The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is supporting Turkmenistan’s efforts in enhancing these two priority areas, within the framework of two projects, implemented with the FAO Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP), “Strengthening technological innovation and research capacities for sustainable and climate-resilient cotton production” and “Support for the improvement of pest management capacities for cereal crops”. The implementation of the project started after FAO successfully held a joint inception workshop for the two projects in March, in Ashgabat, bringing together key actors to take initial steps in the work of the projects.

Inland capture fisheries play a vital role in supporting households, economies and cultures across Europe, through both commercial and recreational fishing. According to capture and landing statistics reported to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the total production from inland capture fisheries in Europe reached 167 187 tonnes in 2021, accounting for 1.5 percent of total global production, making this sector highly important for the region. Yet, climate change poses several challenges to the survival of fish species across Europe. It creates significant and often unpredictable impacts on inland fisheries, and it can be an exacerbating factor for other stressors. Foreseeably, this will lead to shifts in freshwater habitats which are mainly expected to be unfavourable for inland fisheries.

In the Khatlon region of Tajikistan, farming of cotton, wheat and other crops has long been the backbone of rural livelihoods. Safarmad Gadoev, a farmer from the city of Kulob, was one of many who relied on the production of these crops to support his family. But the challenges of cotton and wheat farming—rising production costs, fluctuating market prices, water scarcity, and the impacts of climate change—made it difficult for him to earn a stable income. 

A project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2022, addressing land degradation neutrality (LDN) issues, is progressing to foster a coherent policy environment and track progress towards achieving the national LDN targets. Land abandonment in the last 25 years has adversely affected 1.2 million rural people. 

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched an initiative to strengthen welding education in Armenia. This is a component of the “Forest resilience of Armenia, enhancing adaptation and rural green growth via mitigation” project. It is implemented by FAO and the Environmental Project Implementation Unit of the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Armenia. The project is funded by the Green Climate Fund and co-funded by FAO, the Austrian Development Agency, the World Wildlife Fund and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano-Italy with significant financial support provided by the Government of Armenia.

On 20 February an agreement for the project “Enhancing the resilience of Serbian forests to ensure energy security of the most vulnerable while contributing to their livelihoods and carbon sequestration (FOREST Invest)’’ was signed between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in its capacity as an Accredited Entity of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Government of the Republic of Serbia, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, as well as two public enterprises “Srbijašume” and “Vojvodinašume”.

By helping communities avoid or lessen the impact of disasters, efforts to reduce and manage disaster risk can save lives and protect livelihoods. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supports countries in developing disaster risk reduction and management systems for their agriculture sectors, not only to respond to disaster impacts but also to increase the resilience of at-risk populations by combining prevention, mitigation and preparedness.

On 21 November 2024 in Syunik Marz, Armenia, high school students in Goris received training in tree planting and forest management. The activity was carried out by the local Forestry branch of Hayantar SNCO, the state organization for forest management in Armenia, together with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Armenia. The community awareness raising event was organized within the framework of the project “Sustainable Forest Management in Armenia,” implemented by the Ministry of Environment and FAO. The project is co-funded by a grant from the Green Climate Fund, FAO, the Austrian Development Agency, the World Wildlife Fund and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano-Italy. A significant amount of funding is provided by the Government of Armenia.

In Central Asia, proper pesticide lifecycle management has been overlooked in past years due to gaps in the legal frameworks and a lack of experience and skill among the institutions and stakeholders responsible for managing pesticides. As a legacy of the former Soviet Union, it is estimated that around half of the global stocks of obsolete pesticides are in this region. The first week of December calls attention to proper pesticide use and soil health, with the International No Pesticide Use Day (3 December) and World Soil Day (5 December). 

The growing recognition of sustainable agrifood systems in addressing climate change is reflected in international negotiations at the recent Conferences of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The day dedicated to Food, Agriculture and Water on 19 November 2024 at COP29 highlights this intensified focus. The day opened with the launch of the Baku Harmoniya Climate Initiative for Farmers (Harmoniya Initiative), a collaboration between the COP29 Presidency and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).