The second meeting of the International Network on salt-affected soils (INSAS) is taking place this week in Tashkent to address land degradation and build stronger linkages between science, policy, and farmers.

By definition, pesticides are a poison. These chemicals denigrate and pollute the soil, water, air, plants, and other insects and organisms essential to biodiversity of ecosystems; leave residues in foods; and can be harmful to human health.

Biopesticides offer a better, more sustainable solution for Central Asian farmers.

Unique plant genetic resources have been transported over a thousand kilometres from Kharkiv to the west of Ukraine.

Whenever we drink water, eat fruit or take a deep breath, we should thank the forests that make it all possible. Forests and trees play a crucial role in addressing climate change and achieving sustainable development by absorbing greenhouse gases and creating more sustainable landscapes.

Sayad village is one of the most ancient settlements nestled on the Caspian Sea coast of Azerbaijan’s Khachmaz district. It’s long been famous for its numerous varieties of succulent tomatoes thanks to the farmers’ careful cultivation of the crop and the sunny climate.

Seed quality management, seed policy frameworks, and principles and elements for seed quality assurance and certification were the main topics during a four-day workshop just conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Yerevan, Armenia.

FAO, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye, has been granted financial support of about USD 45 million from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for three new projects between 2022 and 2025. The projects will focus on biodiversity conservation, sustainable forest management, ecosystem management, water conservation, and climate change mitigation.

Recent global events have thrown a spotlight on the urgency for more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive agrifood systems and have also shown us possible holistic and inter-linked approaches to a greener and more food secure future for all. Greening agriculture provides a pathway to come closer to this goal.

Healthy soils are the prerequisite for healthy plants and crops, and consequently for healthy food. World Soil Day, celebrated on 5 December every year, is an occasion to focus on the crucial role of soils in our food systems, and to assess the state of soil resources.

Carp was once the “King of Lake Shkodër”. Found in abundance in the largest inland body of water in the Balkan Peninsula, carp was a lifeline for fishers and their communities for generations. The lake, situated on the border of Albania and Montenegro, was also the home of birds, eels, freshwater snails and several fish species. The lake’s communities were fishing communities and until recently, people always thought of themselves as fishers.