Navigating Change: Advancing Agricultural Sustainability and Rural Development in Central Asia

The Navigating Change Conference: Agricultural Sustainability and Rural Development in Central Asia, held on 14–15 October 2025 at Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT),

Jointly organized by WIUT and the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO), the conference is part of the UzFarmBarometer project and supported by the Innovative Development Agency under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of Uzbekistan and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Central Asia faces pressing challenges from land degradation, water scarcity, and climate variability, which continue to threaten agricultural productivity and food security. The conference provided a vital platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration to identify innovative solutions for a more sustainable future.

Representing ICARDA, Dr. Akmal Akramkhanov, Senior Scientist – Sustainable Land Management and Country Coordinator for Uzbekistan, and Dr. Boubaker Dhehibi, Principal Natural Resources Economist, participated in this important exchange. Dr. Dhehibi delivered a presentation on “Strengthening Agricultural Innovation Systems through Multi-Actor Platforms”, highlighting the case of the Southern Research Institute of Agriculture (SRIA).

His presentation emphasized SRIA’s critical role in developing improved seed varieties, advancing agricultural technologies, and creating sustainable agrifood value chains that boost productivity and national food security. However, he also underscored ongoing challenges, including limited funding, outdated facilities, and farmers’ limited participation in decision-making.

Dr. Dhehibi concluded that overcoming these barriers requires a collaborative, innovation-driven, and market-oriented seed system that empowers farmers and strengthens agricultural resilience across the region.