From aid to growth: strategic shift secures long-term future for Moldovan agriculture – Food and Agriculture Organization

Project Report: Strengthening Competitiveness and Climate Resilience in Moldovan Agriculture

Introduction and Strategic Context

A collaborative project has been launched in the Republic of Moldova to enhance the competitiveness and climate resilience of smallholder farmers. This initiative, the second phase of the Programme on Resilient and Inclusive Markets, is implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with significant financial support from Switzerland. The project directly addresses multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by tackling structural vulnerabilities within the nation’s agrifood sector, which are exacerbated by frequent droughts and regional socioeconomic instability.

The four-year project was officially launched on 13 November 2025. It represents a strategic shift from emergency relief to long-term sustainable development, aligning with Moldova’s European Union integration process and the need to adopt stricter quality, safety, and sustainability standards.

Core Objectives and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 1 & SDG 8: Eradicating Poverty and Promoting Decent Work and Economic Growth

The project is designed to transition small-scale farmers from subsistence to commercial agriculture, directly contributing to poverty reduction and fostering inclusive economic growth.

• Target Beneficiaries: The initiative will expand its reach from 17,000 to over 25,000 small-scale farmers and family farms.
• Economic Integration: A primary goal is to integrate 500 small-scale farmers into formal market processes, increasing their sales and competitiveness. This fosters decent work and economic growth in rural communities.

SDG 2 & SDG 13: Achieving Zero Hunger and Taking Climate Action

A central focus is on building a climate-resilient agrifood sector to ensure food security in the face of environmental shocks.

• Climate Resilience: The project will aid up to 50 local public administrations in mainstreaming climate change adaptation into local planning processes.
• Early Warning Systems: To combat the effects of drought, the project will implement the FAO Agricultural Stress Index System to provide reliable early warnings, a critical tool for climate action (SDG 13) and protecting food production (SDG 2).

SDG 10 & SDG 12: Reducing Inequalities and Ensuring Responsible Production

By targeting the most vulnerable farmers and promoting sustainable standards, the project aims to create a more equitable and responsible agricultural sector.

• Inclusive Development: The program focuses on turning the vulnerability of smallholders into economic opportunity, thereby reducing inequalities within the sector.
• Sustainable Standards: Support will be provided to help farmers adapt to higher quality, safety, and sustainability standards, aligning with EU market requirements and promoting responsible production patterns.

Implementation Strategy and Key Activities

Capacity Building and Value Chain Development

A farmer-led, participatory approach will be used to build knowledge and experience at individual, organizational, and institutional levels. Key activities include:

1. Value Chain Enhancement: Development of four key value chains tailored to farmer needs: livestock, vegetables, staple crops, and berries.
2. Peer-to-Peer Learning: Establishment of Farmer Field Schools to facilitate knowledge sharing and the adoption of best practices.
3. Market Linkages: Support for the formation of four farmer clusters and 20 contract farming initiatives to improve market access and bargaining power.

Policy and Institutional Support

The project will work at a systemic level to create an enabling environment for sustainable rural development.

1. Policy Development: Collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry to refine subsidy measures and grant application procedures for small-scale farmers.
2. Climate Adaptation Planning: Mainstreaming climate change adaptation into local public administration planning processes.
3. Data and Monitoring: Training State Hydrometeorology Service staff to operate the FAO Agricultural Stress Index System for effective drought management.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The project’s success is founded on a multi-stakeholder partnership that exemplifies SDG 17. The collaboration between FAO, UNDP, the Swiss Cooperation Office, and the Government of the Republic of Moldova, along with farmers’ organizations and the private sector, is essential for achieving sustainable, inclusive, and resilient rural development. This coordinated approach ensures that interventions are effective and deliver lasting benefits for smallholders and rural communities beyond the project’s duration.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights several interconnected issues such as agricultural vulnerability, climate change impacts, socioeconomic instability, and the need for economic development for smallholder farmers in the Republic of Moldova. Based on the project’s objectives and activities, the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are addressed:

