FAO Members from Europe and Central Asia explore pressing issues of food and agriculture
On 2nd of October, the European Commission on Agriculture opens in Budapest, Hungary, as a key biennial discussion forum for the countries of Europe and Central Asia on topics related to food and agriculture. The Forty-fourth Session centres on the challenge of producing more with less, with key topics covering inclusive food and agriculture policies, digital solutions, and resilient investments, as well as the region’s response to multiple crisis.
The two-day meeting serves as preparation for the Regional Conference for Europe, the highest governing body of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for the region. As in previous years, the session is hosted by Hungary and attended by 48 FAO Members and representatives of civil society and international institutions.
“Our region faces a unique combination of opportunities and challenges,” said Viorel Gutu, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative in his opening remarks. “We must increase productivity to feed growing populations with healthy and nourishing food and enhance rural livelihoods. At the same time, it is our shared responsibility to preserve the soil, water, biodiversity, and the resilience of our farming communities. This is not a choice between productivity and sustainability – it is about achieving both, together.”
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“It is our common interest to transform our agrifood systems in a way that ensures both high productivity and long-term sustainability,” said Oszkár Ökrös, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture of Hungary, in his opening speech.
“Hungary is implementing a comprehensive, long-term strategy, focusing on the sustainable and inclusive transformation of its agricultural economy,” he said. “Hungary is committed to expanding organic and ecological farming, reducing the environmental footprint of food production, promoting the circular economy and supporting local food chains.”
Producing more with less
Climate change, environmental problems, limited resources and political uncertainty are putting new and intense pressure on the food sector and farming across Europe and Central Asia. As the region still relies heavily on farming methods that use many inputs, which can harm the environment and weaken long-term resilience. Balancing productivity and sustainability in agriculture remains a challenge, yet, the region also holds significant potential.
Considering the complexity of the issue, improving efficiency while protecting natural resources calls for a coordinated response. This is especially important in three areas under discussion during the session: better policies, digital tools, and sustainable and inclusive finance.
FAO promotes a systems approach, tackling agriculture, environment, water, energy and rural development together, ensuring that actions in one area support progress in others instead of creating conflicts.
Participants will look at ways to move beyond short-term productivity gains in agriculture towards approaches that treat sustainability as the foundation for long-term resilience. Policies must align agriculture, environment and trade to eliminate contradictory incentives. At the same time, better targeted financing should make it easier for private investment to support sustainable practices. Digital agriculture can help speed up this shift, but it must be inclusive and backed by good governance.
Gender equality and the involvement of rural youth are key drivers of innovation and resilience. Thus, FAO Members will review progress made on gender equality in the past two years to facilitate more coordinated action. They will also discuss FAO’s efforts to engage and empower rural youth in Europe and Central Asia, looking at their needs and the policy support available.
Another focus will be protecting biodiversity – the backbone of agriculture – by demonstrating how stronger links between biodiversity and agricultural policies can bring multiple benefits.
On the sidelines of the session, the Seeds of Change exhibition will take visitors through the transformation of agrifood systems in Europe and Central Asia, to mark the eightieth anniversary of the establishment of FAO while sharing ideas and best practices and inspiring action for a better food future.
For the first time, FAO will recognize three young farmers from the region for their outstanding contributions to improving food production and rural communities.
FAO Representation in Armenia
