Central Asia stands at the brink of transformative change in agriculture and rural development, shaped by both persistent challenges and emerging opportunities. The region’s shared heritage and pressing development challenges create the diversity of pathways, making it a compelling subject for comparative theoretical and empirical research that informs both academia and policymakers.
The aim of the conference is to provide a platform for knowledge exchange, discussion and networking by inviting international and Central Asian researchers to share and discuss their findings to better understand the complex issues, challenges and opportunities of agricultural development in Central Asia.
The conference will be structured around four themes:
Theme 1: Agricultural Sustainability and Climate Resilience
Theme 2: Policies, Institutions, and Governance for Agricultural Transformation
Theme 3: Innovation and Technology Adoption for Sustainable Agriculture
Theme 4: Agri-Food Markets, Value Chains, and Economic Development
Specific conference topics are the following:
- Drivers and barriers to innovation adoption
- Water management and climate adaptation strategies
- Behavioral and institutional factors of farmers’ decisions
- Gender dynamics in sustainable agriculture and rural development
- The impact of policy reforms on agricultural and rural growth
- Inclusive value chains for rural development
- Digitalization, big data and AI in agricultural development
Within this thematic framework, we welcome submissions of extended abstracts until 16 June 2025. All contributions will undergo a peer review process. We particularly encourage submissions from researchers in Central Asia, as well as comparative and cross-country empirical studies, cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, and theoretical contributions.
More information about abstract submission, important dates, and keynotes is available at the conference website: https://conference.wiut.uz/barometer25. For questions, please contact conference organizers via cpro(at)wiut.uz.
The conference is co-organized by the Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT) and the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO), and is part of the UzFarmBarometer project (Better understanding of the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices in Uzbekistan). The conference organizers gratefully acknowledge financial support by the Innovative Development Agency under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of Uzbekistan and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
