12 May 2021, Budapest, Hungary – Although severe hunger has not been a major issue in Europe and Central Asia in the past 20 years, the region is in part facing an increase of moderate food insecurity – understood as irregular access to nutritious and sufficient food –, while also dealing with the widespread rapid growth of obesity, challenging its ability to achieve food security and improved nutrition, as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2. Lowering the costs of healthy diets can be crucial to achieving better nutrition and sustainability. According to the Europe and Central Asia Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed serious threats to food security and nutrition, especially for low-income and vulnerable populations in the region. The annual report, produced jointly by FAO, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), provides a comprehensive analysis of the topic, including all forms of malnutrition, current dietary patterns, and the costs of diets for individuals, society, and the planet. Of particular concern in Europe and Central Asia overall is the rapidly worsening situation in some countries of Central Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Caucasus, which is keeping the region as a whole from achieving the 2030 targets of the SDGs on the prevalence of severe and moderate food insecurity. “The past 12 months have shown that our health and the functioning of our agrifood systems are fundamental – and that more effort is needed,” said Vladimir Rakhmanin, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative. “We all – including decision makers, the development community, civil society, academia, the private sector and individuals – have to do our part to achieve the Zero Hunger goal, food security and improved nutrition, leave no one behind and promote sustainable agriculture.” “Reducing hunger and malnutrition calls for a life-cycle approach, with special attention paid to children, adolescent girls, mothers and other vulnerable groups,” said John Aylieff, WFP Regional Director, Asia and the Pacific. “Zero Hunger is not just about having a belly full. It requires us to work across sectors – from agriculture and social protection to education and health – to ensure a healthy, balanced diet that’s also affordable and accessible for all.” “Depending on their production and location, farmers in the region have been particularly hit by the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular in countries with economies in transition,” stressed Olga Algayerova, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and UNECE. “I call on governments to deploy adequate financial support to farmers. I also invite them to make full use of the UN trade facilitation and border-crossing procedures to keep borders open to facilitate the flow of goods, in particular essential products such as fresh food.” Countries are making headway in the eradication of child stunting and wasting and low birth weight, but an opposite tendency is recorded for anaemia and exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life. In all countries of the region, gaps exist in the policy framework for the prevention of obesity and iron deficiency anaemia. “UNICEF acknowledges the important breakthroughs countries have achieved concerning child stunting, wasting and low birth weight. However, without a redoubling of effort, the region will not meet 2025 and 2030 commitments on childhood obesity, anaemia and exclusive breastfeeding,” said Afshan Khan, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia and Special Coordinator for the Refugee and Migrant Response in Europe. “Affordable, healthy diets are the basis of food security and nutrition outcomes, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the vulnerability of children’s nutrition. We have evidence to share with policymakers and food suppliers to take action to improve diets and mobilize health, education and social systems to scale up nutrition results for children.” The prevalence of overweight and obesity is a major problem, even among children, with alarmingly high rates in most countries of the region. According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of overweight among children aged 6–9 is the highest in Mediterranean countries. “People living with obesity have an increased risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes,” said Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. “COVID-19 has also highlighted how fragile food systems can be – and how important it is to ensure that all people, no matter where and how they live, have access to safe, healthy and sustainable food. For the WHO European region, this is vital, given the alarming situation with obesity – a chronic complex disease in itself and a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases in the region.” Additionally, the region is strongly affected by challenges imposed by the overconsumption of foods high in salt, fat and sugar and the underconsumption of fruits and vegetables. This calls for structural changes in food production and consumption within current food systems. WHO data show that unhealthy diets account for an estimated 86 percent of deaths and 77 percent of the disease burden in the region. When developing national food security and nutrition strategies, FAO recommends that countries consider the