The next generation of Russian researchers and experts in the field of agriculture will play an important role in the global fight against hunger and malnutrition, developing and applying their scientific achievements to solve the existing food issues and problems facing the agricultural sector. This appeal has today become the main theme of the presentation by FAO Director-General josé Graziano da Silva in front of the faculty at the Russian state agrarian University named after K. A. Timiryazev in Moscow.

“The Academy need to go out of his comfortable existence and to contribute to food security and sustainable development”, said Graziano. “The challenge is how to direct the accumulated knowledge in the fight against hunger, adaptation to climate change and mitigation, and sustainable development".

Climate change is already affecting agriculture, said Graziano. In a cold climate in Russia, the warming could contribute to the expansion of areas for agricultural production. However, in the tropics, where the poor and starving of the world's population, by contrast, agricultural land and freshwater resources are diminishing. The main objective of the FAO is to assist developing countries to adapt to climate change and to maintain the capacity to feed everyone on the background of inevitable population growth, " continued the Director-General of FAO.

“The need for innovation is huge, – said Graziano, – and in this case, innovation means increasing the flexibility and sustainability of our food systems. Approaches such as climate-oriented smart agriculture, Agroecology and resource efficiency are particularly promising.

Graziano was awarded the honorary degree of doctor of Sciences, Russian state agrarian University named after K. A. Timiryazev, a leading agricultural University in the country. Founded in 1865, the Academy has trained hundreds of thousands of professionals for domestic and foreign economy, including Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

It is expected that the opening of the FAO liaison office in Moscow will contribute to the strengthening of relations between FAO and the Russian academia and the research community, and will help the exchange of experiences with other countries, especially in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia.