For two days, around 70 experts and government representatives from across Europe and Central Asia will meet in Budapest to focus their attention on improving the situation of smallholders and family farms. FAO is working hard to address this issue, whic

The EU-funded MAINLAND project, implemented by FAO, has reached a key milestone with the selection of 12 land consolidation sites in the Republic of North Macedonia. Small-scale farmers in the country account for roughly 87 percent of the total agricultu

While the digital revolution is reaching rural areas in many developing countries, the rural digital divide continues to present considerable challenges. The problem is even more acute for women, who face a triple divide: digital, rural, and gender. A ne

Six out of ten international migrants reside in Asia and Europe, and a large share of them are from rural areas. Often, when these migrants settle into urban areas and find work, they send money back home to the families they’ve left behind. The connecti

A survey of agricultural producers in Ukraine has revealed a low level of participation in state support programmes. The survey found that just 20.3 percent of small- and medium-sized agricultural enterprises, including farmers, applied for state support

Viorel Gutu, former FAO representative in Tajikistan, takes up his duties this week as the Organization’s Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia and FAO Representative in Turkey and Uzbekistan. Gutu succeeds Yuriko Shoji who was appointed recently as De

Representatives of three major organizations gathered in Kyiv recently to tackle issues of food safety and sanitary service in Ukraine. Hosted by Volodymyr Lapa, the head of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, the meetin

Food safety and public health authorities in Moldova continue to upgrade their ability to protect consumers from food safety hazards. At a workshop taking place here today, Salmonella and Campylobacter were in the focus, along with the evolution of drug r

Key forestry leaders in Ukraine began deliberations today on a series of critical natural resources issues challenging the country, including climate change, forest resilience, and Ukraine’s climate policy. The talks provide the region’s first major oppo

Wheat stem rust is making advances in Europe, Africa, and Asia, threatening food sources and livelihoods for more than one billion people. Carried by wind, wheat rust spores can spread rapidly over long distances, causing crop losses of up to 100 percent