environmental and climate impacts of the reference diet – which is currently not included – and increase education on that. “The impacts of climate and environmental changes increasingly challenge current governance efforts,” said Milan Dacić, WMO Chief for Europe. “Policies are needed that support sustainable land management, reduce air pollution, ensure the supply of food for vulnerable populations, reduce crop loss and limit greenhouse gas emissions associated with agriculture. World Meteorological Organization activities on long-term monitoring; sharing of data, information and knowledge; and improved context-specific forecasts and analysis are vital support to alleviation of the impacts of climate and environmental changes.” Fang also pointed at the disadvantageous composition of food available in the markets of Europe and Central Asia. As revealed in the regional overview, the availability of animal-based foods is above the world average, while the consumption of vegetables, pulses and fish is below the world average. Increased attention to a nutrition-sensitive agriculture facilitating healthy diets would be required. The European Green Deal and From Farm to Fork initiatives are policy frameworks that could facilitate change. “The main conclusion is that despite good progress in diversifying and moving food availability in the right direction, there is a need to reorient food production and trade systems to enable healthy diets,” said Cheng Fang, an FAO economist and the main author of the report. “This may require additional efforts in consumer education and incentives to increase the consumption of fruits and fish, among other foods, to achieve sustainable and healthy nutrition strategies in these countries.” The costs of healthy diets Healthy diets are generally expensive, as they cost five times more, on average, than diets that cover only the basic energy needs through a starchy staple, according to the FAO report and based on the analysis of food cost/affordability data from 14 selected countries in Europe and Central Asia. Cost drivers include trade, public expenditures and investment policies throughout agrifood supply chains. To counter their impacts, FAO and the World Food Programme advocate for nutrition-sensitive investments, targeted interventions and social protection policies and programmes to increase the affordability of healthy diets in a sustainable manner. To this end, the experience of Armenia with nutrition-sensitive social protection measures is presented in the report. “The benefits of a nutritious diet affect not only individuals, but also the society as a whole,” said Fang, “and the costs of a nutritious diet are also borne by the entire society.” Overall, the total costs associated with healthy diets are much lower than the costs of current consumption patterns. Were the population to shift to healthy diets, it is projected that direct and indirect health costs would be reduced up to 97 percent and the social cost of greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by 41–74 percent, according to data from projects in the examined countries. These benefits could potentially increase over time with innovation and the adoption of new technologies involving climate-smart agriculture. LINKS
 
Europe and Central Asia Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2020 
 
Launch of the 2020 Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Europe and Central Asia SDG2: Zero Hunger  
    “The momentum created by the pandemic offers us a chance to rethink our agrifood systems, among other issues, and to set off a transformation for better food and nutrition at less cost to the environment. The UN Food Systems Summit convened this fall by the UN Secretary-General, gives us all an excellent opportunity to address this important issue,” said Rakhmanin.  

The 2020 European Commission Report on North Macedonia has recognized the advanced status of land consolidation in the country. This achievement is a result of the joint efforts of FAO, the European Union (EU), and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy. Since March 2017, through the ongoing project “Mainstreaming of the National Land Consolidation Programme’’ (or MAINLAND) funded by the EU, FAO is helping agricultural land owners and rural communities in North Macedonia to address land fragmentation and small farm sizes. The ultimate goal is to increase the competitiveness of farms, enhance rural livelihoods, and improve sustainability in the use of natural resources. In two areas (Egri and Konce), land consolidation has already been piloted. Building on this experience, FAO and the European Union are assisting the Ministry to scale-up the National Land Consolidation Programme across the country and develop the technical and administrative expertise of the Ministry and other key public and private partners. According to the report’s chapter on agriculture and rural development, in terms of EU accession requirements, North Macedonia remains moderately prepared, with advanced progress in structural reforms on land consolidation and agriculture cooperatives, and good progress in implementing the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance for Rural Development and the Farm Accountancy Data Network. In its current National Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, the Republic of North Macedonia recognizes