The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with two Azerbaijani universities, said Bariz Mehdiyev, the Deputy Head of FAO's Country Office, during a conference themed "Water and Gender Equality" held in Baku, Report informs.

"As FAO, we are collaborating with Azerbaijan State Agricultural University in Ganja, and on October 24, a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed with that university. Additionally, a similar memorandum is planned to be signed with ADA University in the near future," stated Mehdiyev.

Emphasizing the importance of education in the field of agriculture, Mehdiyev highlighted the scarcity of female personnel in this sector. "This is related to mentality, traditions, farmers' attitudes, and women's career choices. The development of agricultural work and advisory services in the agrarian sector still lags behind. We are implementing various projects in this direction. In collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, a strategy for improving advisory services in the agrarian sector has been prepared and submitted to the ministry," he added.

Mehdiyev recalled that FAO was established in 1945, 79 years ago, which is an indicator of the organization's commitment to food and nutrition security. "Among the reasons for FAO's establishment was the fight against widespread hunger in the world after World War II. However, over time, the organization's priorities have expanded to include goals such as ensuring food security, developing sustainable agriculture, solving water problems, and the sustainable use of natural resources. In recent years, combating climate change has also been added to this list," he explained.

"Currently, discussions are being held within the framework of the COP events, an initiative of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. This year, COP29 will be held in Baku, and FAO will actively participate in that event. Work is being carried out within the framework of the Harmony Climate Initiative in collaboration with government agencies, and the main goal of this initiative is to increase the climate resilience of agriculture, which includes water resource management," Mehdiyev concluded.