As part of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funded project "AGRIWANET – Agricultural Restructuring, Water Scarcity and the Adaption to Climate Change in Central Asia: A Five-Country Study", from 17 – 18 April 2015 research teams from Central Asia discussed the impacts of water scarcity and temperature fluctuations on agricultural production and rural incomes. In the participating countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) agriculture contributes significantly to economic performance. Irrigated farming is particularly affected by increasing drought from climate change. Transboundary water conflicts between up- and downstream neighbours have led to substantial political tension since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The event, organized by IAMO in collaboration with researchers from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), brought together experts from all five Central Asian countries for the first time in Germany. Moderated by IAMO researchers, the experts used the Kick-off workshop to exchange information about their countries´ respective experience in water management.
Subsequently, junior researchers from all five participating countries came together for the AGRIWANET Summer School, a week long workshop in Halle (Saale).
The following presentations were held at the the AGRIWANET Kick-off Workshop:
- AGRIWANET: Goals and academic relevance
- Introduction to IAMO & the AGRIWANET project, Martin Petrick (IAMO)
- Modeling Climate Change and Agricultural Yields: Example of Russia, Maria Belyaeva (IAMO) und Raushan Bokusheva (ETH Zürich, Schweiz)
- Local solutions to the tragedy of open access: International experience & The role of trust in cooperation, Insa Theesfeld (Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg)
- Climate change and agricultural insurance in Central Asia, Ihtiyor Bobojonov (IAMO)
- Introduction to Agricultural Sector and Adaption Programs to Climate Change in Kazakhstan, Dauren Oshakbayev (National Entrepreneurs Chamber of Kazakhstan "Atameken Union", Kasachstan) und Regina Taitukova (Unabhängige Wissenschaftlerin, Kasachstan)
- Agriculture and Agricultural Policies in Kyrgyzstan, Roman Mogilevskii und Saule Chalbasova (University of Central Asia, Kirgisistan)
- Agricultural Development in Tajikistan, Prof. Khojamahmad Umarov (Centre of Economic Researches (CER), Tadschikistan)
- Agricultural sector development, farm restructuring, agricultural policies and national adaptation strategies to climate change in Turkmenistan, S. Aganov, Y. Kepbanov, K. Owezmuradov und A. Ovezberdiyeva (NGO "Natural energy", Turkmenistan)
- Agricultural reform in Uzbekistan, Dildora Tadjibaeva, Igor Pugach, Yuliy Yusupov und Zafar Berdinazarov (Center for Economic Development, Usbekistan)
