plant health. Mustafa Altug Atalay, Director-General for Agricultural Research and Policies, provided an overview of the research and innovation environment in the country summarizing the work of 49 research institutes including collaborative research and innovation on plant health. In his conclusion he said: “We believe in the importance of international collaboration in addressing plant health challenges, and in this respect, we are extremely happy with the collaboration with FAO and the progress made in creating synergies and collaborations in the region”.

 

During the workshop, emerging risks from transboundary plant pests and diseases for the region were presented together with the principles of their prevention and management. The “One Health” concept was also introduced as well as a tentative preparedness checklist discussed that would enable countries to identify gaps in addressing pest outbreaks. Subsequent presentations from participating countries described national capacities and activities on plant health. These were followed by a session on identification of key common plant pest and disease challenges of economically important crops in the region.

 

The event facilitated the formation of a network among relevant institutions and experts of the participating countries. At the concluding session, Fazil Dusunceli, Agricultural Officer from the FAO Subregional Office for Central Asia, highlighted the importance of regional collaboration and information exchange. He concluded by noting that “continuous dialogue is critical for sustainable collaboration” and remarked that “this event represents a significant step towards promoting more effective collaboration to address plant health issues in the region”.

 

The workshop ended with visits to the plant health research and innovation facilities of the Plant Protection Central Research Institute and Field Crops Central Research Institute both located on the Yenimahalle campus of the Ministry in Ankara.

 

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