http://www.fao.org/globalsoilpartnership/en/ This presentation was presented during the Eurasian Soil Partnership workshop that was held on 29 February - 02 March 2016 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and it was made by K. Shideed.

1. History of Collaboration and Achievements
International Conference on Eurasian Food
Security and Nutrition Network and Eurasian
Soil Partnership
ICARDA in Central Asia and the Caucasus
K. Shideed, ADG-ICC, ICARDA
29 Feb. – 2 March, 2016
Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic

2. 1
The Challenges we are facing

3. 2
Land Degradation

4. 3
CGIAR’s response
Strategic goals for CGIAR system level outcomes by 2030
• Reduced poverty: Help 100 million people, of which 50%
are women, get out of poverty
• Improved food and nutrition security for health: Ensure
that 150 million people, of which 50% are women, meet
minimum dietary energy requirements
• Improved natural resource systems and ecosystem
services: Restore 190 million hectares of degraded land by
2030.
CGIAR Strategy will contribute directly to the achievement of the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of UN
CGIAR Strategy and Results Framework 2016-2025,
version 18 May 2015

5. 4
ICARDA’s contribution to CGIAR system level outcomes
ICARDA is involved in nine CRPs
covering seven research themes
Production Systems
Policies and Markets
Commodities
Nutrition and Health
Natural Resource Management
Climate Change
Genetic Resources

6. 5
ICARDA - History of Collaboration in the CAC region
1980’s
 ICARDA collaborated with VASKHNIL (The Soviet Union Academy of
Agricultural Sciences)
 In 1987 The first scientific visit from ICARDA took place in Kazakhstan
 During 1989-1990 a visiting scientist from Uzbekistan spent one year
at ICARDA's Genetic Resources Unit

7. 6
ICARDA - History of Collaboration in the CAC region
1991
ICARDA scientist made germplasm collections of wild relatives of wheat
in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

8. 7
ICARDA - History of Collaboration in the CAC region
1995
The first workshop held in Tashkent in December 1995 brought together
participants from ICARDA and other CG Centers, from donor
organizations and NARS of CAC to identify areas of collaboration

9. 8
ICARDA - History of Collaboration in the CAC region
1998
 Nine CGIAR Centers agreed to form a Consortium to assist the eight
CAC countries in agricultural research with ICARDA as the lead Center
 ICARDA's CAC Regional Program Office was established on 1 August
1998 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
 ICARDA facilitated the establishment of the CGIAR Regional Program
for Sustainable Agriculture in CAC (www.cac-program.org). ICARDA
serves as the Convening Center for the CAC Regional Program.

10. Program Elements
Productivity of
Agricultural Systems
Germplasm Enhancement
Strengthening National Seed
Supply Systems
Cropping Systems Management
and Agricultural Diversification
Livestock Production Systems and
Integrated Feed/ Livestock
Management
Natural Resource
Conservation and
Management
Irrigation, Drainage, and Water
Basin Analysis
On-Farm Soil and Water
Management
Rangeland Rehabilitation and
Management
Conservation and
Evaluation of Genetic
Resources
Plant Genetic Resources
Animal Genetic Resources
Socioeconomic and Public
Policy Research
Strengthening national programs

11. 10
ICARDA - History of Collaboration in the CAC region
2000
– Regional Forum of the CAC countries (CACAARI) was established
– CACAARI has been representing Central Asia and the Caucasus at
various regional and global meetings, including Global Forum for
Agricultural Research (GFAR)

12. 11
ICARDA - History of Collaboration in the CAC region
2008
At the Annual General Meeting 2008, the CGIAR CAC Regional Program
was awarded with the CGIAR "King Baudouin Science Award for
Outstanding Partnership"

13. 12
ICARDA - History of Collaboration in the CAC region
2012
CGIAR's global research program on Dryland Systems was launched
(drylandsystems.cgiar.org) in the CAC region with action sites in the
Fergana Valley, the Rasht Valley and the Aral Sea Basin

14. 13
ICARDA - History of Collaboration in the CAC region
Dec. 2012
Russian Federation Funding supported a 4 years (2013-2016) strategic
program for the support of the CGIAR collaborative research and capacity
building program for the development of sustainable and resilient agricultural
production systems in CA under the conditions of Climate Change
Consultation Meeting on Russian Initiative, 18 March 2010, Tashkent

15. 14
ICARDA - History of Collaboration in the CAC region
• Central Asian Countries Initiative for Land
Management
• Partnership to address Sustainable Land
Management in Central Asia
– Policy process linked to UNCCD
– Collaborative initiative of ICARDA-CAC and
GIZ to promote SLM in the region
– Developed into 3-year ICARDA project
supported by IFAD
– Inputs from earlier SLM-research and other
projects conducted in CACILM I
Knowledge Management in CACILM II
2013 Knowledge Management for CACILM (funded by IFAD)
was launched in June 2013 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

16. 15
ICARDA - History of Collaboration in the CAC region
Research prioritization: a bottom-up approach
Research Needs Assessment Meetings with national partners held
1995, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2010

