Climate Change Creates Increasingly Serious Challenges Requiring Responsible Approaches from Agricultural Sector Leaders

Today, not only Central Asian countries but also the global community as a whole are striving to find solutions to overcome climate threats. These problems include the rising concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, increasing surface temperatures, water resource shortages, the frequency of natural disasters, the intensification of desertification processes, and many others.

Experts believe that climate change not only contributes to the emergence of new types of natural disasters but can also significantly amplify the destructive potential of existing calamities to a level where control becomes impossible.

International organizations and scientific communities argue that climate change leads to the emergence of socio-economic problems of varying scales in several regions worldwide. According to the World Bank, climate change could trigger significant internal migration, with 216 million people across six global regions forced to leave their homes and relocate by 2050. The fact that Central Asia is among these regions, where over 5 million residents may face the necessity of relocation, underscores the particular relevance of this issue for the countries in the region.

In this context, a series of decrees and resolutions from the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan have been published, aimed at mitigating the negative impacts of climate change and addressing existing issues. In particular, to prevent water shortages, soil salinization, and degradation caused by the annual increase in average air temperatures in the region, to adapt agriculture to climate change, and to reduce its negative effects on the climate, the Presidential Resolution on “Measures for the Creation of Climate-Resilient Agroecosystems and Increasing the Resilience of Agricultural Producers to Climate-Related Risks” has been approved. This document has become the foundation for the adoption of the National Program for the Adaptation of the Agricultural Sector to Climate Change. The program envisions the creation of a resilient agroecosystem and increasing the adaptability of agricultural producers to climate challenges.

The priority areas defined within the framework of the National Program include:

• Effective organization of measures implemented in regions affected by climate changes.
• Execution of activities within the framework of international grant projects in agriculture, tailored to climate change adaptation.
• Rational use of natural resources related to climate changes and improvement of agricultural technologies for growing crops.
• Development of measures to adapt agriculture to changing climatic conditions.
• Effective use and protection of pastures.

This resolution also includes measures to adapt the agricultural sector to climate change, as well as support and incentives for agricultural producers within the framework of the program “Expanding Climate-Adaptative Agricultural Practices in Uzbekistan and Mitigating the Impact of the Agricultural Sector on the Climate,” in collaboration with the UN Green Climate Fund, amounting to $200 million. Furthermore, grant funds from the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), and other international organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are planned to be allocated to projects related to climate change in the Aral Sea region and in the country’s agriculture.

It is also worth noting that scientists from the Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan are conducting effective research on creating local varieties resistant to the negative effects of climate change—drought and salinity—through the application of gene knockout and marker technologies in breeding.

In particular, based on old genes, drought-, salt-, and cold-resistant cotton varieties Matonat-1 and Matonat-2 have been created for the soil-climatic conditions of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. While in 2025, the plan is to harvest 4.5 tons of seeds from these varieties and sow them over 200 hectares, in 2026 it is planned to collect 90 tons of seeds and sow 4,000 hectares.

Additionally, a biotechnological variety “Barkamol” has been developed from local soft wheat “Triticum aestivum L,” which is resistant to drought and salinity. Next year, there are plans to harvest 4 tons of seeds and plant them over 20 hectares.

Moreover, to combat global climate change and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions arising from the decomposition of agricultural crops, particularly cotton residues (stems and roots), tests of new generation gene knockout lines are being conducted. These lines are capable of accumulating slowly decomposable suberin polymers in their roots and stems, thereby enhancing the “greenness” of Uzbekistan’s agricultural crops.

Furthermore, it is necessary to fundamentally improve the ecological situation in the country, organize systematic work to combat dust storms, protect and restore the environment, reduce the risk of their occurrence through afforestation, and mitigate the negative consequences of these phenomena. A system for early warning about dust storms should also be developed. In this regard, the implementation of the Presidential Resolution of the Republic of Uzbekistan on “Immediate Measures to Combat Dust Storms and Improve Air Quality” is of significant importance.

In accordance with this, cooperation with developed countries abroad is being established to combat dust storms and mitigate their consequences. Scientific foundations for the rational use of pastures are also being developed, local pasture plant varieties are being created, and scientific principles for sowing pasture crops and adaptive systems for intensive fodder production in desert conditions are being devised. Identification of degraded pasture areas, conducting geobotanical, soil, and reclamation studies, as well as creating their electronic maps, are also underway. Within this framework, a series of practical measures aimed at increasing green spaces is being implemented, including the establishment of new intensive orchards and vineyards to replace unprofitable and outdated, rarely exploited gardens and vineyards in the regions.

As indicated in the resolution, the National Program for Combating Dust Storms and Mitigating Their Consequences in the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2024-2030 has been developed, as well as the “Program of Measures to be Implemented in 2024-2030 to Reduce the Negative Impact of Afghan Winds and Improve the Ecological Situation in the Surkhandarya Region,” as specified in paragraph 14 of the Program. According to this program, new intensive orchards and vineyards are to be established on the sites of low-yielding, old, and underexploited gardens and vineyards in areas threatened by Afghan winds. Modern technologies such as drip irrigation and trellis installation for vineyards will be applied, and a series of measures, including the introduction of other intensive methods, will also be developed.

