IFPRI CENTRAL ASIA NEWS WEEKLY DIGEST (MAY 12 – MAY 18, 2015)
News and Analysis
Tajikistan's Russian Dream: Letter from Dushanbe
(Foreign Affairs, 11 May 2015) The article narrates about the importance of remittances, which Tajik migrants sent back to Tajikistan, and how economic slowdown as well as stricter immigration policies in Russia have been affecting migrant workers. All of the conditions migrants look for—job prospects, earnings, and ease of travel—have worsened dramatically in Russia over the past year, says the article.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Food and Agriculture Agencies to Lead Journalists on a Visit to Tajikistan
(Embassy of the US in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 12 May 2015) Ambassador David Lane, the U.S. Representative to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome, will travel to Tajikistan from May 11-16, 2015. Together with U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan Susan Elliott, he will visit rural communities and observe how the United States and the UN Food and Agriculture Agencies collaborate to support rural households, farmers, businesses, and government officials to improve food security and nutrition and promote agricultural development in Tajikistan. The article also provides links to more detailed information about the visit on Facebook and Twitter pages.
Uzbek border guards open fire at smugglers on border with Kyrgyzstan
(Trend, 13 May 2015) A Kyrgyz citizen died from gunshot wounds during the arrest of smugglers who tried to smuggle a large batch of agricultural products from Uzbekistan by Uzbekistan border guards, according to the National Security Service State Border Protection Committee (NSS SBPC) of Uzbekistan. Smugglers were transporting 10 metric tons of potatoes and 5 metric tons of dried apricots from Uzbek territory into Kyrgyzstan.
Vice-premier orders to intensify work on protecting domestic food market from hazardous goods
(AgroInform, 14 May 2015) The fourth meeting of the Food Safety Coordinating Council, presided over by the Deputy Prime Minister, Azim Ibrohim, was held in Dushanbe. The meeting reportedly discussed the program on adaptation of Tajikistan’ economy to the post WTO accession conditions. The meeting participants also discussed issues related to the implementation of the plan of actions to improve the investment climate and food safety in the country including provision of veterinary, phytosanitary, plant protection and quarantine services. The Food Safety Coordinating Council was set up in November 2014 to monitor and assess safety of food products and provide expertise support for making specific decisions as well as work out food safety legislation.
(ReSAKSS Asia, 18 May 2015) University of Central Asia’s Institute of Public Policy and Administration in collaboration with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) launched Kyrgyzstan Spatial, a new online mapping platform informs ReSAAKS Asia. This innovative tool was featured at the top of the list, as a cutting-edge top technology in Aid & International Development Forum (AIDF)’s report on ‘Top Solutions That Save Lives in Humanitarian Response and Disaster Relief’. Kyrgyzstan Spatial incorporates innovative mapping concepts and technology using data from a wide range of sources and for a wide range of use. It enables users to visualize areas most vulnerable to food insecurity and target policies and research where they are most needed.
Publications
(R. Kraemer et.al. 2015. Environmental Research Letters. Vol. 10(5))
Abstract Excerpts: “During the Soviet Virgin Lands Campaign, approximately 23 million hectares (Mha) of Eurasian steppe grassland were converted into cropland in Northern Kazakhstan from 1954 to 1963. As a result Kazakhstan became an important breadbasket of the former Soviet Union. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 triggered widespread agricultural abandonment, and much cropland reverted to grasslands. Our goal in this study was to reconstruct and analyze agricultural land-cover change since the eve of the Virgin Lands Campaign, from 1953 to 2010 in Kostanay Province, a region that is representative of Northern Kazakhstan. Further, we assessed the potential of currently idle cropland for re-cultivation... Using spatial logistic regressions we found that cropland expansion during the Virgin Lands Campaign was significantly associated with favorable agro-environmental conditions... Results suggest that if increasing production is a goal, improving crop yields in currently cultivated lands should be a focus, whereas extensive livestock grazing as well as the conservation of non-provisioning ecosystem services and biodiversity should be priority on more marginal lands.
Transition to Agricultural Market Economies: The Future of Kazakhstan, Russian and Ukraine
(A. Schmitz and W.H. Meyers. 2015 (Forthcoming). CABI)
Description: It is believed that the major countries of the former Soviet Union—specifically Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine (KRU region)—are the part of the world with the most potential to increase food supplies and strengthen world food security. This book examines the future of the KRU countries in global agricultural markets and will examine a number of agricultural sectors, including meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. However particular attention is paid to the region’s potential expansion of the grain sector and why the KRU region emerged during the 2000s as a major grain exporter, and its potential to further expand grain production and exports. It also examine the issues of environmental constraints and trade-offs for agriculture, sustainability, and the possible effects of climate change.
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