
Conference in Belarus eyes a future where food, agriculture are sustainable
19/06/2017
Food production is one of the major causes and simultaneously the greatest victim of climate change. While weather extremes and other changes pose a risk to agriculture, current farming practices definitely contribute to the problem.
The good news is tha

Montenegro joins global treaty against rogue fishing practices
16/06/2017
Montenegro is the latest in a growing list of countries to sign on to a powerful new international agreement to fight illegal fishing practices.
The FAO-brokered Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unr

FAO report looks at drought response options in Central Asia
15/06/2017
Drought is an ordinary and accepted part of everyday life in Central Asia, but climate change and increasing economic demands pose a growing threat to the region’s water security, making it imperative to shift toward more aggressive drought management pol

Organic sector growth in Kazakhstan on the agenda at Astana Economic Forum
15/06/2017
The potential of organic agricultural production in Kazakhstan – and its contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals – was the focus of a high-level event here today, organized jointly by FAO and Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agricultu

New FAO project protects Turkey’s unique steppe lands, biodiversity
09/06/2017
The steppes of Turkey’s Anatolia region are ecologically important yet vulnerable ecosystems, covering nearly 40 percent of the country. Now a new FAO project is bringing into focus the steppes of Sanliurfa province – known for its rich biodiversity and w

Rural tourism fosters local development in Russia
09/06/2017
The village of Krokhino was first mentioned in a monastery chronicle in 1426. It became famous centuries later, when its Nativity Church remained above water after construction of the Volga-Baltic Waterway in 1961 inadvertently turned the whole area into

Workshop in Ukraine discusses resolving contentious trade issues through WTO
08/06/2017
Resolving contentious trade issues through the World Trade Organization (WTO) is the subject of a regional workshop taking place here today, organized by FAO in collaboration with Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.
The event bring

Traditional handicrafts may boost and diversify incomes in Kyrgyz countryside
06/06/2017
Development of the handicraft sector as a means of creating jobs in Kyrgyzstan’s rural areas is the focus of roundtable discussion taking place here today. The event, organized with support from FAO, will present the results of an FAO pilot project carrie

UN report finds gender inequalities persisting in rural Armenia
02/06/2017
More than 40 percent of economically active women in Armenia are employed in agriculture, compared to about 30 percent of men. The vast majority of those women are informal workers on family farms however, and this fact has major implications for rural li

Regional workshop on WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement impact on agrifood trade
01/06/2017
The FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia organized a Regional Workshop on the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (hereinafter “TFA”) impact on agrifood trade in the framework of FAO’s regional initiative Improving Agrifood Trade and Market Integr

FAO spearheads discussion on effective use of water resources
30/05/2017
Effective management of water resources on irrigated lands, monitoring of irrigated and arid pastures, water conservation in irrigated agriculture, and the influence of agroforestry and protective afforestation on water conservation were the focus of the

New FAO manual: plant health know-how wrapped up in one book
30/05/2017
As farmers well know, plants are forever subject to threats like insects, fungi, viruses and weeds. How can plant pests and diseases be treated effectively, without harm to the natural environment in which they grow?
Farmers and plant production and heal

New quality label to raise profile of Serbian meats
24/05/2017
Serbian meat producers can now apply for the “Serbian quality – Srpski Kvalitet” label - the country’s first national quality label - to set their products apart in the market. At a press conference held on 22 May in Belgrade, the Ministry of Agriculture

Wheat experts hit the road in southwestern Russia this week
23/05/2017
Wheat breeding, the traditional technique for improving yields or producing other desired characteristics, hasn’t gone out of fashion. It still has a role to play in ensuring food security, improving nutrition levels, and coping with a changing climate.

Experts tackle problem of antibiotics in the food chain
19/05/2017
Bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites are all becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs. This means that medicines used to treat common infections are less and less effective, or even useless.
The phenomenon of antimic

Safety of food is focus of major international conference in Sochi
18/05/2017
The list of potential food safety hazards is long and varied. Bacteria like salmonella and E. coli, mycotoxins, heavy metals, residues of pesticides and veterinary drugs, even food additives – all can cause illness or even death if present above acceptabl

Georgian farmers to get agricultural tips on their mobile phones
17/05/2017
Next month, some 8,000 farmers in Georgia’s Kakheti region will start receiving free text messages on their mobile phones. The SMS’s will recommend when they should apply treatments to their crops, what kind of how much. The initiative is aimed at reducin

EU-financed land consolidation effort kicks off in Skopje
16/05/2017
The vast majority of agricultural holdings in the Republic of North Macedonia are less than 2 hectares, made up of multiple parcels – 7 on average. This fragmentation of agricultural land is one of the greatest challenges for the country’s agricultural se

Tajikistan farms to get new, high-yielding varieties of wheat
15/05/2017
If there’s one thing wheat farmers agree on, it is the importance of sowing high-quality seeds. More than 50 farmers in Tajikistan last week attended an FAO field day where new wheat varieties were introduced – part of a project to improve access to high-

FAO bolsters agricultural cooperatives in eastern Ukraine
12/05/2017
Farmers in the conflict-affected Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine are learning about the legal and financial aspects of operating in cooperatives. In a series of training sessions during May and June, they will also acquire knowledge about efficient