Recent global events have thrown a spotlight on the urgency for more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive agrifood systems and have also shown us possible holistic and inter-linked approaches to a greener and more food secure future for all. Greening agriculture provides a pathway to come closer to this goal.

Healthy soils are the prerequisite for healthy plants and crops, and consequently for healthy food. World Soil Day, celebrated on 5 December every year, is an occasion to focus on the crucial role of soils in our food systems, and to assess the state of soil resources.

Two back-to-back events addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the food and agriculture sectors of Europe and Central Asia concluded today in Moscow. Countries at the consultation meeting on 5-6 December agreed to set up an antimicrobial resistance laboratory network, with the active participation of the main animal health and food safety laboratories involved in the detection of AMR in the six countries of the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan.

Cattle are the most common and widespread species of large ruminant livestock and are raised primarily for their milk, meat, and skin. To help increase efficiency, productivity, and sustainability of cattle production, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organized a knowledge-exchange workshop for smallholders on 1-2 December in Budapest, Hungary. The objective of the event was to gather experts and sector representatives to share knowledge, skills, and successful initiatives, with a particular emphasis on cattle production.

The survival of our species and of the planet itself depends on a healthy and biodiverse plant ecosystem. As part of its work to conserve biodiversity and encourage sustainable agriculture FAO is organizing a virtual event for countries of Europe and Central Asia today on current issues in plant protection. The webinar will address new phytosanitary treatments adopted and applied internationally, as well as the use of biological control agents for pest control.

To support agricultural actors maximizing the benefits of migration, while minimizing the costs for migrants and societies in general, specifically in rural areas, FAO is organizing a regional workshop on mainstreaming agriculture and rural development into migration governance and vice versa, starting today.

A training workshop “Towards the development of a roadmap for the digitalization of agriculture in Tajikistan” takes place today in Dushanbe, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in close cooperation with the Ministry of the Agriculture of the Republic of Tajikistan.  

Fostering gender equality and rural women’s empowerment are global programme and policy priorities of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In Europe and Central Asia, the Organization’s efforts are guided by the Regional Strategy for Gender Equality (2019–2022). Now, as the timeframe for the document runs out and, given the new challenges that have emerged in the past years, it is time to discuss the way forward.

Carp was once the “King of Lake Shkodër”. Found in abundance in the largest inland body of water in the Balkan Peninsula, carp was a lifeline for fishers and their communities for generations. The lake, situated on the border of Albania and Montenegro, was also the home of birds, eels, freshwater snails and several fish species. The lake’s communities were fishing communities and until recently, people always thought of themselves as fishers.

Under the annual theme “Preventing antimicrobial resistance together,” the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is planning various activities during the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2022 to raise awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Europe and Central Asia.