FAO helps table grape growers in the Republic of Moldova grow – in their own fields

For generations, table grapes have been one of the most important agricultural products in the Republic of Moldova. The country produces over 130 000 tonnes a year, exporting roughly 60 percent of its harvest to markets across Europe and beyond. But in recent years, the farmers behind those numbers have been caught between rising agricultural input costs, disrupted export routes, and the growing demands of EU market standards — a combination that has left many struggling to keep pace. 

To help them adapt, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Republic of Moldova’s National Association for Rural Development (ACSA) spent the second half of 2025 developing a practical, field-based learning system that brings grape growers together in their own vineyards to learn from each other and from experts, season by season. This work is implemented through FAO’s project “Promoting the Long-Term, Sustainable, Green Development and Resilience of the Table Grape Value Chain,” under the umbrella of the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative.  

The result is three Farmer Field Schools, established in the villages of Burlacu, Vadul lui Isac, and Costești, each anchored in a working commercial vineyard. Rather than classroom lectures, the model puts farmers directly among the vines — measuring sugar levels in ripening clusters, practising correct harvest handling, and learning which residues could lead to a shipment being rejected at a European border crossing. This knowledge can be put into practice immediately, as it is drawn from the very ground where the farmers already stand.

Seventy-five producers registered across the three sites, including ten women, completed the first module of the curriculum during the 2025 harvest season. A national Field Day held in Burlacu drew over 150 participants — farmers, agronomists, exporters, and government officials — turning a local demonstration plot into a regional case study for modern table grape production.

Why this matters now

The Republic of Moldova’s grape sector is navigating a difficult transition. The war in Ukraine has upended traditional trade flows, while producers face pressure to meet increasingly stringent EU standards on pesticide residues and product quality if they want to access European markets and the better prices they offer. For small and medium-sized producers, the gap between current practices and market requirements is a real commercial risk.

The curriculum reflects these realities directly. Divided into three modules, the first covered harvest quality and post-harvest handling, while the second and third modules, whose materials have been fully developed and are ready for delivery in early 2026, cover winter pruning and integrated crop management, including responsible pesticide use and fertilisation planning.

The project takes a long-term approach — the host farmers who provided their vineyards as demonstration plots have committed to continuing the learning cycle autonomously through 2026, without waiting for external funding or coordination. 

What has been built in the Republic of Moldova since the beginning of the project is a transferable model for meeting farmers where they are, giving them knowledge they can use immediately, and linking field-level practices to the broader market realities shaping the sector’s future in a country where agriculture remains central to the economy and rural livelihoods.