Uzbekistan conducted its first agricultural census, combined with the population census, from 15 January to 28 February 2026. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Technical Cooperation Project supporting this work has since moved into the post-census phase, focusing on validating the census data, reconciling the results with regular agricultural statistics, and preparing the final results for dissemination. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Turkmenistan have signed a new Country Programming Framework (CPF) covering the period of 2026 to 2030. It sets out a shared roadmap to strengthen cooperation on sustainable agrifood systems, climate resilience, rural livelihoods, and evidence-based policymaking over the next five years.

The summer of 2026 was Kazakhstan’s hottest on record. Average temperatures were 2.15°C above the climate norm, and rainfall was below normal across much of the east and south-east, according to the national hydrometeorological service, Kazhydromet. How Kazakhstan’s agriculture copes with such conditions matters for food security well beyond its borders. The country ranks second in the world for flour exports and seventh for wheat , and it has export ties across the region. The question, then, is not only how much grain Kazakhstan can grow, but how reliably it can keep growing it.

Enhancing farm biosecurity to safeguard ruminant livestock production across the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe was the focus of a specialized workshop attended by regional policymakers, researchers, and international experts. Organized by Mendel University (MENDELU) in Brno, Czechia in close collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the multi-day event provided a vital platform for knowledge exchange and discussion on biosecurity.

Azerbaijan has completed a pilot food consumption survey, marking an important step towards developing nationally representative data on what people consume. Conducted by the Azerbaijan Food Safety Institute (AFSI), a public legal entity subordinate to the Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency (AFSA), with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the pilot tested the methodology that could underpin a nationwide survey to inform food safety risk assessments and nutrition policies.

Where ancient Roman chariots once raced, visitors gathered to discover how farmers, food producers, researchers and young innovators across Europe and Central Asia are shaping the future of food. At Rome’s historic Circo Massimo, the Europe and Central Asia Pavilion of the ’From Seeds to Foods’ exhibit brought together agricultural traditions, local knowledge and cutting-edge technologies, showing how the region’s rich food heritage can help build more sustainable and resilient agrifood systems.

At the World Food Forum (WFF) in Rome in October 2026, young farmers, pastoralists, innovators and youth leaders brought their perspectives into conversations with Viorel Gutu, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for Europe and Central Asia. Their exchanges offered a closer look at the choices, uncertainties and expectations behind the broader debate about agriculture's future.

Nana Nikuradze changed her approach to farming after joining an EU- and Sweden-supported FAO Farmer Field School. For the first time, she is turning crop waste into compost, letting it break down into a biofertiliser. 

More than 50 tonnes of donated food helping vulnerable Hungarian families. Twenty-one years of partnership between civil society, government and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). A culinary journey across food cultures and rural areas of Europe and Central Asia. And a series of events organized by academia, international organizations, and the private sector. This is how Hungary marks World Food Day in 2026.

Shemsije Shabani never imagined that farming would become such an important part of her life. More than 20 years ago, after meeting her future husband, she moved from the city to Lubovec/Ljubovac, in Kosovo’s  municipality of Skenderaj/Srbica. There, she began helping with the family’s daily work, such as growing vegetables for household use and caring for chickens. As she became more involved with the farm, Shemsije began to see how they could make better use of the land and the work they were already doing.