The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today launched in the Europe and Central Asia region the Global Action on Green Development of Special Agricultural Products: One Country One Priority Product. This global initiative aims to make agrifood systems more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable.

New $17 million Japan-funded project aims to address grain storage deficit and increase export of critical agricultural goods to international markets.

Following an intense week with a symposium in which 105 scientists participated and a session with 15 Member countries, the European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission (EIFAAC)adopted for the first time resolutions and recommendations on inland fisheries and aquaculture.

Setting the basis for developing an integrated whole-of-government National Food Security Strategy in North Macedonia will be the focus of a new FAO project. The project was launched today through an event in Skopje, organized by FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy in partnership with the Rural Development Network of North Macedonia.

In the countries of Europe and Central Asia, about half of the population lives in rural territories, with those people who produce the food we eat among them. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the impacts of the ongoing war in Ukraine on the Europe and Central Asia region, requires an increased attention to rural communities.

The war caught Larysa Zueva while she was working a shift at a psychiatric hospital in Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine. She spent more than a month with her grandson in the hospital's shelter with about 200 other people. Despite the attacks, her work at the hospital continued. When the gas lines were cut, they resorted to cooking on an open fire, still managing to feed and care for their patients.

Today North Macedonia concluded the country's second Green Climate Fund (GCF) readiness project, laying the foundation for country-driven climate action in the future. The closing event in Skopje was organized by FAO and the Cabinet of the Deputy President of the Government in charge of economic affairs, in its capacity as GCF National Designated Authority for the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

A study tour brought representatives of Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and North Macedonia to Hungary to learn about improving their seed systems. The visit on 16–20 May constituted part of an FAO project aiming to enhance climate resilience in agriculture.

Single-use cutlery pollutes our oceans and takes thousands of years to decompose in landfills and trash heaps. Plastic forks and knives may photo-degrade with exposure to the sun, but they become microplastics that continue to pollute our environment.  

Sharing regional experiences and best practices on land consolidation, land banking, and land abandonment will be the focus of the 13th international LANDNET workshop. Targeting in particular countries of Europe and Central Asia, the event takes place in a hybrid format from 25–27 May in Skopje.