CGIAR Central Asia and the Caucasus

Opportunities

The CAC region offers tremendous opportunities for agricultural development, since the two important prerequisites, i.e. institutional infrastructure and human resources do exist. In addition, traditional agricultural practices, rich genetic wealth (both of plants and animals) and vast arable areas and rangelands provide enormous potential for future development.

Current use of quality seed of high yielding varieties, fertilizers and pesticides is minimal. Area under food crops as well as productivity levels have declined in some countries and similarly, livestock populations have decreased due to lack of viable markets, remunerative prices and degradation of rangelands. The region presently faces a lack of food and fodder resources. Water use efficiency has also decreased due to poor maintenance of vast irrigation systems and misuse of water. Hence, tremendous opportunities exist if new improved technologies are made available to farmers. Also, there is a good scope for the conservation of vast plant and animal genetic resources.

Similarly, there is a potential for diversification of agriculture in the region. This could all be possible through strong partnership in agricultural research for development to address food security, poverty alleviation and conservation of natural resources. Knowledge of scientists would also need to be upgraded enabling them to address these problems.

Briefly, the following components are required to make use of the ample opportunities for the benefit of the region:

1. Development, dissemination and application of appropriate technologies that are cost effective and income generating;
2. Development of conducive environmental policies together with development of required infrastructure and rural institutions;
3. Strengthening the capacity of NARS, including:
• Their capacity to maintain client-oriented research, through institutional strengthening, development of appropriate research methods;
• Channels through which to disseminate information, knowledge and new technologies;
• Capacity to rejuvenate and update staff that in some countries are of paramount importance;
• Capacity to convey information to policy makers to induce enabling policy reforms, and
• Regional integration (for example, seed production of diversification crops, information systems, socio-economic and policy analysis, crop-livestock etc.) and knowledge sharing.