• SDG 1: No Poverty – The project aims to improve the economic situation of smallholder farmers, who are described as vulnerable, and guide their “transition from subsistent to commercial agriculture,” directly addressing poverty in rural communities.
• SDG 2: Zero Hunger – The core focus is on strengthening the agrifood sector, improving the competitiveness of smallholder farmers, and ensuring food security by building a “climate-resilient future for the entire agrifood sector.”
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – The project promotes “inclusive economic development” by integrating small-scale farmers into market processes, enhancing the competitiveness of local products, and increasing sales, thereby contributing to sustainable economic growth.
• SDG 13: Climate Action – A central theme is building “climate resilience” among farmers to cope with “frequent droughts.” The project includes activities like mainstreaming “climate change adaptation into local planning processes” and implementing an early warning system for drought.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – The project is a collaborative effort “implemented jointly by FAO and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with key support from Switzerland” and involves national institutions, development partners, and farmers’ organizations, exemplifying a multi-stakeholder partnership for sustainable development.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

The article’s description of the project’s goals and interventions allows for the identification of several specific SDG targets:

1. Target 1.5: By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters.
   • Explanation: The project directly targets “vulnerable” smallholder farmers and aims to improve their resilience to shocks, including “frequent droughts,” “socioeconomic instability,” and the “socioeconomic fallout from the war in Ukraine.”
2. Target 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.
   • Explanation: The project focuses on “small-scale farmers and family farms” with the goal of turning their “vulnerability into opportunity” by guiding their transition to commercial agriculture, integrating them into market processes, and increasing sales. It supports the development of four specific value chains (livestock, vegetables, staple crops, and berries).
3. Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
   • Explanation: The project is designed to help farmers “adapt to stricter quality, safety and sustainability standards” and achieve a “climate-resilient future.” It establishes Farmer Field Schools and supports farmer clusters to improve capacities in “resilient agriculture.”
4. Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors.
   • Explanation: The project aims to “substantially increase competitiveness” by integrating farmers into market processes, elevating quality standards, and diversifying markets. This represents a move towards higher economic productivity and value addition within the agricultural sector.
5. Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
   • Explanation: The project’s explicit goal is to “strengthen competitiveness and climate resilience among smallholder farmers.” It directly addresses the “ongoing drought crisis” by aiding local administrations in “mainstreaming climate change adaptation into local planning processes” and implementing a drought early warning system.
6. Target 17.16: Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries.
   • Explanation: The article describes the project as a partnership between the FAO, UNDP, the Swiss Cooperation Office, and Moldovan national institutions like the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry. This collaboration brings together international expertise, financial resources, and national ownership to achieve shared goals.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions several quantifiable outcomes and specific activities that can serve as indicators to measure progress:

• Number of beneficiaries reached: The project builds on the success of supporting “17 000 smallholders” in its first phase and aims to “reach out to more than 25 000 small-scale farmers and family farms” in the new phase. This is a direct indicator of the project’s scale and reach (relevant to Targets 1.5 and 2.3).
• Market integration and commercial initiatives: A specific target is for “500 small-scale farmers to be integrated into market processes.” The project also supports the “formation of four farmer clusters and 20 contract farming initiatives.” These are clear, measurable indicators of economic integration and competitiveness (relevant to Targets 2.3 and 8.2).
• Development of value chains: The “development of four value chains (livestock, vegetables, staple crops and berries)” is a specific output that can be monitored and evaluated (relevant to Target 2.3).
• Capacity building in climate adaptation: The project will “aid up to 50 local public administrations in mainstreaming climate change adaptation into local planning processes.” This number serves as a concrete indicator of institutional capacity building for climate action (relevant to Target 13.1).
• Implementation of early warning systems: The plan to “adapt and implement the FAO Agricultural Stress Index System at the regional level” to provide “real-time and reliable early warnings for drought conditions” is a specific, technical indicator of enhanced adaptive capacity (relevant to Targets 1.5, 2.4, and 13.1).
• Knowledge sharing platforms: The “establishment of Farmer Field Schools to facilitate peer learning” is a measurable activity aimed at building resilient agricultural practices (relevant to Target 2.4).

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: fao.org