Uzbekistan: Uzbekistan Development Project
This amazing project is a joint venture between the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the Uzbek State Forestry Administration and several important local stakeholders.
Project Benefits
This project has uplifted the impoverished rural community in the remote mountainous region of the Amankutan valley in the province of Samarkand in southern Uzbekistan significantly and restored the badly degraded landscape through the planting of 150,000 fruit and nut trees. Together with a host of regional stakeholders, the project also trained rural villagers in the cultivation of organic techniques. The beneficial results include:
Environmental rehabilitation in a deforested mountainous region (Amankutan valley) through the planting of 150,000 fruit and nut trees
Socio-economic rehabilitation through the creation of 150 full-time sustainable jobs (supporting families which include 1,000 individuals) which in turn stimulates the regional economy (trade, retail shops, service provides, etc.) within the impacted community of 10,000 people.
Knowledge transfer in organic/sustainable cultivation techniques and land management practices.
Most rural areas in Uzbekistan have suffered from a great deal of deforestation and environmental degradation during and after the USSR period. A decrease of forest vegetation in most mountainous regions of Uzbekistan led to increased soil erosion and mud slides. The reforestation in these naturally degraded areas will partly restore the erosion process currently taking place
Fruit and nut orchards traditionally were located in these mountainous regions and supported entire rural communities with food, income and fuel. This area being in the heart of ancient Persia is the home of many heirloom varieties of cherries, raisins, apricots, mulberries and other berries along with walnuts, almonds and pistachios. The disappearance of these orchards during the second half of the last century led to the severe impoverishment and malnourishment of these hillside communities who were dependent on horticulture. The reintroduction of fruit and nuts accompanied by training in organic cultivation and restructured leasing agreements – which are integral to assuring long term commitment from the farmers – contribute to the sustainable growth and economic regeneration of these rural areas.
Through its involvement with rural impoverished communities, the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and UNDP, the Uzbek State Forestry Administration, the Shreder Institute, Austria Bio Garantie and several other important stakeholders, the project’s main produce – organic fruits and nuts – will support the reforestation efforts of environmentally degraded regions in Uzbekistan and at the same time provide sustainable jobs and stable incomes to impoverished rural communities living in the vicinity of the new orchards.
