FAO IN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA

HUNGARYSWITZERLAND

MONACO

SAN MARINO

FRANCE

SPAIN

ANDORRA

PORTUGAL

ROMANIA

REPUBLIC OF

MOLDOVA

UKRAINE KAZAKHSTAN

SLOVAKIA

POLAND

GERMANY

BELGIUM

LUXEMBOURG

NETHERLANDS

DENMARK

BELARUS

LITHUANIA

LATVIA

ESTONIA

FINLAND

SWEDEN

NORWAY

UNITEDKINGDOM

IRELAND

ICELAND

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

CZECH REPUBLIC

AUSTRIA

SLOVENIACROATIA

SERBIA UZBEKISTAN

KYRGYZSTANMONTENEGRO BULGARIATFYR OF

MACEDONIAITALY

MALTA

GREECE TURKEY

ANKARA YEREVANBAKU

BISHKEK

DUSHANBE

TBILISI

BUDAPEST

MOSCOW (PLANNED)

ROME

GENEVA

BRUSSELS

CYPRUS

ISRAEL

ALBANIAARMENIA

GEORGIA

AZERBAIJAN

TURKMENISTAN

TAJIKISTAN

BOSNIAAND

HERZEGOVINA

VAST REGION,DIVERSE CHALLENGES

Extending from Lisbon to Vladivostok and from the Arctic Circle to the Pamir Mountains of Central Asia,no region is more vast or diverse than FAO’s Europe and Central Asia region.

With 53 Member Countries and one Member Organization (the European Union), the region’s food and agriculture challenges range from cooperation on capture fi sheries to improving nutrition levels, from coping with livestock diseases to getting reliable agricultural census data, from cleaning up and managing obsolete pesticides to setting up protocols to make sure food is safe to eat, from conserving crop genetic resources to expanding access to lucrative international markets.

More than half of the region’s countries are members of the European Union or candidates for accession to the EU. Since 1990, many of the national economies have been transitioning to greater market orientation and private ownership of farms and agri-business. Historically the region has been home to several “breadbasket” zones, with signifi cant production of grains in addition to fruit, vegetables, meat and fi sh. Hardwood and evergreen forests cover extensive parts of the region, calling for management techniques that use forest resources without using them up.

Against this backdrop of diverse challenges, setting priorities is essential. FAO worldwide is guided by the fi ve strategic objectives of eliminating hunger and food insecurity, making agriculture, fi sheries and forestry sustainable, reducing rural poverty, making food systems more effi cient and inclusive, and improving people’s resili-ence to natural disasters. In the Europe and Central Asia region, the Member Countries have asked FAO to apply its deep technical and policy expertise to these priority issues:

– strengthening food security and nutrition.– boosting the productivity of small farms.– managing natural resources sustainably, and

coping with climate change.– controlling animal, plant and food-borne pests

and diseases.– entering into international organizations for trade,

standard-setting and economic cooperation. – having access to the latest knowledge and other regional “public goods” – for the benefi t of food security and safety, nutrition, food, agriculture, fi sheries and forestry.

Finally, helping farmers cope with climate change, attention to gender equity, and the availability of a solid statistical basis for decision-making are essential to all of FAO’s work.

