By Faridat Salifu
Uzbekistan is scaling up efforts to strengthen rural livelihoods and climate resilience through a new multi-year partnership with the UN’s Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO)
The collaboration is anchored on the FAO–Uzbekistan Country Programming Framework for 2026–2030, which sets out priority actions to support sustainable agricultural growth and inclusive rural development.
The agreement was formally signed by FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, Viorel Gutu, and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Agriculture, Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov.
The framework aligns with the United Nations’ strategic priorities in Uzbekistan and the global Sustainable Development Goals..
Under the agreement, FAO and Uzbekistan will focus on strengthening territorial development strategies, improving food safety and nutrition, expanding One Health surveillance, and enhancing natural resource management.
The partnership also targets better handling of environmental risks and hazards in agriculture, including those linked to climate change and land degradation.
Gutu said the collaboration reflects a shared commitment to making Uzbekistan’s food and agricultural systems more inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
He said FAO would deploy its technical expertise to support rural families and local economies across the country.
Uzbekistan, a double-landlocked country in Central Asia, faces structural agricultural constraints linked to its dry climate and limited irrigated land.
Despite these challenges, agriculture, including forestry and fisheries, accounted for about 19 percent of the country’s GDP in 2024.
The sector has also contributed to measurable gains in food security and nutrition, according to national data and international benchmarks.
However, limited access to productive resources, particularly for rural women and youth, climate pressures, environmental degradation and water dependency remain major challenges.
FAO said the new framework is designed to help address these constraints through targeted, country-specific support.
The programme prioritises sustainable land and water management, climate resilience, rural development and expanded economic opportunities in agrifood systems.
It also places emphasis on reducing rural poverty and disparities through improved planning and territorial development.
Food safety governance, nutrition policies and One Health systems are expected to be strengthened to improve public health outcomes.
FAO currently implements 35 active projects in Uzbekistan, covering areas such as school feeding, digital agriculture, agricultural statistics, biodiversity conservation and integrated natural resource management.
Uzbekistan became a member of FAO in 2001, with the organisation opening its country office in Tashkent in 2014.