In accordance with the Presidential Resolution of February 22, 2019, No. PP-4204, “On Measures to Enhance the Effectiveness of Work to Combat Desertification and Drought in the Republic of Uzbekistan,” numerous systemic measures have been implemented in the country. In particular, there are 21.2 million hectares of pastures in the republic, of which 16.6 million hectares are desert pastures and 4.5 million hectares are mountain and foothill pastures.

Of the total pasture area, 16.3 million hectares are in permanent use by the Committee for the Development of Silk Production and Wool Industry under the Ministry of Agriculture, 3.1 million hectares have been allocated from the forest fund, and the remaining 1.8 million hectares belong to other organizations.

Geobotanical studies on pastures are conducted by the State Scientific and Design Institute “Uzdaverlokha” under the Ministry of Agriculture with funding from the state budget allocated annually.

In particular, geobotanical studies have been conducted on 16.8 million hectares of pastures in the republic. It has been established that 13 percent of the pastures have undergone degradation, while 32 percent of the pastures have shown a sharp reduction in vegetation cover.

By the end of 2024, it is planned to complete geobotanical studies on 4.2 million hectares of pastures, develop their electronic digital maps, and prepare recommendations for improving the condition of these pastures, increasing vegetation cover, and restoring degraded areas.

According to conducted studies, there are 2,908 water management facilities in pasture areas, of which 1,014 are vertical wells, and 1,894 are shaft wells.

In particular, the Republic of Karakalpakstan has 535 wells, Bukhara Region has 396 wells, Jizzakh Region has 338 wells, Kashkadarya Region has 303 wells, Navoi Region has 1,052 wells, Samarkand Region has 210 wells, Surkhandarya Region has 71 wells, and Khorezm Region has 3 wells. Of these, 167 new water extraction facilities were established in 2023-2024, and 36 water-saving units were installed.

This year, 21 billion sums are planned to be allocated from the state budget as subsidies for the creation of irrigation wells.

In 2024-2026, measures will be taken to restore 677,000 hectares of degraded pastures and ensure compliance with environmental protection requirements on pasture lands, which are one of the main feed bases for livestock. On these pastures, sowing of nutrient plants suitable for desert-pasture conditions will be organized, and a system of rotational grazing will be implemented in areas with reduced vegetation cover. Sowing will be carried out using delta planes and other unmanned aerial vehicles.

To improve the condition of degraded pastures, a system of small ponds (micro-basins) and underground “pockets” is being created using the Italian plow unit Delfino 3, which will accumulate rainwater and water flows, as well as other resources such as light soil, organic matter, and seeds.

The application of this system allows for complete accumulation of rainwater in micro-basins, significant reduction of evaporation, increased productivity of pasture grasses, and preservation of biodiversity in pastures.

To address the negative impacts of climate change, large-scale work has been carried out within the framework of the nationwide project “Yashil Makon.” In particular, according to government decree No. 144-F dated March 7, 2024, in spring 2024, 65 million trees and shrubs are planned to be planted.

In Practice, 66.6 Million Seedlings Have Been Planted. Of these, farmer and cluster farms along the edges of fields planted 36.4 million ornamental trees, while newly established orchards and vineyards accounted for 30.1 million seedlings. In the autumn of 2024, farmer and cluster farms plan to plant 37.4 million seedlings and cuttings.

Currently, there are 59 nursery farms operating in the regions, which have prepared a total of 22.4 million seedlings for creating new orchards and vineyards in the autumn months of this year, including 9.4 million fruit seedlings and 13 million grape seedlings. Uzbekistan has transformed from an importer of seedlings into one of the exporting countries: over the past three years, 7.5 million seedlings (worth $2.8 million) of fruits and other plants have been exported.

Across the republic, there are 358,000 hectares of orchards and 196,000 hectares of vineyards. In 2024, the Republic of Karakalpakstan and other regions plan to establish 26,400 hectares of fruit orchards and 101,000 hectares of vineyards. Additionally, the creation of 43,200 hectares of industrial orchards and vineyards will be organized in the autumn of 2024 and in 2025.

At the same time, the government of Uzbekistan supports the implementation of joint measures with partner countries aimed at mitigating the negative effects of climate change not only at the national or regional level but also on a global scale. In this regard, significant initiatives are being carried out in neighboring Tajikistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan to create friendship parks. These projects are important as they help to prevent global problems such as climate change and ensure food security.

In summary, today all countries in the world are experiencing the negative consequences of climate change. Therefore, in the fight against this problem, achieving the set goals is possible not only through the joint efforts of neighboring states but also through effective cooperation among all countries of the world.

Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov,
Minister of Agriculture of the
Republic of Uzbekistan