In the village of Koram, around 150 kilometers east of Almaty in Kazakhstan, Aishagul's life has been marked by her husband’s debilitating injury and the severe illnesses of her elderly parents-in-law.A turning point came when Aishagul's sister-in-law, aware of her dire situation, introduced her to a greenhouse harvesting training programme. This initiative was part of the broader Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) project, known as CACILM-2, and funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF).

New approaches and strengthened collaboration on restoration are needed to ensure that the Mediterranean’s forest ecosystems thrive, experts from the region will hear this week as they gather for the 8th Mediterranean Forest Week (8MFW) in Barcelona, Spain. 

The week, entitled “Working together for sustainable and resilient Mediterranean forests – Towards a collaborative roadmap”, is organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the European Forest Institute Mediterranean Facility (EFIMED) and the Joint Organizing Committee.

For more than a year, FAO has been facilitating and supporting the accession process in Tajikistan under an ongoing pesticide management and disposal project from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in Central Asia and Türkiye. These efforts have paid off, with the Republic of Tajikistan officially ratifying the Rotterdam Convention on 1 October 2024.

Solving global food and agriculture challenges can start with an act as simple as looking to nature. Imitating nature’s processes and ecosystems can help solve global challenges via local approaches that minimize environmental impact. “Frugal innovation” is the development of sustainable and affordable solutions that maximize value while preserving natural resources, biodiversity and ecosystems. The concept was front and centre during a 3 October hybrid event that aimed to advance sustainable, inclusive and resilient agrifood systems in Europe and Central Asia. It is crucial for empowering smallholders, women, youth and rural communities to create locally relevant solutions that strengthen the resilience and inclusivity of agrifood systems.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture of Azerbaijan, convened a regional workshop on “Enhancing climate action in agriculture in Europe and Central Asia” to support national governments in the region to prepare for the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that will be held in November this year. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has provided advanced tools and training in techniques in forest data collection and forest fire management to experts from the Caucasus, Central Asia and Türkiye. 
Representatives from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan gathered in Antalya, Türkiye from 8 to 12 July 2024 for the event, which was organized in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the General Directorate of Forestry of Türkiye.

An ongoing initiative by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is backing Montenegro’s pursuit to improve forest management planning and monitoring in the country’s private forests. In the framework of the FAO project, Montenegro’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management welcomed representatives of Slovenia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, the Forest Service, and the Forestry Institute from 17 to 19 June 2024 in Montenegro, for a second time to discuss new approaches to forest management planning and monitoring in private forests.

According to a recent report published by the Climate Policy Initiative, a mere 4 percent of global climate finance reached agrifood systems between 2019 and 2020. This falls drastically short of what's needed and despite the crucial role of agrifood systems in climate change mitigation and adaptation. To achieve the ambitious goals outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement to effectively transform agrifood systems for climate action, experts estimate that mobilizing about USD 680 billion annually until 2030 is necessary. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is working to help address the financing gap through the multi-stakeholder Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation Partnership (FAST Partnership). 

As part of an ongoing pesticide management and disposal project from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in Central Asia and Türkiye, two international events were held in Almaty, Kazakhstan. To discuss the latest trends and explore the ways digital technologies can ameliorate the management of pests and pesticides in Central Asia, a workshop on emerging green technologies for pest and pesticide management on 15 April was conducted.

Through its Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) initiative in Europe and Central Asia, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) works to recognize and sustain traditional agricultural systems with rural cultures and economies and to promote and  integrate them into broader food systems value chains. Science and innovation play important roles in underpinning the strength and viability of GIAHS.