land consolidation as a key structural reform instrument to address the existing excessive land fragmentation and improve agricultural productivity. The MAINLAND project builds on earlier efforts of the FAO Technical Cooperation Project in North Macedonia from 2015 to 2017 that reviewed the national legal and institutional framework for land consolidation and provided recommendations to operationalize the National Land Consolidation Programme. The adoption of the amended Law on Consolidation of Agricultural Land in May 2018 marked the first milestone of land consolidation work in North Macedonia. This created the enabling legal environment for cost effective and efficient implementation of land consolidation projects, necessary to ensure respect for legitimate tenure rights. The first voluntary and majority-based land consolidation plans in the villages of Konce and Egri followed in late 2019 and early 2020. The land consolidation plan in Egri includes 336 ha of agricultural area owned by 214 landowners, and resulted in an almost fourfold reduction in the number of land parcels (from 874 to 260) that are better shaped and allow for better farming practices. The area in Egri has also benefitted from agricultural infrastructure investments, such as roads, irrigation, and drainage systems. Land consolidation is advancing in seven additional areas in North Macedonia, which are currently in the planning phase of land re-allotment, affecting at least 2 500 owners and a total around 3 000 ha of agricultural land. “The advancement of land consolidation in North Macedonia, as recognized by the European Commission, confirms that the joint efforts of FAO, the European Union, and the Government of North Macedonia to mainstream and scale-up the National Land Consolidation Programme across the country have brought visible results,” said FAO land tenure officer Morten Hartvigsen. “This is an excellent example for successful land consolidation, also in an international perspective.” The report is part of the European Commission’s 2020 Enlargement Package for the Western Balkans, which, together with its Economic and Investment Plan, provides an assessment of where the Republic of North Macedonia stands in implementing key political and economic reforms on its journey to become part of the European Union.

Coming from a family with a long tradition in agriculture, Ljupco Angelovski, a young family farmer in the village of Egri, North Macedonia, wanted to modernise his farm when he took it over from his parents. His land, however, was fragmented into 15 tiny plots scattered in different locations.  “Time and fuel are wasted on traveling from field to field distant from each other, for plowing, fertilising, harvesting,” explains Ljupco. “Parcels like this can only be useful for subsistence farming.”  Ljupco’s farm in North Macedonia is losing out to other European countries because of excessive land fragmentation and small farm sizes. “Competing in the EU market and the global economy is simply not possible with small plots of land,” says Ljupco. “There are no economies of scale.” Why is the land so fragmented? Land fragmentation is a common problem that dates back to the land reforms implemented when centrally-planned economies in Central and Eastern Europe moved to market ones. Large-scale state farms were broken up and agricultural land was given back­ to farmers. Due to this, most farms in North Macedonia have an average size of less than two hectares, compared to the 16.6 hectares that is the average farm size in the European Union. Additionally, these two hectares are often fragmented into five or more smaller land parcels that are irregularly shaped and distant from one another, making them challenging to farm. This means that, through no fault of their own, family farmers have great difficulty in scaling up agricultural production and shifting towards commercial farming. Most farms in North Macedonia have an average size of less than two hectares and are often fragmented into many smaller, irregularly shaped parcels that can be challenging to farm.  Ljupco and his wife Kathy, who run the farm together, knew that they needed to address these issues and implement modern techniques for their farm if they wanted to provide better opportunities for their family. Through awareness-raising activities by the EU Delegation, FAO and the Macedonian Ministry of Agriculture, Ljupco and Kathy heard about the MAINLAND project, an initiative focused on helping agricultural land owners and rural communities in North Macedonia to address the problem of land fragmentation. Implemented with FAO’s technical and financial assistance, the project aims to enlarge farm sizes and improve necessary agricultural infrastructure.  Through this project, Ljupco and Kathy’s land has been consolidated into three regularly-shaped parcels with an average size of two hectares, up from just 0.4 hectares beforehand. Ljupco and Kathy’s land also has better access to agricultural infrastructure, now that the project is improving agricultural roads, drainage and irrigation channels. These improvements, according to Ljupco, will increase land use efficiency and improve yields by 30 to 40 percent.   