A virtual event organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on 28 May showcased practical, scalable solutions from across Europe and Central Asia, highlighting how circular bioeconomy approaches in agriculture can drive innovation, support sustainable development and help translate commitments into concrete action on the ground.
The event marked the launch of the publication “Case studies promoting bioeconomy through agricultural practices in Europe and Central Asia”, which presents examples of sustainable and circular agricultural practices already being implemented across the region.
Opening the event, Raimund Jehle, FAO Deputy Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, noted that countries across the region face growing pressures linked to climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation and water scarcity, while rural communities experience these challenges in their daily lives. He highlighted the growing importance of bioeconomy approaches in addressing these agrifood systems challenges.
“Case studies presented today show that bioeconomy is not a single model – it can take many forms depending on local resources, ecosystems and traditions, but all share a common goal: using biological resources more sustainably, reducing waste, impact on climate and biodiversity while creating value for rural communities,” Jehle said.
Moderated by Dominique Burgeon, Director of the FAO Liaison Office in Geneva, the webinar brought together speakers from across the region to present practical examples of bioeconomy approaches in agriculture. Examples included regenerative organic farming in Austria, agroecological symbiosis systems in Finland, circular farming approaches in Latvia, sustainable data-driven legume production in Serbia, women-led textile production in Türkiye using traditional weaving with local cotton, and conservation agriculture in Uzbekistan aimed at addressing climate change.
Speakers throughout the webinar stressed the importance of improving resource efficiency, strengthening rural livelihoods and building on local knowledge and existing agricultural practices.
Speaking about the Austrian case study, organic farmer Alfred Grand pointed to the role of organic farming in maintaining soil health and minimizing fossil fuels use.
“We grow food, soil and people,” Grand said.
Gülçin Gürsoy, from a women’s cooperative in Türkiye presented how the traditional weaving using organic-certified cotton, linen and hemp, all locally sourced, created jobs and income for women. “The cooperative offers free courses in sewing, embroidery, cooking,
baking and weaving. Until today more than 500 people have benefited from the cooperative’s activities,” she mentioned.
The publication builds on FAO’s broader regional work on sustainable bioeconomy and circular agriculture, including discussions held during the Thirty-fifth Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe last month in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Alicja Kacprzak, FAO Environment and Bioeconomy Officer said that examples presented during the webinar demonstrated how sustainable bioeconomy approaches are being widely applied across diverse agricultural and rural contexts in the region.
“FAO will continue to support Members in moving from raising awareness to accelerating implementation at country level,” Kacprzak added.
In his concluding remarks, Lev Neretin, Environment Team Leader at the FAO Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment emphasized the importance of policy support, investment, knowledge exchange and partnerships to help scale up sustainable bioeconomy approaches across Europe and Central Asia, adding that “transformation depends on practical solutions that are rooted in country realities, and traditions.”
IL BIOECONOMISTA 