IFPRI CENTRAL ASIA NEWS DIGEST (MARCH 3 – MARCH 9, 2015)
IFPRI CA News Digest
March 3 – March 9, 2015
News and Analysis
Tajik PM instructs to accelerate construction of Vahdat-Yovon railway
(Avesta.tj, 3 March 2015) Tajik Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda met with a director of Chinese railway construction company to discuss issues related to the construction of Vahdat-Yovon railway. The 46.3 kilometers long Vahdat - Yovon railway, which will connect the central Tajikistan with its Khatlon region in the south, is believed to be completed by September 2016, according to instructions by the President of Tajikistan.
Kazakhstan plans to diversify crops remain in force
(UkrAgroConsult, 4 March 2015) Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan plans to reduce the area under wheat by 235 thousand hectares, or about 20%. According to preliminary data, in 2015 the general sowing area is planned at 21.5 million ha. Grain crops will be planted on an area of 15.2 million ha, including the 12.2 million ha under wheat.
Even without the conflict, Russia is bad for Ukraine and the CIS: Fitch
(FT, 5 March 2015) In a study that isolates the impact only of trade, remittances and investment flows, analysts at Fitch Ratings say the sharp slowdown in Russia’s economy is a “significant shock” for neighbouring economies, including Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Based on Fitch’s assumption that Russia’s economy will contract by 4.5 percent this year, Armenia suffers most from a fall-off in remittances from Russia, while Ukraine will suffer most from a fall in trade.
FAO launches project worth over 638,000 USD in southern Tajikistan
(AsiaPlus, 5 March 2015) Tajik Ministry of Agriculture and the FAO have signed an agreement to implement project “On-farm technology validation and demonstration” under Khatlon Livelihoods Support Project. The IFAD will provide the financial support for the project, which will help about 1500 household farms to increase their profitability through improved agricultural technologies and inputs in 30 villages in Khatlon region.
Uzbekistan and France discussed cooperation in the agricultural sector
(Uzreport, 9 March 2015) French Ambassador Mr.Jacques-Henri Els held a meeting with Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Khamraev. Two parties discussed about the participation of Uzbekistan in the conference COP21 in December 2015 in Paris, as well as bilateral cooperation in the agricultural sector and, in particular, ongoing joint projects in reconstruction of pumping stations, livestock, irrigation and food processing. Ambassador also informed about the forthcoming visit of a delegation of French companies with an interest in the agricultural sector.
Publications
How much would you pay? Adapting Fee-Based Advisory Services to Mountainous Regions in Tajikistan
(E. Engel, J. Emmerling, T. Niepel, A. Peter and C. Simonetti-Techert. 2015. SLE Publication Series S 262.)
Description: Since 2011, GIZ has supported a fee-based agricultural advisory system for individual farmers, which has proven successful in Tajikistan’s cotton-growing lowlands. The system is based on an umbrella organization for agricultural advisors – Sarob – which provides different services (e.g. training, access to credit and machines) to its members. While farmers obtained higher yields through the agronomists’ support in the lowlands, and paid their fees, it was not possible to replicate this success in the pre-mountainous and mountainous regions. The study shows that an adapted fee-based advisory service in mountainous regions is feasible. There is a relevant demand for quality services as well as willingness and capacity to pay for services, provided they yield benefit. Motivated agronomists are ready to further explore their private enterprise and wish to be supported in order to better serve their clients’ needs and demands. Such a fee-based system, however, is only possible if certain conditions are met.
Agroforestry for Landscape Restoration and Livelihood Development in Central Asia
(U. Djanibekov, et.al. 2015. ICRAF Working Paper 186. World Agroforestry Centre.)
Abstract: This paper discusses how the adoption of agroforestry for ecosystem and livelihood improvement in Central Asian countries can be enhanced. First, it describes how previous and current developments lead to changing environmental conditions, and how these changing conditions consequently affected the welfare of people. Environmental issues on a global level, such as climate change, also threaten people’s livelihoods. Using examples from different Central Asian countries, and relying on interdisciplinary methods, the case for agroforestry is made as an option to rehabilitate and create environmental and social resilience. It demonstrates that various agroforestry systems are suitable for various agro-ecological and socio-economic areas in the region. Finally, by identifying current constraints and revealing opportunities, the paper aims to inform and provide recommendations for policy and decision makers and researchers about the potential of applying agroforestry in Central Asia.
(Zhou, Y., Zhang, L., Fensholt, R., Wang, K. and I. Vitkovskaya. 2015. Remote Sens. Vol. 7(3).)
Abstract: Central Asia comprises a large fraction of the world’s drylands, known to be vulnerable to climate change. We analyzed the inter-annual trends and the impact of climate variability in the vegetation greenness for Central Asia from 1982 to 2011 using GIMMS3g normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data. In our study, most areas showed an increasing trend during 1982–1991, but experienced a significantly decreasing trend for 1992–2011. Vegetation changes were closely coupled to climate variables (precipitation and temperature) during 1982–1991 and 1992–2011, but the response trajectories differed between these two periods. The warming trend in Central Asia initially enhanced the vegetation greenness before 1991, but the continued warming trend subsequently became a suppressant of further gains in greenness afterwards. Precipitation expanded its influence on larger vegetated areas in 1992–2011 when compared to 1982–1991. Moreover, the time-lag response of plants to rainfall tended to increase after 1992 compared to the pre-1992 period, indicating that plants might have experienced functional transformations to adapt the climate change during the study period. The impact of climate on vegetation was significantly different for the different sub-regions before and after 1992, coinciding with the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). It was suggested that these spatio-temporal patterns in greenness change and their relationship with climate change for some regions could be explained by the changes in the socio-economic structure resulted from the USSR collapse in late 1991. Our results clearly illustrate the combined influence of climatic/anthropogenic contributions on vegetation growth in Central Asian drylands. Due to the USSR collapse, this region represents a unique case study of the vegetation response to climate changes under different climatic and socio-economic conditions.
Events
Fourth IFC International Food Safety Forum
(IFC. 19 March 2015. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan)
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is organizing the Fourth International Food Safety Forum, which will take place on 19 March, 2015 in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, at Hyatt Regency Hotel. The purpose of the Forum is to encourage regional food processing companies to improve their food safety systems and ensure public support for this process from all stakeholders in the food market. Attendees will include up to 100 executives from global and local leading food processing companies, major retailers, senior government officials, and expert and consumer communities.
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