Sustainable development is a pressing issue that requires global attention. To ensure that no one is left behind, it is essential that agrifood systems be made more sustainable, equitable and resilient.

To that end, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) recently held a Regional Forum on Sustainable Development to discuss ways to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region in times of crisis.

FAO renews its funding appeal to scale efforts to help affected rural communities sustain and recover basic food production

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.

Over the past 50 years, food production has grown by almost 300 percent. And yet, by 2050, we will need to produce 60 percent more food to feed a world population of 9.3 billion.

Nearly 2 000 rural families in the Republic of Moldova are receiving emergency cattle feed through a EUR 2 million project being implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and with financial support from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). 

Seed quality management, seed policy frameworks, and principles and elements for seed quality assurance and certification were the main topics during a four-day workshop just conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Yerevan, Armenia.

In Europe and Central Asia, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the outbreak of the war in Ukraine put food security and healthy nutrition under enormous pressure. Food prices peaked, posing a challenge for decision makers to ensure that no one is left behind.

Acknowledging the negative impacts of climate change on agriculture and food production, ministers from the five Central Asian countries discuss today potential solutions for addressing regional and global food and climate change challenges. The meeting was fostered by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

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, along with a few fruit trees and berry bushes. She used to bring the produce to the local market or sometimes even the one in the country’s capital, Tbilisi. Today, on top of the farm’s new additions, such as a greenhouse and modern irrigation, perhaps the most novel change is that she now sells her produce using a smartphone.  

The first set of systematic and in-depth National Food Systems Assessments in Central Asia show that consumer food preferences are changing. Agrifood systems are becoming industrialized and globalized. Increasing numbers of people live in cities and personal income levels are rising. These developments bring not only immense opportunities but also multiple challenges, such as unbalanced diets, increased incidence of food safety issues, transboundary animal and plant disease outbreaks, and significant levels of food loss and waste.