Serbia sets the groundwork for climate-resilient agriculture with EU and FAO support

Climate change is increasingly being felt by citizens through higher temperatures, sudden weather shifts, and more frequent extreme events. Farmers, meanwhile, experience these changes firsthand in their daily work with the land, recognizing them in lower yields caused by ever more unpredictable conditions. For this reason, new knowledge and skills are essential for adaptation—and they will remain permanently available following the successful completion of another European Union–funded project in this field.

The project “Strengthening the Resilience of the Agricultural Sector to Natural Hazards”, implemented in the Republic of Serbia by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with financial support from the European Union, has officially concluded after five years of intensive work aimed at strengthening capacities, policies, and practices related to climate-resilient agriculture.

A particular focus was placed on demonstrating climate-smart agriculture measures. Demonstration fields were established in 16 municipalities across Serbia and at three scientific research institutes, where more than 35 climate-smart practices were showcased under real production conditions.

EU Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Andreas von Beckerath, stressed at the project’s final conference on January 29 that joint efforts had delivered tangible progress.

“Together, we have worked hard to make agriculture more resilient to natural hazards. With confidence—and a certain degree of pride—we can say that agriculture in Serbia is now better prepared and more resilient. This is one of the many important achievements of this project”, Beckerath said.

The project was implemented in close cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, local governments, agricultural advisory services, educational institutions, and farmers across Serbia. It was designed as a response to the increasingly pronounced impacts of climate change and natural disasters, which represent one of the greatest challenges to agricultural production.

“Today, we are reaching the end of a project that began in March 2021. Over the past years, with the support of funding from European Union funds, FAO has worked with dedication on one of the most important goals for the future of agriculture in our country—the creation of an agricultural sector resilient to climate change,” said Minister of Agriculture Dragan Glamočić.

“We supported policy development, trained hundreds of experts, advisers, teachers and students, and demonstrated more than 35 climate-smart practices across over 400 demonstration plots. We reached around 1,600 farmers nationwide, but even more important is what comes next—the project has delivered lasting institutional change,” Gangi said.

One of the project’s key contributions was the integration of disaster risk management (DRM) and climate-smart agriculture (CSA) into public policies, institutional frameworks and on-the-ground practices. The project also contributed to the systemic strengthening of resilience across the agricultural sector.

Around 1,600 farmers had the opportunity to become directly familiar with measures to reduce risks from droughts, floods, frost and other climate extremes. The project also made a significant contribution to human capacity development: approximately 80 employees of the Ministry of Agriculture were trained, along with around 80 representatives from 23 local governments, more than 400 agricultural advisers, and over 300 students and teachers from secondary agricultural schools—embedding climate resilience principles at all levels.

As part of the project, an elective course titled “Climate Change in Agriculture” was introduced in secondary agricultural schools. Special attention was given to gender equality and the empowerment of women and young people, recognized as key drivers of the future development of agriculture and rural areas.

With the completion of this project, Serbia has taken a significant step toward a more modern, sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural sector, aligned with the objectives of the European Union and the European Green Deal. The results achieved and lessons learned provide a solid foundation for further investment in agricultural resilience and long-term food security.

European Union support for agriculture and rural development in Serbia has exceeded €230 million since 2000. These funds have been used to boost the competitiveness of farms, businesses and processing capacities through the IPARD programme; improve animal welfare and disease control; maintain land in good agricultural condition; establish national reference laboratories; ensure overall food safety; align agricultural policy; and prepare public administration for the implementation of EU standards.

EU-funded projects in this sector encourage the effective use of agricultural and rural development funds, improve product quality, provide incentives, and enhance the competitiveness of Serbian farmers on the European Union market of more than 500 million consumers.