Boosting sustainable agricultural development in Central Asia discussed in Moscow 

More than 50 scientists and policy-makers from 10 countries and 15 national and international organizations met in Moscow, September 13-15, 2016, to discuss achievements, challenges and opportunities to enhance food and nutritional security, and boost agricultural development in Central Asia and the Caucasus region. The event, the 17th Meeting of the Steering Committee of the CGIAR Regional Program for Sustainable Agricultural development in Central Asia and the Caucasus (CAC), was jointly organized with the Eurasian Center for Food Security (ECFS) and led by ICARDA.

 

The meeting reviewed the results of joint agricultural research implemented in the CAC region through collaboration and partnerships involving the CGIAR centers operating in the region and national agricultural research systems (NARS), and outlined future needs and priorities. The meeting brought together the representatives of active International Research Centers in the region, heads of the NARS from five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) and two Caucasus countries (Armenia and Azerbaijan), plus representatives of the government and research institutions of the Russian Federation and FAO. 

 

Established in 1998, the research portfolio of the CAC Regional Program for sustainable agricultural development and better livelihoods includes solutions and innovations on plant genetic resources, crop improvement, seed systems, cropping system diversification, livestock and feed improvement, and natural resource management, along with socio-economic and policy research. The program places high priority on strengthening the NARS through capacity building and knowledge sharing. 

 

The meeting assessed the progress made to date by the regional program throughout the CAC. Participants had the opportunity to interact and exchange insights about the effects of climate change on food and agriculture, and discussed approaches for effective technology transfer and dissemination to achieve developmental outcomes throughout the region. Additionally, the meeting provided a platform for discussing and identifying ways to enhance agricultural research-for-development and capacity building partnerships among the members of the CAC Regional Program, ECFS, donor agencies, and other Russian Federation institutions. 

 

All participating organizations agreed sustainable agricultural development and better livelihoods in the CAC region under the conditions of climate change to be of utmost priority.