For three days, Tashkent is hosting an international conference to promote conservation agriculture in this corner of the world, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan.

Plant health and safety standards are indispensable. They ease safe international trade, help ensure food security, promote sustainable agriculture production, and help protect biodiversity and the environment. The primary guardians of plant health and s

FAO assists and advises on food security and nutrition, forest health, fisheries and aquaculture, climate change, plant and animal pests and diseases, international food trade, organic agriculture, rural livelihoods, and much more. Overseeing and setting priorities for this work in Europe and Central Asia is the job of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe. Convening every two years in a different location, the Regional Conference is a complex undertaking for both the host country and FAO's team in the region. Goran Stavrik, who has played a coordinating role in three consecutive conferences, reflects on the many behind-the-scenes factors that make for a successful FAO Regional Conference.

Biotechnology presents enormous potential benefits for world populations in food security and nutrition, but it is not without risk. Upon invitation of the Czech Republic and FAO, government officials, renowned scientists and private sector and civil soc

The growing resistance of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites to antimicrobials is a grave health concern the world over. If nothing is done to limit it, an estimated 10 million people per year will be at risk by 2050, to say nothing of the enormous a

The Soviet Union collapsed nearly 30 years ago, but its effects linger in the fragmented farm structures and market channels that plague food value chains throughout Europe and Central Asia. A series of FAO publications is dedicated to improving this iss

The Bosphorus, the narrow strait in Istanbul that connects the Black Sea basin to the rest of the world, hosted a special guest on 12 July. Affectionately named “Bilim” (Turkish for “Science”), the oceanographic research vessel (RV) from Middle East Techn

A Hungarian master attentively places his basketry utensils while Konobaeva Venera, a weaving master from Kyrgyzstan, packs up after a weaving workshop. Nearby, other masters from Uzbekistan and Hungary prepare for their time slots in the FAO stand at the

Montenegro is looking to strengthen the links between agriculture, food and tourism, uniting its mesmerising coastline and spectacular mountains with its traditional foods – ranging from speciality cheeses and cured hams to bitter greens and crisp wines.

Bananas – they’re the most exported fruit in the world, and they’re almost everyone’s darling. But not only humans are fond of them. Plant pests and diseases love bananas, too – especially the soil-borne fungus causing the Fusarium wilt disease, which po