Farmers are essential change-makers in our communities, driving collective efforts for healthy diets. They not only cultivate the land but also pave the way for equitable access to nutritious food. We must respect their rights to food and land, and honor their knowledge, culture, and traditions. By providing farmers with access to training, finance, and innovation, we can support them in producing safe, diverse, and nutritious foods for all.Toni Dimevski, a small family farmer from North Macedonia, founded "Domesno Pile" (Home Chicken Farm) in 1999, now called Toni’s Farm. Starting with laying hens, Toni expanded into broiler production in 2008. Today, his farm, located near Skopje, processes 20,000 fresh chickens monthly, supplying the domestic market with healthy and nutritious products.Toni’s passion for poultry farming grew from his European travels, especially inspired by Hungarian practices. With just 250 chicks, he steadily expanded, now processing over 250,000 chickens annually. His farm offers a range of fresh chicken products, always delivered fresh, never frozen.In the family business, Toni's wife, sons, and daughter-in-law all play vital roles. Together, they manage the farm and a small slaughterhouse, ensuring quality and freshness. The family’s hands-on approach, with his son even building most of the farm’s facilities, underscores their commitment to hard work and teaching the next generation responsibility. Expanding the business hasn’t been easy. Toni emphasizes the persistence and constant supervision needed to raise healthy chickens and ensure a smooth farm-to-table process. His fresh products are sold within 24 hours of processing, available in butcher shops and supermarkets across Skopje, with home delivery also offered.For Toni, farming is more than a livelihood—it's a family legacy and a passion for quality food and healthy diets. He encourages young people to view farming as a rewarding and viable career, helping to create a more sustainable food future for all.His dedication to family farming, sustainable practices, and community education makes Toni Dimevski a true #FoodHero, championing the right to food for all.Practicing Sustainable Agriculture
Toni Dimevski is a passionate advocate for sustainable farming, focused on promoting biodiversity, conserving resources, and minimizing environmental impact. His farm stands out for its commitment to producing nutritious, affordable, and sustainable food locally.Toni continuously invests in his education and adopts new technologies to ensure healthy food production. His chickens are fed homegrown, nutritious feed made from wheat and corn cultivated on family fields, ensuring high-quality products that have earned consumer trust.The farm's energy-efficient poultry houses, insulated with treated glass wool, maintain optimal temperatures year-round. Toni also uses a smart management system that allows him to remotely monitor and regulate conditions like temperature, humidity, and ventilation, ensuring both productivity and food safety.To combat North Macedonia's hot summers, Toni introduced an evaporative cooling system to prevent poultry heat stress. He’s also begun producing biofuel from pork lard, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving sustainability by repurposing a waste product from the meat industry.Advocating for Small-scale and Family Farmers
Toni is a strong advocate for small-scale and family farmers in North Macedonia's poultry industry. From 2019 to 2021, he participated in the FAO project "Development of a Green and Competitive Broiler Subsector that Contributes to Poverty Reduction and Improved Nutrition for the Population." As part of the project, FAO organized a study tour to Slovenia in 2019, where Toni visited leading poultry producers and gained valuable knowledge on sustainable production, value chain coordination, and food safety standards. These insights helped him and other Macedonian farmers adopt strategies to boost broiler production and compete with imports, meeting the growing demand for high-quality poultry.Engaging in Community Education
Toni plays a key role in educating his community on sustainable farming and nutritious food. He frequently shares his knowledge with fellow farmers, consumers, policymakers, and students at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food in Skopje. Through these efforts, Toni inspires positive change and fosters a deeper understanding of the connections between food, health, and the environment. Toni Dimevski’s dedication to sustainable family farming and community engagement makes him a true #FoodHero, demonstrating how perseverance and innovation can help secure a future where nutritious, safe, and sustainable food is accessible to all. His story reminds us that farmers are not only producers but also guardians of our food systems, ensuring that everyone has access to healthy food. MEDIA CONTACT: 
Radmila SlavkovaCommunications and Monitoring Officer, FAO
Ul. Aminta Treti 2, 1000 Skopje
radmila.slavkova @fao.org  
Tel.: +389 71 21 23 08 

