Via Russian training, FAO expands access to livestock health knowledge

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) operates in six official languages, enabling the dissemination of technical knowledge and guidance to diverse audiences worldwide. This multilingual approach supports capacity development, facilitates effective communication and strengthens partnerships among stakeholders.

In Europe and Central Asia, Russian remains a key working language for many veterinary professionals, paraprofessionals and livestock producers. Ensuring access to technical training in the Russian language is therefore essential to strengthening animal health systems throughout the region.

To improve access to knowledge for Russian-speaking professionals across Europe and Central Asia, the regional FAO Virtual Learning Center (VLC) has launched its website in Russian. The VLC is an online training platform dedicated to strengthening professional capacities through tutored and self-paced certified courses in animal health and livestock production, as well as in a growing range of other topics, including food loss and waste, green agriculture and plant health. In addition to the website launch, the VLC now publishes twice-yearly newsletters and articles in Russian, helping inform specialists, farmers and other stakeholders about new courses, regional developments and upcoming activities.

To further enhance engagement and strengthen professional capacities in the region, the FAO VLC for Europe and Central Asia has translated several priority self-paced online courses into Russian. The latest such courses, covering sheep pox and goat pox preparedness, lumpy skin disease preparedness and climate change adaptation in the livestock sector, aim to support the prevention and control of priority infectious animal diseases. As climate change contributes to the expansion of the geographic range of highly contagious transboundary animal diseases, these courses emphasize preparedness, early detection and coordinated response. Course content covers disease pathogenesis, transmission pathways, differential and laboratory diagnostics, and measures for prevention, control and surveillance.

According to FAOSTAT, the Russian-speaking part of the Europe and Central Asia region contains nearly 160 million ruminants, a major socioeconomic resource for rural households and national economies.

The courses are intended for a broad target audience, including public and private veterinarians, paraprofessionals, farmers and livestock producers. By providing structured, science-based training in Russian, the FAO VLC for Europe and Central Asia helps ensure that professionals across the region can access up-to-date information and apply harmonized approaches to disease prevention and control.

Most self-paced online courses are accredited by the Veterinary Continuous Education in Europe (VetCEE) association. Any participant who successfully completes a course will receive a certificate with credits that may be recognized as continuous professional development, further strengthening the professional value of the training.