17. 16
ICARDA – Research thrusts in the CAC region
Germplasm
Enhancement
NRM
SEPR
Livestock and Feed
Seed production
PGR
Sustainable
agriculture
Better
livelihoods

18. 17
Assessment of PGRFA
programs in CAC region and
collaborative work with
ICARDA
Plant Genetic Resources (PGR)

19. 18
PGR Units were established in all 8 countries of CAC region in
2001 within the framework of the project with ACIAR
The Objectives:
PGR -contribution of ICARDA with partners
Project title:
“Conservation, Evaluation and Utilization of Plant
Genetic Resources from Central Asia and the
Caucasus”
Funded by Australian Center for International Agricultural
Research (ACIAR); initiated by ICARDA and CLIMA
Implemented by ICARDA
To collect, conserve, document and utilise the plant genetic resources (PGRs)
from the CAC countries, positioning them to achieve long-term security of the
agro-biodiversity in the region.

20. Total
ICARDA holdings –
originated from CAC
Collected jointly
by ICARDA and
NARS
Since 1991
Number of joint
missions
Since 1991
Armenia 1,141 779 4
Azerbaijan 1,224 339 2
Georgia 618 232 2
Kazakhstan 473 180 1
Kyrgyzstan 213 101 1
Tajikistan 1673 1086 5
Turkmenistan 560 297 3
Uzbekistan 813 235 2
TOTAL 6,715 3,249 20
PGR- Joint collection missions
Collected material is available from NARS and from ICARDA
48.3% of total ICARDA holdings of CAC origin5% of total ICARDA holdings

21. Regional DB No of accessions
Armenia 5,256
Azerbaijan 8,245
Georgia 2,227
Kazakhstan 45,530
Kyrgyzstan 1,010
Tajikistan 2,940
Turkmenistan 999
Uzbekistan 58,535
TOTAL 124,742
PGR- Documentation
Institutional, National and Regional Databases require regular
update!
GCDT projects:
Establishment of a Regional Plant
genetic Resources Information
network for the Central Asia and
Caucasus (CAC) Region (2007)
Institutes DBs
National DBs
Maintained by leading institutes
appointed by NC.
Available on CD.
Provides data to EURISCO
Regional CAC DB
Developed in 2007
Maintained by ICARDA
Updated by National Focal Point
Available on CD

22. No of samples
Armenia 263
Azerbaijan 894
Georgia 119
Kazakhstan 84
Kyrgyzstan 21
Tajikistan 0
Turkmenistan 186
Uzbekistan 147
TOTAL 1,714
Germplasm provided to CAC
100% distributed after 1998
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
Numberofaccession
Total
Bread wheat
Durum wheat
Barley
Chickpea
Lentil
Fababean
Grasspea
PGR: Germplasm introduction and evaluation since 1998 ICARDA

23. 22
ICARDA’s research impact awarded

24. 23
Technology development and delivery through international collaboration
in the CAC region: Improved wheat varieties (in collaboration with CIMMYT)
High yielding, yellow rust resistant and
heat tolerant Wheat varieties
Wheat varieties resistant to the devastating yellow rust disease
Aral Amudarya Davlatle
Wheat varieties tolerant to salinity and frost

25. 24
 55 Crop varieties released
 cultivated on >2.5 million ha
Wheat - 22 Chickpea - 17 Barley - 11 Lentil - 5
Country
Armenia
Azer-
baijan
Georgia
Kaza-
khstan
Kyrgy-
zstan
Tajik-
istan
Turkm-
enistan
Uzbek-
istan
Total
5 9 9 6 11 8 2 5 55
Technology development and delivery through international collaboration
in the CAC region: Improved crop varieties

26. 25
Soil and crop management practices
Laser-guided land leveling
• saves 15% or more irrigation water
Water-saving technologies (plastic chutes)
Technology development and delivery through international collaboration
in the CAC region: Improved soil and crop management practices

27. 26
Planting method Spent fuel for
planting, l/ha
Root length, cm Plant height, cm Yield, t/ ha
Conventional 53.6 25.4 67.2 1.85
No-till with one
cultivation
13.6 23.5 68.8 1.97
No-till 5.9 23.8 65.4 2.24
Mungbean grown on minimum or zero tillage as a cash crop after wheat with
retention of crop residues in Karshi, Uzbekistan (2011-2013)
Promoting Conservation Agriculture
Technology development and delivery through international collaboration
in the CAC region: Conservation Agriculture

28. 27
Community- Based Breeding Enhances Livestock Performance: Linking
Rural Women to Global Yarn Market

29. • Tajik Mohair Yarn marketed
in USA at the same
wholesale price (US$140/kg)
as Australian mohair yarn
• Kyrgyz felt processors won a
UNESCO Award of Excellence
for Handicraft Products in
Central Asia
Shyrdak - a felt product from semi-fine sheep
wool, diameter of 1.85 m
Tajik “Mohair Magic”
Technology development and delivery through international collaboration
in the CAC region: Livestock Value chain and rural women empowerment-2