Skopje, 16 October, 2024 – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Economy, celebrated World Food Day today under the theme ‘’Right to Foods for a Better Life and a Better Future: Leave No One Behind’’.As part of the event, participants visited the "Domesno Pile" poultry farm owned by farmer Toni Dimevski in the village of Ognjanci, municipality of Petrovec, commonly known as Toni's Farm, which has been in operation since 1999. The event aimed to highlight the critical contribution of smallholder farmers, who produce approximately one-third of the world’s food.“We must raise the visibility of our ‘Food Heroes’ and strengthen support for small farms, which play a pivotal role in ensuring the production of healthy, quality, and affordable food for all citizens. By empowering them, we enhance competitiveness, create jobs, and improve living conditions in rural areas,” said Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Economy Cvetan Tripunovski during his welcoming remarks. “Our policies focus on guaranteeing equal access to nutritious and safe food for everyone, particularly the most vulnerable groups in society," he added.In his address, Professor Mile Markoski, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food – Skopje, emphasized the vital role of domestic agricultural production, not only in ensuring food security but also in contributing to economic growth and environmental protection. He urged young generations to view agriculture as a dynamic, rewarding, and long-term career path, one through which they can actively help build sustainable food systems. "Agriculture is not just a profession," he said, "but a mission that directly impacts the future of food, human health, and the protection of our planet."Kristina Mitic Arsova, FAO National Programme Coordinator, highlighted the significance of World Food Day, observed every year on October 16, marking the establishment of FAO in 1945. “This day is dedicated to raising awareness of global hunger and urging collective action to build a sustainable future for food, people, and the planet,” she noted. She also acknowledged an important milestone this year—the 20th anniversary of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Right to Food, a fundamental human right recognized in international law, which FAO has actively promoted. "With collective action in over 150 countries, World Food Day remains one of the most important dates on the United Nations calendar," Mitic Arsova said. Achieving these goals requires a strong commitment, innovation, and collaboration among governments, the private sector, and civil society. Only through joint efforts can we ensure that everyone has access to safe, diverse, and nutritious food, paving the way for a better future for all.Toni Dimevski, who started with egg production, transitioned to raising laying hens, and since 2008 has specialized in broiler production, shared his journey. Beginning with processing just 250 chickens, he now processes 20,000 chickens per month—250,000 per year—all for the domestic market. As the event host, Toni, alongside his 13-year-old grandson Maxim, who actively participates in the family business, presented the four modern facilities for growing broiler chicks, equipped with advanced, energy-efficient technologies for automatic feeding, water supply, ventilation, and heating. Toni also discussed his plans to expand, with six more facilities under construction to double production. Additionally, he is building a new slaughterhouse for processing and distributing fresh chicken to markets and butcher shops. To ensure the health of his chickens, Toni produces his own feed, ensuring it is nutritious and homemade."Toni’s Farm is a true family enterprise, with every member—including my wife, sons, and their families—contributing to its success. Together, we work hard and continuously improve, striving to ensure sustainability, build consumer trust, and guarantee the high quality of our domestic products while passing on the business to future generations,” Toni Dimevski shared. For him, farming is more than a livelihood—it’s a family tradition and a deep commitment to producing high-quality, locally sourced food and promoting healthy eating habits.The event gathered over 50 participants, including representatives from various institutions, academia, farmers’ associations, international organizations, and students from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food. MEDIA CONTACT: 
Radmila SlavkovaCommunications and Monitoring Officer, FAO
Ul. Aminta Treti 2, 1000 Skopje
radmila.slavkova @fao.org 
Tel.: +389 71 21 23 08

Skopje |16 October 2024 – The United Nations (UN) family in North Macedonia invites all people living in the country to join a special seven-day Sustainable Living Challenge that seeks to raise awareness of the urgent need for greater sustainability, through practical and easy-to-implement actions.  “By introducing small, conscious, impactful actions in their everyday lives, everyone can contribute to the creation of a more sustainable future, for us and for all future generations”, says Rita Columbia, UN Resident Coordinator in North Macedonia. “It is vital for everyone to understand that no matter how small some changes might seem, they can have a massive impact, if everyone starts doing them.”  All people living in the country can join the challenge by documenting their experiences in the next seven days, on the journey that will lead them through seven different areas of sustainable living, and by posting the experiences on their social media challenge with the #ITooHaveAGoal #ИЈасИмамЦел hashtags.  