The amazing abundance of fruit trees in Tajikistan and Central Asia - How to achieve sustainable food production for increased profit and well-being

Teaching Modern Methods in Tajikistan - Chemonics International

The north of the country produces apricots, pears, plums, apples, cherries, pomegranates, figs, and nuts, such as pistachios and walnuts. Fresh fruits are consumed locally, whereas dried fruits are a traditional export for Tajikistan (making up more than 10% of total exports, with Russia the main destination)

Making the case for conserving Tajikistan’s fruit-and-nut forests

It was spring 2017. I was in the middle of my master’s program and was rapidly running out of time to find the perfect thesis research project. My ideas had ranged from the unrealistic—a canopy camera-trapping project in Ecuador, to the extreme—abseiling down Saint Lucia’s Petit Piton mountain to investigate a threatened juniper tree. I was profoundly relieved when I found a suitable project. The plan was to travel to Tajikistan, a country that I would previously have struggled to place on a map, to study the state of its fertile forested valleys.

Tajikistan’s forests are a veritable cornucopia of diversity, harboring the wild ancestors of numerous fruit and nut species that we generally take for granted. These forest gardens, overflowing with almonds, apples, pears, plums, pistachios, apricots, cherries and walnuts, have been managed for centuries by the communities that depend on them. However, as a result of a combination of intense Soviet exploitation and a six-fold human population increase, only small forest fragments persist and their future is far from certain.

What began as a project to analyze the distribution of threatened pear species evolved into a broader evaluation of community forest management. Monitoring forest management, and the resulting forest health, is important for assessing the impact of conservation actions over time. The site I was to visit had not been previously monitored, so I was looking forward to helping fill important knowledge gaps.

To capture ecological factors as well as community perceptions of forest management, I was going to use a combination of methods—collecting data from forest plots to determine their condition alongside interviews with community members.

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More than 8,000 plant species exist in Central Asia – Uzbekistan alone is home to 83 traditional varieties of apricot, 43 of grape, 40 of apple, 30 of walnut, 21 of pomegranate and 15 of pear
https://wle.cgiar.org/news/fruit-trees-sweet-futures-central-asia

Mrs. Malika Karimova with her fruit trees in Uzbekistan.
Dr. Karim Baymetov/Uzbek RI of Plant Industry.

Fruit trees for sweet futures in Central Asia

Gulmira Sharsheeva and her husband established an orchard of fruit trees in Kyrgyzstan in 1990. Twenty-five years later, bright bursts of green dot a previously barren and rocky landscape, and Gulmira’s orchard, 4.5 hectares of land, is brimming with local varieties of apples, apricots, pears and cherry.

Central Asia is the place of origin for thousands of cultivated tree varieties, and the region is renowned for its unique and vast diversity. Unfortunately, the ecosystems that allow such diversity to blossom have been compromised in recent decades.

But, Gulmira’s plot of land has turned out to be proof that establishing orchards can reverse degradation, while providing farming families with a reliable source of income.

Farmers with fruit trees in Central Asia.
Mr. Lutsian Nikolyai, Uzbek Research Institute of Forestry.

Farming families profit

Bioversity International, a partner of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE), has long collaborated with national research and development partners in five Central Asian countries, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Their combined efforts have transformed both livelihoods and landscapes by boosting farmers’ interest and capacity for planting orchards.

For example, scientists have helped support the establishment of five regional and eight national training centers, and 1,500 farmers have been trained in soil, water and crop management practices.

Some farmers, like Gulmira, have learned how to multiply seedlings and act as mini supply hubs in their own communities. Farmers also act as knowledge hubs that can pass on agronomic techniques such as pruning properly, whitewashing tree trunks to reduce frost susceptibility and using pesticide at appropriate times

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30 hectares of pistachio orchards to be planted in Tajikistan

Tajikistan, with Korean specialists’ help, plans to expand the area of pistachio plantations. Director of the Forestry Agency under the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan Abdujabbor Yusufzoda told about this at a press conference.

According to Yusufzoda, currently, there are over 81,500 hectares of pistachio plantations on the republic’s territory. To update and expand them, negotiations are underway with foreign partners, including the Republic of Korea.

This work aims to create tree nurseries for growing pistachio trees and expand the area of pistachio plantations. Within the framework of this cooperation, it is planned to create 30 hectares of new pistachio plantations.

The Forestry Agency also reported that the republic is studying and introducing the practice of growing Turkish and Iranian varieties of pistachios.

The cost of one kilogram of pistachios in Tajikistan markets ranges from 60 to 140 somoni ($5.37 – 12.52).

You can watch the video “Pistachio Growing Technology in California” on our YouTube channel.

EastFruit

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Tajikistan’s fresh produce supply chains grow more efficient, profitable

ruit and vegetables are a major source of income for rural households in mountainous Tajikistan – and essential for healthy diets. Fresh produce such as sweet cherries, onions and table grapes make up an important share of the country’s agricultural exports.

The potential to supply domestic retail and export markets remains largely untapped, but with help from FAO and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Tajikistan aims to change that.

Last month, FAO and the EBRD organized three seminars in Tajikistan on strengthening the country’s fresh fruit and vegetable supply chains and broadening market opportunities.

Held in the capital Dushanbe and in the regional hubs of Khujand and Qurghonteppa, the seminars gathered government officials and key players from the country’s fruit and vegetable sector including local producers, traders and retailers. The events were part of a larger joint technical assistance project of FAO and EBRD on improving fresh produce value chains in Tajikistan and Moldova.

Panellists discussed findings from an FAO-EBRD value chain analysis. They shared market knowledge and technical know-how – from more efficient handling, storage and packaging practices, to trends in regional and global trade of fresh produce.

During the seminar in Dushanbe, a business-to-business or B2B trade forum brought together Tajik suppliers, exporters, local retailers and Russian and Ukrainian importers and retailers to discuss business opportunities.

Challenges
Annual fruit and vegetable exports in neighbouring Uzbekistan pull in up to US$ 0.5 billion, while Tajikistan’s exports earn only about 10 percent of that amount, and continue to slide.

Inefficiency along the supply chains means that the availability and selection of fresh fruit and vegetables vary greatly, depending on the season.

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