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A new quadripartite collaboration was recently launched to support resource-poor rural communities and develop degraded ecosystems in the Aral Sea region.Funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the project will be funded by the International Centre for Biosalt Agriculture (ICBA) through the Central Asia and South Caucasus Regional Office in Tashkent, In cooperation with the Ministry of Innovation and Development of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan.
The project will specifically target disadvantaged communities living in degraded areas of Karakalpakstan, Republic of Uzbekistan.
According to the state news agency, WAMADFD signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Innovation and Development of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan, and ADFD signed a cooperation agreement with ICBA.
The project aims to directly benefit up to 15,000 farmers and agro-pastoralists and their families (up to 75,000 people), build the capacity of up to 150 extension workers, and establish or strengthen up to 15 farmers’ cooperatives.
Mohamed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, said: “The collaboration with the International Centre for Biosalt Agriculture (ICBA) reflects ADFD’s keenness to support research institutions working towards sustainable development in developing countries.”
Al Suwaidi said the new project is an important step towards improving the sustainability of the food security system in different parts of Karakalpakstan, and the partnership contributes to the rapid achievement of food self-sufficiency and strategic stocks of crops, as well as job creation.
The project, which runs from 2022 to 2026, aims to increase the resilience of farming communities to climate change and develop their resilience to land degradation and other adverse factors.
This will be achieved by introducing, among other things, best practices in stress-resistant crops, crop, soil and water management, and integrated farming systems.
ICBA Director-General Dr Tarifa Alzaabi said: “We are delighted to thank the Abu Dhabi Development Fund for its continuous efforts to support agricultural development projects that have contributed to developing the capacity of rural communities and improving their quality of life. The Centre started a partnership with Uzbekistan in 2006. Local partners work together to implement a wide range of projects and activities aimed at crop diversification and climate change adaptation and capacity development.”
As part of the project, ICBA will establish a seed production unit to meet farmers’ demand for quality seeds, as the lack of access to a variety of climate-resilient crops and their improved seeds is considered one of the main constraints in agriculture.
In other news, Uzbekistan’s Energy Ministry and ACWA Power, Saudi Arabia’s leading power generation company, signed three major energy deals worth $12 billion.
read: Uzbekistan ACWA Power signs three key energy deals worth $12 billion
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