FAO and Azerbaijan partner to boost climate resilience in farming

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is actively supporting Azerbaijan in implementing climate initiatives within the agricultural sector, said Viorel Gutu, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, during his speech at Baku Climate Action Week.

He praised Azerbaijan’s leadership in climate action, particularly in agriculture and food security, and associated Baku with the success of COP29, one of the most impactful climate summits in recent years. Gutu highlighted the launch of the “Baku Harmony Climate Initiative for Farmers”—a joint effort between COP29 and FAO—as a major step in engaging farmers and rural communities in climate resilience.

This initiative has become a flagship program under the FAST Partnership (Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation), aimed at expanding climate finance for food and agriculture systems.

FAO is also working closely with Azerbaijan to modernize agricultural value chains, enhance digitalization, strengthen laboratories and certification systems, and pilot farm-level monitoring tools to track sustainability.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, FAO is also implementing projects focused on biodiversity conservation, sustainable forest management, combating land degradation, and responsible pesticide use.