In Ljupco’s village, the land re-allotment plan was adopted by the qualified majority of landowners in January 2020 to become the first majority-based land consolidation project in North Macedonia. The land re-allotment plan for the village of Egri reduced the number of land parcels by almost fourfold from 874 plots to 260. The 214 landowners now have the same amount of land, but in regularly-shaped parcels that allow for better farming practices.  Now that their smaller land parcels have been consolidated into three manageable ones, Ljupco and his wife Kathy are upgrading to modern machinery to increase their farm productivity. ©FAO Adopting modern means of production With his land consolidated, Ljupco is thinking about the next step to make his farm more competitive: mechanisation. He and Kathy are upgrading their agricultural tools to modern machinery to further increase their farm productivity. “Ever since I took over the farm from my father, I have recognised the need for modernisation, such as a tractor and connecting machines to facilitate our field work, reduce costs and be more productive. However, applying such modern equipment to the tiny and scattered parcels was simply impossible,” says Ljupco. He is now preparing to apply for EU funding so he can invest in a modern seeder, pepper transplanting machine and a row mulcher.  With improved access to the irrigation network, Ljupco and Kathy are also hoping to expand their drip-irrigation system. This modernisation would save water, help them to vary their crops and improve their yields.   “Access to irrigation water will make us less vulnerable to climate change and also enable us to broaden our crop choices and increase the value of our products for the marketplace,” says Kathy. Wheat and maize account for some 50 percent of their agricultural production, but they also produce peppers and melon. She and Ljupco are looking into growing medical herbs and spices, including organic mint and saffron. They have attended several workshops on organic production and are exploring new opportunities to diversify their production and income. With land consolidation, everyone stands to win because food security increases when farms flourish. With partners like the EU, FAO is improving family farmers’ land structure and access to infrastructure, technology and markets. This attracts youth to the sector and ensures our food systems are sustainable and fit for the future. 

Fake news and misinformation have been burgeoning in parallel with the spread of the novel coronavirus and they can be just as dangerous as the virus, especially now with the development and distribution of vaccines getting on the fast track. Now more than ever, it is essential for all people to receive information from trusted sources so that everyone can make a truly informed decision about their own health. The infodemic is affecting public perception about the quality of vaccines as well as generating misunderstanding about the complex supply chains involved in producing and delivering vaccines. Global Supply of COVID-19 vaccines does not match the demand at this time. Distribution of vaccines of the scale of the COVID-19 global vaccinations, is a logistical undertaking in itself. It was inevitable that there would be supply challenges for COVID-19 vaccines while we wait for global manufacturing to reach capacity.  “Vaccines are a critical new tool in the battle against COVID-19 and I understand that everyone is keen to benefit from this available global public good”, said Dr Jihane Tawilah, WHO Representative in North Macedonia. “While we wait for receiving the vaccine, let us not forget the available public health measures which will play a significant role in containing this pandemic”.  WHO in North Macedonia worked closely with the Ministry of Health on the country's COVID-19 vaccination readiness, including planning, development of the National COVID vaccination plan, prioritization, support to proper cold chain and training of medical and vaccinator staff.    “I can confirm that North Macedonia meets the WHO stated conditions for COVID -19 related vaccination,” says Dr Tawilah.   “There has been a lot of misinformation about the arrival of the COVAX vaccines. As COVAX partner in the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines, UNICEF confirms the government of North Macedonia has followed the global guidance from COVAX, has fulfilled all the criteria and has submitted the required documents as requested and needed within the deadlines. The Government has also made the payments on time,” said Patrizia Di Giovanni, UNICEF Representative. “While the first doses are expected to arrive in the country in the first half of April, the dates will be shared when definite information is received.”   COVID-19 related misinformation can have an immense toll for the country’s economic recovery too.  “The COVID-19 pandemic is an overwhelmingly complex global issue affecting everyone and it can be surpassed only if we all act together. In that spirit, the whole of the United Nations is involved in working with the Government in North Macedonia, in all aspects of the COVID-19 response and recovery and will continue to do so,” says Rossana Dudziak, UN Resident Coordinator in North Macedonia.   ………………………….. COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance Gavi) and the World Health Organization (WHO) – working in partnership with UNICEF on the procurement of vaccine doses as well as freight, logistics and storage of COVID-19 vaccines, on behalf of global COVAX Facility.