 In many countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, inefficient farm structures, outdated agricultural infrastructure and other challenges contribute to the abandonment of agricultural land and young people leaving the rural areas. Farms are often very small, usually between 1 and 3 hectares, and land fragmentation is excessive, with the land distributed in several small land parcels. In response, governments across the region initiated transformative measures, introducing land consolidation to overcome these structural constraints. Recognizing the urgent need for reversing this trend, FAO has taken the lead in helping countries establish effective national land consolidation programs. FAO has been providing its technical expertise to so far 12 member countries in Europe and Central Asia to introduce effective land consolidation instruments and build fully operational national land consolidation programs. Farms in Georgia are small and fragmented, with the average farm size 1.4 hectares, which is also distributed in several, three, four or even five land plots. This leads to the reduction of competitiveness and productivity. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia plans to introduce new land consolidation policy, legislation, also pilot projects tailored to Georgian reality. Also, it is very important for Georgia to integrate land consolidation with the public investments in rehabilitation of, for example, irrigation schemes, which is also of urgent importance for Georgian farmers. Land consolidation offers a long-term solution to improve agricultural productivity and competitiveness by reorganizing land into larger, more efficient farms. Land consolidation initiatives foster sustainable agricultural development and improves rural livelihoods. In Eastern Europe, land consolidation has a great potential to contribute to sustainable development. In particular, when it's applied to rural and rural areas, it's important for Georgia to be able to work efficiently. In Eastern Europe, land consolidation has great potential to contribute to sustainable development. In particular, when it's applied in a multipurpose approach. This means that land consolidation projects can include improvement of local access roads, irrigation and drainage systems, contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation, and strengthening biodiversity in nature and environment in the project areas. Land consolidation together with land banking and an active use of state-owned agricultural land can develop a cultural land market and bring abandoned agricultural land back into production. This again contributes to strengthening local food production and increasing food security. North Macedonia is among the leading countries in the region when it comes to tackling these challenges. There, the European Union and FAO collaborated on this implementation of the main land project, benefiting over 2,500 farm households. This initiative brought about remarkable improvements in land structures, improving farm sizes and access to crucial agricultural infrastructure. The total number of land parcels was significantly reduced from 8,237 to 3,344. These newly formed parcels now have an increased average size, from 0.5 to 1.3 hectares, boasting land use efficiency and yields and encouraging farmers to invest in the development of their farms. Small-holder farmers with fragmented land parcels are the backbone of the Macedonian agriculture. Consequently, improving the structure of the agricultural land and enlargement of the farms has been set as a strategic priority for the country. Through the EU FAO Mainland Project, the first round of land consolidation projects was implemented in nine areas country-wide, paving the way for further development. Following the farmers' growing interest and satisfaction, a new EU FAO project will enhance land consolidation policies and further scale up the interventions with the Ministry of Agriculture leading the way. Recently, North Macedonia is also making efforts in combining land consolidation with other land management instruments to address land abandonment and climate change adaptation in the agricultural sector. Before land consolidation, my farm was in nine places, nine parcels, which were from 0.6 hectares. The land consolidation is now in two places, which are three hectares. With this, we can invest in the agricultural sector. I can say that our country, or our country's land, is more valuable. We are now competitive. Young people are more interested in the implementation of the agricultural sector. Land consolidation instruments can improve inefficient farm structures. By reducing land fragmentation and facilitating enlargement of farms, this increases the productivity and competitiveness of farms but also fosters sustainable development and transformation towards climate-resilient local food systems. Together with land banking and the active use of state-owned agricultural land, land consolidation creates new opportunities for young farmers, stimulates development of agricultural land markets and contributes to strengthening local food production and bringing abandoned agricultural land back into production. Let's work together towards prosperous and resilient food systems in the region.