HUNGARYHUNGARYSWITZERLANDSWITZERLAND

MONACOMONACO

SAN MARINO

SAN MARINO

FRANCEFRANCE

SPAINSPAIN

ANDORRAANDORRA

PORTUGALPORTUGAL

ROMANIAROMANIA

REPUBLIC OF

MOLDOVA

REPUBLIC OF

MOLDOVA

UKRAINEUKRAINE KAZAKHSTANKAZAKHSTAN

SLOVAKIASLOVAKIA

POLANDPOLAND

GERMANYGERMANY

BELGIUMBELGIUM

LUXEMBOURGLUXEMBOURG

NETHERLANDSNETHERLANDS

DENMARKDENMARKDENMARKDENMARKDENMARK

BELARUSBELARUS

LITHUANIALITHUANIA

LATVIALATVIA

ESTONIAESTONIA

FINLANDFINLAND

SWEDENSWEDEN

NORWAYNORWAY

UNITEDKINGDOMUNITED

KINGDOMIRELANDIRELAND

ICELANDICELAND

RUSSIAN FEDERATIONRUSSIAN FEDERATION

CZECH REPUBLICCZECH REPUBLIC

AUSTRIAAUSTRIA

SLOVENIASLOVENIACROATIACROATIA

SERBIASERBIA UZBEKISTANUZBEKISTAN

KYRGYZSTANKYRGYZSTANMONTENEGROMONTENEGROMONTENEGRO BULGARIABULGARIA

TFYR OF MACEDONIA

TFYR OF MACEDONIAITALYITALY

MALTAMALTA

GREECEGREECEGREECEGREECE TURKEYTURKEY

ANKARAANKARA YEREVANYEREVANYYEREVANBAKUBAKU

BISHKEKBISHKEK

DUSHANBEDUSHANBE

TBILISITBILISI

BUDAPESTBUDAPEST

MOSCOW (PLANNED)MOSCOW (PLANNED)

ROMEROME

GENEVAGENEVA

BRUSSELSBRUSSELS

CYPRUSCYPRUSCYPRUS

ISRAELISRAELISRAEL

ALBANIAALBANIAARMENIAARMENIA

GEORGIAGEORGIA

AZERBAIJANAZERBAIJAN

TURKMENISTANTURKMENISTAN

TAJIKISTANTAJIKISTAN

BOSNIAAND

HERZEGOVINAHERZEGOVINAHERZEGOVINA

BOSNIAAND

HERZEGOVINA

Headquarters

Regional Offi ce

Subregional Offi ce

Liaison Offi ce

Country Offi ce

The designations employed and the presentation of material in the map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal or constitutional status of any country, territory or sea area, or concerning the delimitation of frontiers.

HUNGARYSWITZERLAND

MONACO

SAN MARINO

FRANCE

SPAIN

ANDORRA

PORTUGAL

ROMANIA

REPUBLIC OF

MOLDOVA

UKRAINE KAZAKHSTAN

SLOVAKIA

POLAND

GERMANY

BELGIUM

LUXEMBOURG

NETHERLANDS

DENMARK

BELARUS

LITHUANIA

LATVIA

ESTONIA

FINLAND

SWEDEN

NORWAY

UNITEDKINGDOM

IRELAND

ICELAND

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

CZECH REPUBLIC

AUSTRIA

SLOVENIACROATIA

SERBIA UZBEKISTAN

KYRGYZSTANMONTENEGRO BULGARIATFYR OF

MACEDONIAITALY

MALTA

GREECE TURKEY

ANKARA YEREVANBAKU

BISHKEK

DUSHANBE

TBILISI

BUDAPEST

MOSCOW (PLANNED)

ROME

GENEVA

BRUSSELS

CYPRUS

ISRAEL

ALBANIAARMENIA

GEORGIA

AZERBAIJAN

TURKMENISTAN

TAJIKISTAN

BOSNIAAND

HERZEGOVINA

SPECIAL INITIATIVES DESIGNED FOR EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA

Taking a comprehensive look at the needs of individual Member Countries in Europe and Central Asia – and the expressed priorities of the region as a whole – FAO launched a regional initiative on “agrarian structures”in 2013. Agrarian structures are all the institutions along the value chain from farm to market, including intermediary processors.

FAO’s initiative – which also covered forestry and fi sheries – was aimed at increasing the “inclusiveness” of national policies and international trade agreements. Policy work and community-level activities focused on cooperatives and producers’ groups, extension services, food losses and waste, and helping countries prepare for membership in the WTO and the Eurasian Economic Commission.

The long-range goal is to give small-scale farmers a better shot at market opportunities, and to help shape future technical assistance programmes in the region.

As a natural follow-on, two new regional initiatives have been announced for 2014-15:

– empowering smallholders and family farms sustainable natural resource management and inclusive development of rural areas, and

– trade and institutional integration. Work will be carried out at both policy and institutional level,and at farm and community level.

Two “focus areas” will also continue to receive high priority in FAO’s work in Europe and Central Asia – control of animal disease, plant pests and food safety hazards, and natural resource management, including climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The designations employed and the presentation of material in the map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal or constitutional status of any country, territory or sea area, or concerning the delimitation of frontiers.

