FRIENDS project team conduct successful mission in Kyrgyzstan
3 May 2023, Kyrgyzstan – Since April 2022, FAO has been actively implementing a project entitled “Forest Restoration Improvement for Environmental Development and Sustainability in Central Asia” (FRIENDS). The project has a twofold aim: to develop national capacities to restore large-scale forest and other wooded lands and to enhance know-how to prevent degradation. FRIENDS is being implemented in the beneficiary countries of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, under the umbrella of the FAO-Türkiye Forestry Partnership Programme (FTFP).
As part of project backstopping activities, Project Manager Adem Bilgin and FAO Forestry Officer Peter Pechacek organized a mission to Kyrgyzstan in 2–5 April 2023, to prepare capacity-building activities and explore pilot applications for ecological restoration in Central Asia. A meeting with the National Project Coordinator (NPC) of the FRIENDS project in Kyrgyzstan enabled them to share important information on capacity building and provide a status update on the project. During the meeting, the NPC also suggested an alternative area for the potential restoration of degraded walnut in Dzhalal Aabad.
Following an official recommendation of the Kyrgyzstan authorities, Bilgin and Pechacek also visited and inspected potential pilot sites in the Zhanyl region and the Chüy forest as well as the Akbesimski nursery to assess the needs for capacity-building activities. The mission team noted that the Chüy forest has mostly porous stony soil and only limited biodiversity. Heavy overgrazing and illegal coppicing of trees in combination with water shortages have resulted in slow growth and even the loss of certain trees. In the Zhanly region, the almond yield is poor due to the advanced age of the orchard. In addition, several trees are dying due to the onset of natural senility. Bilgin and Pechacek suggested that the Akbesimski nursery needs a complete overhaul including the installation of greenhouses to produce container seedlings.
Bilgin and Pechacek both confirmed that the mission had been a fruitful one, providing opportunities to assess the current situation of the FRIENDS project in Kyrgyzstan and contributing to upcoming planning and activities.
About the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes
The objectives of the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes are to provide support to ensure food security, rural poverty reduction and sustainable forest management; to combat desertification; and to preserve ecosystems in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and other countries of mutual interest.
Established in 2007, the first phase of the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP) has benefited from trust fund contributions totalling USD 10 million, financed by the Government of Türkiye and represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. During the first phase of the programme, 28 projects were implemented in 16 countries between 2009 and 2015.
In 2014, Türkiye and FAO commenced the second phase of the FTPP along with the first phase of the FAO-Türkiye Forestry Partnership Programme (FTFP), with additional funding of USD 20 million, bringing Türkiye’s total contribution to USD 30 million.
LINKS:
· FAO-Türkiye Forestry Programme gathers speed with Regional Inception Meeting for FRIENDS Project