Eighty years of innovation: FAO Empowers Central Asia with Climate‑Smart Agriculture

Over three days and continuing 80th anniversary celebrations, FAO led a landmark regional workshop in Bishkek bringing together agronomists and farmer‑trainers from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to advance climate‑smart agriculture organized under the Farmer Field Schools project, underlining FAO’s active role in nurturing a network of knowledgeable farmer educators and modern demonstration sites. The project is being successfully implemented in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and since its launch, the project has been working to improve access to modern resources, technologies, and knowledge for smallholder farmers specializing in vegetable and fruit production.

FAO equipped participants with hands‑on training in water management, crop adaptation strategies, and sustainable seed production methods. By setting up six Farmer Field Schools and three demonstration plots across the Osh, Chui, and Issyk‑Kul regions, FAO is transforming access to modern agricultural techniques and empowering 25 agronomists to become multipliers in their communities. Practical sessions—including observation, discussion, and decision-making—are an essential part of the training. These efforts signal FAO’s commitment to enabling smallholder farmers in Central Asia to adopt resilient, innovative practices in the face of climate change and land degradation.