RESPONSIBLE USE OF PESTICIDESToday everyone is interested in reducing the use of chemicals in food production. Integrated Pest Management, which uses a mix of natural predators and limited quantities of pesticide, has been pioneered and promoted by FAO for decades. In Armenia and Georgia, IPM is used to manage many plant pests, and farmer field schools promote IPM in Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. FAO expertise in pesticide management is appreciated by the European Union, which is contributing €6 million to a project to build capacities for removing obsolete pesticide stocks across the former Soviet Union, and by other resource partners including the Government of Turkey and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

GOOD NEWS FOR BLACK SEA FISH STOCKSFishing fleets from the six countries surrounding the Black Sea have reaped benefits from this rich resource for centuries. Today, with some fish stocks on the verge of collapse, the countries have agreed to take a cooperative approach. The Black Sea Fish Project will include fish stock assessment, scientific cooperation, statistical databases, and work on safety at sea. In the long term, better managed stocks will mean better returns for fishing communities.

BALKAN FORESTS MAKE A COMEBACK Forests are often the overlooked victims of war, political upheaval and economic change. When times are hard and winters harsh, people cut trees to keep warm. With $5 million in financing from Finland, FAO is working with forestry authorities in Kosovo to re-establish the country’s forests, monitor tree pests and diseases, build up an accurate database of forest resources, establish a harvesting permit system, and raise public awareness of the value of forests and the importance of managing them for the future.

LAND TENURE – KEY TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT Sustainable development of rural areas calls for a holistic approach, where land tenure is one of many interlinked elements. In the region’s transition countries, where productive land holdings are often too small for farming to be profitable, FAO works with national governments to develop and implement land consolidation strategies, review relevant laws and provide advice on other land-related issues. Work is guided by the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests, endorsed in 2012 by the Committee on World Food Security.

AT WORK ON THE GROUND IMPROVED FOOD SAFETY RISK ANALYSISFood producers, traders, consumer groups, governments and families all share a keen interest in food safety. When food is unsafe to eat, lives are endangered and efforts to market food products at home or abroad are stalled. With food safety and nutrition expertise at headquarters and in the field, and decades of experience with Codex Alimentarius, FAO is working with Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia and many others across the region to help raise knowledge and skill levels for assessing and coping with food safety risks.

NEW PARADIGM FOR CROP INTENSIFICATIONConservation agriculture is a key element of FAO’s new “Save and Grow” paradigm. With the application of no-till planting, diversification of cropping systems, and maintaining permanent soil cover, conservation agriculture gives farming systems resilience and an ecological foundation for intensifi-cation. Farmers produce more from the same area of land, minimize soil erosion, use less fuel, seed and water, and get a better return on investment. In close partnership with research centres and civil society, FAO is promoting this approach in Central Asia.

KEEPING LIVESTOCK HEALTHYBrucellosis disease is a serious problem for livestock and humans – affecting animal health, food safety, trade and the rural economy. FAO is working with veterinary authorities in Georgia to set up an effective control programme. By rein forcing the country’s brucellosis management team, identifying patterns in how the disease is spread and rolling out awareness campaigns for livestock breeders and farmers, this project is set to make a direct and measurable impact.

MORE ‘INCLUSIVE’ TRADE AND MARKETSSmall farms in Europe and Central Asia are often excluded from market value chains. FAO is working with member countries on different ways of addressing the problem. Policy seminars have

brought targeted expertise to the development of the Russia- Belarus-Kazakhstan single market. In CIS countries that are

negotiating access to WTO – as well as in countries that are already members – training and policy dialogue increases under-

standing of WTO rules and principles, and implications for the agricultural sector in each country. Demand for this type of assis-

tance appears set to expand in the years ahead. Published policy studies and an online course are also available.

FAO’S STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

Help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and

malnutrition

Make agriculture, forestry and fi sheries more productive and

sustainable

Reduce rural poverty Enable inclusive and effi cient agricultural

and food systems

Increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters

Food and Agriculture Organizationof the United Nations (FAO)

Regional Offi ce for Europe and Central Asia

34 Benczúr utcaH-1068 Budapest, HungaryTel.: +36 1 461 2000Email: FAO-RO-Europe@fao.org

Sub-regional Offi ce for Central Asia

Ivedik Cad. No. 55,06170 Yenimahalle, Ankara, TurkeyTel.: +90 312 307 9500Email: FAO-SEC@fao.org

www.fao.org/europewww.fao.org/europe/sec

Photos:Cover: ©FAO/Z. Martinovski;p. 2: ©FAO/V. Maximov;p. 5: ©FAO/M. Ammati, B. Porneczi,V. Maximov, J. Spanner