On 30 April, Aram Meymaryan, Deputy Minister of Environment of the Republic of Armenia, and Raimund Jehle, Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Armenia, signed the project “Support the establishment of a National Forest Monitoring and Assessment System in Armenia”. The project is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). 

On 30 Aprils, Gevorg Papoyan, Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia, and Raimund Jehle, Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Armenia, signed the new FAO–Armenia Country Programming Framework (CPF) for 2026–2030. The five-year plan sets out FAO’s strategic engagement in the country.

In Kyrgyzstan, a country dominated by mountainous landscapes, issues related to soil fertility conservation are of particular relevance. In the context of a changing climate, the country faces challenges such as soil erosion, degradation, salinization, and loss of fertility. These factors directly affect crop yields and the resilience of agrifood systems. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Kyrgyz Research Institute of Agriculture, has begun the implementation of the FAO’s Global Soil Doctors Programme in the country. 

Declining glaciers, shrinking water sources and increasingly unpredictable weather are threatening the livelihoods of thousands of rural families in the At-Bashy district of Kyrgyzstan – and urgent action is needed. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Mountain Partnership Secretariat conducted a comprehensive field mission to the district, where communities reported a dramatic deterioration in water availability, worsening droughts, and accelerating land degradation over the past five years, calling for immediate climate-resilient solutions.

For Radoje Marić and his family, fruit growing is both a livelihood and a longstanding tradition. As fourth-generation producers of fruit and certified raspberry seedlings, the Marić family cultivates orchards at 500–600 m above sea level, where generations before them learned to work the land. But in recent years, changing weather patterns have made production increasingly uncertain.

“Everyone in my family is involved in agriculture. It is the main pillar of our lives. We could do without many things, but not without food and water.” With these words, 19-year-old Đorđe Mićević describes both his upbringing and his future. A former student of the Dr. Đorđe Radić Agricultural and Chemical School in Kraljevo, Đorđe is part of a new generation of young people in Serbia who are learning how to adapt agriculture to climate change.

Sonya Kirgizova is well known in the mountain villages of Tojikobod in central-eastern Tajikistan. Her neighbours admire her greenhouse, her jars filled with pickled Anzur onions and cucumbers, and the buzzing hives behind her home. More than anything, though, they trust her. This trust is what made her a central figure in bringing women farmers into a project that is helping to protect Tajikistan’s rich agrobiodiversity.

The booklet Seeds of heritage: The journey of GIAHS in Europe and Central Asia, published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), explores how traditional agricultural landscapes across the region are being recognized as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) – and why they hold vital lessons for building more sustainable and resilient agrifood systems.

Locust species that produce large swarms and travel long distances can damage agricultural production if outbreaks are not contained through timely, well-coordinated action. As locust infestations continue to threaten crops, rangelands and rural livelihoods across the Caucasus and Central Asia, countries are strengthening their cooperation to improve early warning and support efficient and environmentally responsible control measures.

Access to adequate food is a fundamental human right recognized under international law. In Europe and Central Asia, realizing the right to food is increasingly critical – not only to addressing hunger but also to ensuring access to adequate, nutritious and diversified diets while responding to growing diet-related health challenges and supporting sustainable food systems.