The themes that will be covered in the Challenge organized in the run-up to UN Day (24 October 2024), include: - Day 1: Plastic Free Day – Spending a day without any single-use plastic. We are so accustomed to the plastic around us that we fail to even notice some of the things that can have detrimental effect on our environment. The challenge is – how hard it is to find and use more sustainable alternatives, for at least a day?  - Day 2: Waste audit – On the second day, the challenge is simple - we invite everyone to look at their garbage! It may sound weird, but if we truly want to learn what our impact on our environment really is, this is the first place to go.  - Day 3: Energy Saving – Smart, conscious use of energy is extremely important for reducing the negative impact of fossil fuels. We invite you all to be mindful about the energy (electricity, gas, petrol) that you spend during the day? The challenge here is to find the action that will bring the largest save. - Day 4: Water Conservation – This challenge is a call to save water, especially high-quality drinkable water, through small actions, such as fixing leaks and taking shorter showers.  - Day 5: Sustainable Transport – On this day we seek to promote environmentally friendly transport options such as walking, cycling and public transport. Take a walk to your workplace and back, take a photo and share it with the #ITooHaveAGoal #ИЈасИмамЦел hashtags. - Day 6: Exploring Plant-Based Diets – Greater use of plant-based foods is not only good for the environment but for our health. The challenge here is to try to incorporate more plants in all meals of the day, at least for the day. Participants are encouraged to share some recipes with the #ITooHaveAGoal #ИЈасИмамЦел labels. - Day 7: Think Globally, Act Locally – On the last day of the Sustainable Living Challenge we call everyone to be mindful about their choices of products and services that they use. Supporting local businesses and initiatives that contribute to sustainable development is not only good for the economy, but for our environment as well. All interested participants are invited to document all their daily activities on social media using the hashtag #ITooHaveAGoal #ИЈасИмамЦел and to share how they are contributing to a more sustainable world, inspiring others with their actions.  The challenge will culminate on 24 October 2024 with an event in Skopje City Park, where we can all jointly celebrate the importance of sustainability and mark UN Day together. UN Day marks the anniversary of the UN Charter, the foundational treaty of the United Nations, which came in force on 24 October 1945. This day is a reminder of the role the UN plays in addressing global challenges, fostering peace and promoting human rights, development and sustainability around the world.   

 The right to food is a fundamental human right, involving not just access to food or the means of its procurement, but access to sufficient, safe, nutritious, and culturally acceptable food. Enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), to which all European and Central Asian states are parties, realization of this right today remains too distant for too many. This year we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Right to Food, which the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been instrumental in promoting. FAO has played a crucial role in advancing the progressive realization of the right to adequate food globally, joining forces with international organizations, the civil society and the private sector, and offering guidance and technical support to Members, including those in Europe and Central Asia, in implementing policies and programs that align with this right. This anniversary makes it an opportune moment to reflect on progress and the challenges that remain across the region. The Right to Food guidelines offer a vast array of recommendations to foster the progressive realization of this right in the context of national food security. While governments bear a primary responsibility, taking steps to ensure that their citizens have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food, the guidelines also encourage the international community, civil society, and the private sector to support these efforts and engage actively. Any implementation over the past two decades, however small, has contributed to the progressive realization of the right to food, regardless of who or when it has occurred. Indeed, all stakeholders, including governments in Europe and Central Asia have followed a vast number of these guidelines that seek to ensure food availability, accessibility, suitability, and adequacy. Examples of such actions include subsidies for farmers, food stamps, school feeding programs, food safety standards, promotion of sustainable agriculture, GLOBALG.A.P., and many civil society organizations (CSOs) that have implemented community-based initiatives to address food insecurity directly, like food banks, community gardens, and nutrition education programs. While the effectiveness of these actions can vary, they collectively contribute to the progressive realization of this right in the region. Every little helps. The European Union (EU) policies like the Farm to Fork Strategy and the European Pillar of Social Rights aim to create a fair, healthy, and environmentally sustainable food system while promoting adequate living standards and social inclusion. Beyond the EU, countries like Georgia have benefited from FAO’s expertise through programs, such as the European Neighborhood Program for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD), which has focused on strengthening small-scale farmers and food business operator’s capacities and position in agrifood systems, developing cooperatives to improve local food systems, and strengthening the governance and official food control system for safe food.  