November 11 – Sharm el-Sheikh - Egypt – COP-27 - The Regional Environmental Center for Central Asia (CAREC) organized a side event “Experience of Central Asia: “Resource Efficiency in Agri-Food Production and Processing”.
It was attended by representatives of relevant ministries and departments of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, local and international experts, donors, representatives of international and national partner organizations, financial institutions.
The side event was dedicated to promotion of CAREC initiatives in the field of resource efficiency in agri-food production and processing in the Central Asian region. Participants received detailed information on how introduction of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) practices positively affects the productivity of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Although agriculture is important for Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, food insecurity and heavy dependence on food imports increase vulnerability to climate change in the geopolitical space as well. In Uzbekistan, the share of small businesses in gross agricultural output makes up 98.1%. Export of Uzbek agricultural products is increasing from year to year. In terms of processing and intermediate storage, Uzbekistan is among the top twenty countries for cold storage. In Tajikistan, more than 60% of the population lives in rural area. Natural resource base in the country is weak and, due to continued inefficiency of the Soviet agricultural system, declining productivity poses serious problems for its food security. Business is limited and a key condition for improving economic growth and investment is to improve business environment for agri-food processing by introduction of more efficient production methods.
Introduction of SCP practices in the Central Asian region to combat climate change effects at the regional and national levels will significantly improve food security of the region. Implementation of SCP practices in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan highlighted the importance and benefits of resource efficiency in production and processing of agri-food commodities in the region.
The side event facilitated dialogue with stakeholders and donors to discuss challenges and opportunities for MSMEs in SCP in implementation of measures in the Central Asian region.
Additional information – Valeria Orlova, REAP Project Manager, vorlova@carececo.org