Kyrgyz farmer Raisa Tologonova named among FAO's 100 outstanding women

Kyrgyz farmer Raisa Tologonova has been included among 100 women recognised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for their contributions to agriculture and rural communities, the organisation's press service said. She is one of the laureates of the global "100 FAO Heroines" initiative, held in connection with the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026. More than 600 candidates from 131 countries were nominated for the programme.

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu invited Tologonova to an awards ceremony in Rome, held as part of the World Food Forum from October 12 to 16. Born in 1955 in the village of Saruu in Issyk-Kul region, she worked for more than 20 years as an agronomist at a fruit nursery after graduating from an agricultural technical school and agrarian university.

Together with her husband and son, she later founded her own farm in Jeti-Oguz district. The farm's main product is blackcurrants, grown on about 25 hectares with yields reaching 100 centners per hectare. Tologonova also bred a new apple variety, which she named "Guldana" after her granddaughter. In her words: "Working with the land requires patience, knowledge and constant search for new solutions."