In Central Asia, countries like Uzbekistan have made significant strides in food safety through national programs aimed at improving hygiene standards in food production and processing, ensuring that food products meet international safety standards to protect consumer health. It is concerning that specific right-to-food legislation remains underdeveloped within the EU and other European and Central Asian countries. The Council of Europe has yet to establish a legal instrument explicitly protecting this right, and many nations in the region lack comprehensive legal frameworks to enforce it.  The Voluntary Guidelines make a number of recommendations, including the development of national food security strategies, legal frameworks and institutional arrangements, the promotion of sustainable food systems, the provision of social protection, fostering international cooperation, and the establishment of monitoring mechanisms. However, policies and programs are only means to an end. What really matters are real world progress, leaving no one behind, in particular vulnerable groups like children, women, the elderly (the fastest growing sector in rural areas), and marginalized ethnic groups. In this sense, the progressive realization of the right to food has been unevenly across the region. According to FAO, the number of moderately or severely food-insecure people in 2023 surpassed 111 million. Significant disparities in access to nutritious healthy diets food persist, particularly among vulnerable populations in both urban, peri-urban and rural areas. Food affordability is also a real concern. In 2022, due to high inflation, 8.3 percent of EU citizens could not afford a meal containing meat, fish, or a vegetarian equivalent every second day, and in countries like Armenia, nearly 15 percent of the population face similar challenges in accessing adequate nutrition. The increasing concentration of food production and distribution in the hands of a few large corporations exacerbates these disparities, limiting food diversity and accessibility. This has led to a food environment dominated by ultra-processed products high in sugars, fats, and additives, linked to rising levels of obesity and diet-related diseases across the continent. In Central Asia, traditional diets are increasingly being replaced by less nutritious options, leading to a dual burden of malnutrition, including undernutrition and anemia in women aged 15 to 49 years, with both under nutrition, particularly stunting, in children under five, is still high in some countries in Central Asia, the Caucasus and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Europe and Ukraine: Azerbaijan (13.3 percent), Tajikistan (13.1 percent), Ukraine (12.3 percent) and Kyrgyzstan (10.3 percent).   Overweight in children under five, anemia in women aged 15 to 49 yearsa, and adult obesity are on the rise in a number of countries of the region. The Western Balkans (10.3 percent) and the Caucasus (9.1 percent) have the highest rate of overweight in children under five. The regional prevalence of adult obesity is on the rise and is above the global estimate. Anaemia values in women aged 15 to 49 years exceed the global estimate (29.9 percent) in Kyrgyzstan (35.8 percent), Tajikistan (35.2 percent) and Azerbaijan (35.1 percent). To address these challenges related to malnutrition, all stakeholders in European and Central Asia should focus on nutritional quality, ensuring all citizens have physical and economic access to a sufficient, diverse and balanced diet. Nobody should be left behind. This must be supported by education and public awareness campaigns that encourage healthier and more sustainable food choices. Actions by the private sector on food ingredients and composition, retailing and marketing practices matter. There is also a need to strengthen support for sustainable agriculture that promotes biodiversity, including preserving local and traditional food systems in regions like the Western Balkans, Caucasus and Central Asia. Engaging civil society, small-scale farmers, and local communities in policymaking is crucial to creating inclusive policies that effectively address food insecurity. A very recent and significant step in this direction was the II Forum on the Right to Food, held in Geneva in May 2024. This event brought together specialists from across Europe to discuss critical issues related to food security, food sovereignty, and the right to food, moving towards a European Citizens’ Initiative focused on securing comprehensive proposals for sustainable food systems. The region has the potential to lead global right-to-food initiatives by promoting sustainable, equitable, and inclusive food systems in international trade agreements and development cooperation anchored in human rights As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Right to Adequate Food, Europe and Central Asia must seize this opportunity to strengthen their commitment. By leading the way in developing and implementing robust right-to-food legislation, policies, and cooperation globally, the region can set a powerful example, ensuring that all its citizens have access to the food they need for a healthy, active and fulfilling life.