The Europe and Central Asia region has experienced substantial losses in biodiversity for food and agriculture. According to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) regional report for Europe and Central Asia, 42 percent of monitored terrestrial animal and plant species have declined in population in the past decade. Intensive agricultural practices undermine biodiversity and genetic resources, breaking functioning agroecosystems with interventions leveraging technology and techniques focused on high-yield production. Advocating for nature-positive production in agriculture in the region implies the reduction of agriculture’s impact on natural capital, reducing biodiversity loss and natural resources depletion. Approaches such as nature-based solutions, agroecology, sustainable land management and instruments, such as payment for ecosystem services offer practices and technology that work with nature in a sustainable and innovative way while positioning human well-being at the centre.

Regional Priority Programme helps countries:

• identify and promote sustainable and nature-positive agricultural practices and nature-based solutions to enhance the proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture, maintain and facilitate biodiversity and ecosystem services, and improve water use efficiency in the region;
• mainstream biodiversity and ecosystem services across agricultural sectors by conducting cross-sectoral and policy dialogues and implementing the regional priority actions;
• identify and maintain local breeds and plant varieties and safeguard their genetic resources, ensuring their conservation (medium- or long-term) for food and agriculture and involving them in production;
• develop evidence-based knowledge, scientific frameworks and economic analysis on nature-positive approaches in agriculture, such as nature-based solutions, sustainable land management, agroecology and innovation for greening agriculture; and
• improve practices that focus on innovation based on traditional knowledge, sustainable agricultural practices and nature-positive production in support of the livelihoods and food security of local and indigenous communities while maintaining agrobiodiversity and biocultural richness.

FAO work in biodiversity and nature-positive production in the Europe and Central Asia region implies:

1. mainstreaming biodiversity for food and agriculture through preservation, restoration and sustainable use;
2. promoting green and climate-resilient agriculture practices; and
3. enhancing water policy in Central Asian agrifood systems.