Central Asia is geopolitically and strategically important because of its geographic position. The Central Asian states Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are situated in the heart of the Eurasian continent and form a trade link between China, the Middle East, and Europe. Upon entering into membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, this region has been viewed as a new route of multilateral partnership between the political powers of Russia and China. The region is strategically important in the global economy, especially for trading carbon credits and exporting natural resources (oil, gas, energy, gold, and minerals). All five countries became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991, and they share a culture and a way of life that incorporate elements from both the East and the West. Prior to independence, these countries were socio-economically interdependent within the centrally planned Soviet economy. Agriculture was one of the major economic sectors of the Central Asian countries and accounted for 10 to 45 % of their gross domestic product (GDP), employing 20 to 50 % of the labour force. To date, agriculture remains an important sector in the economy of Central Asia, contributing 5.2 % of the GDP in Kazakhstan, 7.5 % in Turkmenistan, 18.5 % in Uzbekistan, 20.8 % in Kyrgyzstan, and 23.3 % in Tajikistan.