30. 29
ICARDA in CAC region– Socioeconomic and policy research
 Policy Research (with IFPRI)
 Economic evaluation of NRM and
Livestock production
 Livelihoods characterization and analysis
 Value chain development of livestock
products
Socioeconomic and Policy Research

31. 30
• More than 130 training courses with 2528 participants
since 1999
• Many more national partners benefited from capacity
development activities
• More than 12 000 farmers participated in farmers’ field days,
demonstration activities, etc.
Farmers’ Field Day in Khorezm, Uzbekistan,
7 June 2015 (Photo R. Sharma)
Technology development and delivery through international collaboration
in the CAC region: NARS capacity development
Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan
27 May 2014
Sugd, Tajikistan
11 June 2014
Training of young scientists

32. 31
Russian Federation Support to CGIAR Collaborative Research and
Capacity Building in CA Region within the Framework of ECFS -1
Hydro-module Zone I Hydro-module Zone II Hydro-module Zone
VIII
Traditional
Irrigation
ET-based
Irrigation
Traditional
Irrigation
ET-based
Irrigation
Traditional
Irrigation
ET-based
Irrigation
Weather data
Improving Water-use Efficiency Through Innovative Technologies
Save approx. 30-35% irrigation water at the field level without adversely affecting yields.
Funding: Russian Government (2013-2016)

33. 32
Conjunctive water management
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
GroundwaterContribution(mm)
Irrigation Response Units (IRUs)
APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR
• Controlled drainage.
• Saving of surface water of 45- 50%
• Reduction of the drainage outflows near to a target value
of 10 to 15%
Funding: Russian Government (2013-2016)
Russian Federation Support to CGIAR Collaborative Research and
Capacity Building in CA Region within the Framework of ECFS -2

34. 33
Determining optimum water and nutrients leaching
requirements for the saline areas, Khorezm
• Data collected
(groundwater table,
groundwater salinity,
soil texture, climate
data and soil salinity)
• Site selection
completed
• Calibration/validation
of HYDRUS is on-going
Russian Federation Support to CGIAR Collaborative Research and
Capacity Building in CA Region within the Framework of ECFS -3
Funding: Russian Government (2013-2016)

35. 34
Climate change adaptation research:
Adaptation, crop portfolio and wealth status
.2.4.6.8
1
0 5 10 15
Number of crops grown
poor middle
rich
Crop diversification: Higher incomes, lower risks, better nutrition, good for soil
Technology development and delivery through international collaboration
in the CAC region: Crop Diversification and adaptation to climate change
Funding: Russian Government (2013-2016)

36. Raised-bed seeding
35
Туркменистан
Russian Federation Support to CGIAR Collaborative Research and
Capacity Building in CA Region within the Framework of ECFS -6
Bridging Yield Gaps to Enhance Food
Security in CAC Region + Water Saving

37. 36
Improving seed systems
Need assessments: 4 workshops Farmers’ training: >120 farmers
Quality seed production: >800 ton Information sharing: 5 documents
Russian Federation Support to CGIAR Collaborative Research and
Capacity Building in CA Region within the Framework of ECFS -7
Funding: Russian Government (2013-2016)

38. 37
Assessment of the impacts of climate change and the effects of adoption of
SLM technologies on crop productivity (modeling)
Crop
paramet
ers
SLM
practices
Soil
parameters
Historic daily
meteorological data
CropSyst Simulations
Current
conditions
Scenario
outputs
with SLM
Weather
generator
GCM -
СС
Scenario
3
Scenario
2
Scenario
1
Regiona
l down-
scaling
Generate
d daily
meteo
data
Outputs
Calibrated crop model for
cotton and wheat
Manual on processing and
using CORDEX climate
change data and crop models
Quantified climate change
impact on crop production
Capacity building of scientists
in processing and using
CORDEX climate change
models
Russian Federation Support to CGIAR Collaborative Research and
Capacity Building in CA Region within the Framework of ECFS -8
Funding: Russian Government (2013-2016)

39. 38
• Online-Discussion on the “The role
of Agricultural Innovation Systems
in CAC countries and China
towards more sustainable food
security
• Recommendations developed on
enhancing agricultural innovation
in agro-pastoral and irrigated
systems in Central Asia
http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/eca/en/online-discussion-role-agricultural-
innovation-systems-central-asia-and-caucasus-countries-and-china
Agricultural Innovation Systems for Food Security & Nutrition
Forum discussions & recommendations
Russian Federation Support to CGIAR Collaborative Research and
Capacity Building in CA Region within the Framework of ECFS -9
Funding: Russian Government (2013-2016)

40. 39
Donors Contributed to ICARDA-CAC Collaborative Projects
• > 20 Projects implemented
• Main donors contributed to this collaboration are:
– ADB
– IFAD
– FAO
– GCDT, ACIAR
– GIZ/BMZ
– BMU, Germany
– IDB through ICBA
⁻ Russian Government
⁻ CRP- DS
⁻ CRP- Climate Change
⁻ CRP- Wheat
⁻ CRP- WLE

41. 40
Grain Legumes Team
2016 - International Year of Pulses