An FAO-EU partnership in Uzbekistan is advancing a comprehensive initiative to improve the sound management of hazardous pesticides and significantly reduce associated health and environmental risks. The project tackles the legacy of obsolete chemicals stockpiles from the Soviet era by developing the country’s first complete national inventory of obsolete pesticides and develop capacity for their environmentally sound management. Simultaneously, it works at preventing future accumulation of pesticide wastes by strengthening the entire pesticide lifecycle management system. A focus is promoting a transition to sustainable agriculture by identifying and introducing effective alternatives to pesticides including Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHP), thereby reducing farmers' reliance on dangerous chemicals.

This project also strengthens Uzbekistan’s international environmental commitments. It provides legal and technical assistance for accession to the Rotterdam Convention and readiness for the Minamata Convention, while improving implementation of obligations under the Stockholm and Basel Conventions. Fully aligned with Uzbekistan’s Green Growth Strategy and its declaration of 2025 as the “Year of Environmental Protection and Green Economy,” the project contributes directly to national priorities of food security, rational resource use, and environmental protection.

The initiative is implemented through three interconnected components:

1. Strengthening the national framework by updating legislation, building institutional and laboratory capacity for chemical analysis and monitoring, and establishing effective inter-ministerial coordination mechanisms.
2. Enhancing hazardous waste management by identifying obsolete pesticide stockpiles, designing national management options, and developing a long-term national waste management strategy.
3. Promoting sustainable agriculture by assessing current HHP use, developing risk reduction plans and introducing biological alternatives, including biopesticide assessment and national roadmaps for their registration, and scaling up Integrated Pest Management (IPM) through training of trainers, farmer trainings, field trials, and university curriculum development.

These components are supported by robust horizontal project management, monitoring and evaluation, and strategic communications, ensuring effective execution, accountability, and visibility of the EU’s support. Together, this multifaceted approach fosters a healthier environment, safer agricultural practices, and a more sustainable future for Uzbekistan. By enabling Better Production through sustainable practices and reduced chemical reliance, promoting Better Nutrition via safer food systems and minimized pesticide residues, ensuring A Better Environment through sound chemical management and waste remediation, and supporting A Better Life for rural communities through improved safety and resilience, the project directly advances FAO’s global vision for inclusive and sustainable development.

Contact

Artur Shamilov

Agricultural Officer, Lead Technical Officer

1054 Budapest, Kalman Imre u.20

Artur.Shamilov@fao.org