ICARDA is seeking solutions to climate change adaptation in Central Asia. With erratic rainfalls and low agricultural productivity, Central Asian countries are highly vulnerable to impacts of climate change. Disappearing glaciers, shrinkage of Aral Sea, frequent droughts and severe dust storms are causing a serious threat to food and nutrition security of a 70-million people region, half of which reside in rural areas.
Despite the efforts of each country to adapt to climate change through adoption of resource-saving technologies and agricultural reforms over the past decades, climate change impacts have reached one of the highest vulnerability levels in all key development sectors in the region.
Strengthening regional cooperation on climate change mitigation can be key in addressing the issues of environmental protection. This was the consensus of experts, policymakers, and development organizations attending a high-level conference on climate change in Tashkent on 3-4 April 2019.
Organized by CAREC with support from the World Bank, the event attracted more than 400 delegates from 80 countries who discussed the ways of fostering regional dialogue, and knowledge and information exchange to help build a climate-resilient future.
Dr. Ram Sharma, Regional Coordinator of ICARDA for Central Asia and the Caucasus, presented the collaborative work of ICARDA on climate-resilient technologies for improved land and water productivity in Central Asia.
According to Dr. Sharma, seven stripe rust epidemics have occurred in the region since 2009, causing a 30 percent yield reduction in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. With national partners, ICARDA has developed climate resilient winter wheat varieties like Gozgon, Bunyodkor, Chimboy and Amudarya, with high resistance to yellow rust and drought.
Dr. Mesut Keser, ICARDA Country Manager in Turkey, presented ICARDA activities within the International Winter Wheat Improvement Program (IWWIP) on the development of new wheat varieties tolerant to biotic and abiotic stresses to improve food security under the changing climate in Central Asia. IWWIP has released 22 winter wheat varieties for Central Asian countries.
Shukhrat Amanov, Research Assistant of ICARDA for crop improvement, stressed the benefits of legumes for low-input-low-yield conditions. Climate-resilient winter chickpea varieties, developed from ICARDA germplasmб including Malhotra, Khalima, Obod and Sino, have shown up to 50% higher yields and cold resistance to minus 15 degrees Celsius in rain-fed areas. The farmers' survey in rain-fed zones in south Uzbekistan showed they saved USD 5 to 22 per hectare on the cost of nitrogen fertilizers by growing chickpea.