Amidst the citrus trees, cows crossing the streets and hazelnut orchards, a typical sight in the Samegrelo-Upper Svaneti region, Marina Kacharava, 69, is pursuing her passion of making high-value European cheeses in her small farm next to her home in the town of Abasha. In the region, she is one of the most successful students of a Farmer Field School (FFS) run by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 

The Republic of Moldova is stepping up its efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within its agrifood sector through a comprehensive new project launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with national authorities. The initiative was inaugurated through a series of workshops held in Chișinău from 12 to 16 May 2025. More than 30 national partners from the agrifood and health sectors gathered to strengthen intersectoral cooperation and assess progress in the Republic of Moldova on combating AMR.

Veterinarians are often the first to detect, prevent and respond to zoonoses, or diseases transmitted between humans and animals. As the world becomes more connected and interactions increase between humans and animals, the risk of zoonotic outbreaks is greater than ever. To address this, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched the Zoonoses for Field Veterinarians course in English on the FAO Virtual Learning Center platform.

A three-day workshop aimed at strengthening regional cooperation for the surveillance and control of PPR is underway in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Field veterinarians and epidemiologists from Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Tajikistan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan are participating in sessions on outbreak investigation, cross-border risk assessment, and emergency response planning.

“The airborne spores of rusts do not respect borders, as Norman Borlaug indicated,” says Fazil Dusunceli, Plant Pathologist for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), referring to the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner for his contribution to the Green Revolution. “The rust fungi mutate into new strains which travel in the air, creating new risks in different regions in their trail.” 

For farmers in Uzbekistan’s borderlands, even the threat of a sick goat can jeopardize an entire season. Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) — a highly contagious viral disease affecting sheep and goats — has never been officially detected in the country. However, as part of regional preparedness efforts, Uzbekistan is taking proactive measures to safeguard animal health. Recent trends in transboundary animal disease outbreaks across several regions underscore the importance of early warning systems and regional preparedness. With mortality rates in infected flocks reaching up to 90 percent, PPR has devastating consequences for rural livelihoods, particularly among smallholder farmers and women engaged in livestock production.

Just a few days before Stop Food Waste Day on 30 April, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has successfully delivered the first regional edition of a virtual learning course on tackling food loss and waste (FLW). Developed in collaboration with the International Food Waste Coalition (now part of the Waste and Resources Action Programme Europe) and hosted on FAO’s Virtual Learning Center, the course offered a hands-on, practical training experience tailored for key actors in the region’s agrifood value chains and systems.

National food control systems, in line with internationally recognized food safety and quality standards, are a cornerstone of ensuring the safety and quality of the food we put on our tables. Recognizing this priority, the Republic of Belarus has requested support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to facilitate a self-assessment by using the Food Control System Assessment Tool (FCSAT), developed by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Living amidst grapevines that have been around since the time of his ancestors, it is no wonder Givi Chubinidze became convinced to follow in their footsteps. Here in the green valleys of Georgia’s Imereti region, bordered by the Likhi mountain range, endemic blue and purple grape varieties, such as tsitska, krakhuna and adanasuri, have been a part of the local landscape and cultural heritage for centuries.

The One Health approach recognizes the interconnections between people and ecosystems and aims to sustainably balance the health of people, plants, animals and the environment. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is strongly committed to this integrated, unifying approach. This was the core message, delivered by FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia Viorel Gutu at a high-level meeting of the Regional One Health Coordination Mechanism today in Copenhagen when the chairmanship of the Mechanism was handed over from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) to FAO, ensuring continued collaboration on One Health priorities in the region.

Recognizing the critical role of municipalities to reduce food loss and waste (FLW), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has recently released a  publication on “Food Recovery and Distribution – A Practical Guide for Favourable Policies and Legal Frameworks in Europe and Central Asia”. This report provides timely guiding principles and recommendations for policymakers, particularly at the local level, to analyse and review their legal and policy frameworks to facilitate food recovery and redistribution—key elements of broader strategies to prevent and reduce FLW, and to support a circular bioeconomy. 

Peste des petits (PPR) ruminants outbreaks in Europe, effecting Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, and Hungary highlight the need prevention and control of this disease. The Food and Veterinary Agency (FVA) of North Macedonia has organized a simulation exercise on PPR with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and experts from the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) held an interactive lecture series at the Agricultural University of Tirana, engaging students in discussions on climate-smart agriculture and international plant protection standards. This event, part of the Business4SDGs Phase II project, aimed to bridge scientific research with practical implementation, equipping Albania’s future agricultural professionals with knowledge to address pressing global challenges.

Ensuring food safety and quality remains a top priority for North Macedonia. Codex Alimentarius standards are a crucial set of tools to ensure food safety and quality across the food chain from production through to consumption. Co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Food and Veterinary Agency of North Macedonia, a national event was held on 19 February dedicated to promoting the Codex standards. The event was another step in strengthening the country’s food safety and quality through the FAO/WHO Codex Trust Fund project.

On 27 February 2025, key stakeholders gathered in Baku for the national inception meeting of the project “Building Capacities on Food Consumption Data for Better Nutrition and Safer Food”. The initiative aims to equip Azerbaijan with the knowledge and tools needed to make informed, data-driven decisions that improve public health and nutrition. By strengthening national data systems, this project will help ensure that the people of Azerbaijan have access to safer, more nutritious food.

The safety of workers in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors worldwide remains a concern. Despite efforts by governing bodies and other responsible entities, the number of accidents in these fields continues to be persistently high globally. For this reason, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry of Kyrgyzstan, organized a regional workshop to discuss a draft Code of Practice on Occupational Health and Safety in Aquaculture and Fisheries for Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Brucellosis is a disease that primarily affects ruminants in many countries around the world. Due to its zoonotic nature – being transmissible from animals to humans – it often affects farm workers and rural populations. To further prevent brucellosis in Central Asia and the Caucasus, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has organized a three-day workshop, starting today, to assess countries’ status in the progressive control of brucellosis. The event brings together representatives from public health and veterinary authorities from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. 

The One Health approach emphasizes the interconnected health of humans, animals, and ecosystems. By fostering collaboration across sectors like agriculture, healthcare, and environmental management, One Health aims to tackle complex global health challenges, such as emerging diseases, through integrated solutions. In a bid to enhance national capacities and bridge gaps between sectors, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), alongside the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), known as the Quadripartite, launched a Russian-language version of its One Health course. 

Avian influenza, often referred to as bird flu, is a major transboundary disease with zoonotic potential. By 2024, more than 800 cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus were reported across 23 countries. The disease is present and actively spreading across Europe as well. While avian influenza viruses do not presently transmit easily between humans, continued circulation in poultry could lead to mutations that increase human-to-human transmissibility. In response, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is offering online training to equip European veterinarians, who are the first responders, with the skills needed to detect and react to this cross-species virus, helping to mitigate severe health impacts on both animals and people.

Five countries in Europe and Central Asia became better prepared to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in their agrifood systems through support of a project implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and funded by the Russian Federation. Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan took initial actions on AMR in the agrifood sectors, with special emphasis on the livestock sector, and implemented measures to reduce the development and spread of AMR.