BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centres (CGIAR) partners with Uzbekistan to provide climate-smart solutions regionwide, Regional Director for Central and Western Asia and North Africa (CWANA region) of CGIAR and Director General of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Aly Abousabaa told Trend.
“To scale agri-innovations and leverage the region’s climate-smart biodiversity and green energy potential, we cooperate closely with national partners such as Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Uzbekistan's Ministry of Water Resources, the Uzbekistan agriculture research system entities and universities, the private sector, and farming communities. Collaborating with these key partners ensures our market-driven climate-smart solutions in Uzbekistan fully address the country’s unique challenges,” he said.
The regional director also noted that CGIAR’s portfolio of climate-smart agri-food systems initiatives is tailored to the needs of smallholder farmers and rural communities. Human resources and capacity building remain a key focus, as local farmers need to understand technologies before they can apply them.
“ICARDA has trained over 12,000 local scientists and farmers in Central Asia and the Caucasus through workshops, field days, and training sessions on sustainable land management practices and support in implementing the UN Convention to Combat Desertification,” Aly Abousabaa emphasized.
He mentioned the distribution of seeds in Uzbekistan’s Karakalpakstan as an example. Karakalpakstan is the region most affected by the desiccation of the Aral Sea, where ICARDA promotes short-duration mungbean, which complements the existing cotton-wheat system.
“We provided around two tons of locally grown mung bean seeds to 100 farmers for seed multiplication on May 5. The crop proved highly lucrative and serves as a viable alternative to rice production during periods of limited water availability,” he added.
