Connecting Uzbekistan and Tajikistan under DVI twinning
As part of FAO’s Digital Villages Initiative (DVI), two Memoranda of Understanding were officially signed to foster cooperation between Fergana valley (Uzbekistan) and Hisor valley (Tajikistan). The agreements set the beginning of “DVI twinning” cooperation aimed at exchanging knowledge and good practices around the application of ICTs in agriculture.
Inspired from the European Union’s model, “DVI twinning” embodies a model of mutual enrichment, founded on the pillars of trust and long-term collaboration. At its core, DVI twinning is about connecting rural communities and organizations from different regions or countries by encouraging them to share knowledge, experiences, and technologies.
In Fergana the first MoU was signed between Tajikistan’s first pilot Digital Village (Lolazor) and Uzbekistan’s (the neighbouring villages of Novkent and Yuksalish in Uzbekistan's Fergana region) to create a vibrant exchange platform among farmers and community leaders. It aims to do so by enhancing digital literacy and skills, particularly in agriculture, with an emphasis on empowering women and youth. The initiative also involves sharing knowledge and best practices and advising on technology usage, while exploring funding and partnerships for sustainable village development.
The second MoU between Fergana State University and Tajik Agrarian University establishes cooperative higher education in agricultural science.It intends to achieve this by supporting joint research, academic exchanges, and the development of joint academic programs at various levels, including hybrid courses, shared materials, and joint grant applications. Preliminary plans have already been made for representatives from Tajik Agrarian University to visit Fergana State University in December to deliver lectures.
The signing of the agreements came after a week of exchanges whereby a delegation from Tajikistan made of village leaders, famers, academics, university officials, students and practitioners visited Fergana. During the week participants engaged in a series of activities including study visits and brainstorming workshops aimed at identifying common problems and sharing good practices to tackle them. The agenda included a living lab session focused on climate-resilient agricultural practices, a study tour to the greenhouse of a farmer from Novkent where the use of IoT smart sensor was demonstrated, tour to the orchards of a farmer from Yuksalish and a visit to the Fergana Beekeepers Association to observe the integration of digital technology in beekeeping, and several exchange meetings aimed at establishingcooperation between local universities. To facilitate communication and cooperation among the members of the three communities a joint Telegram group was created.
Additionally, the members of the three villages shared feedback and advice with the innovators on their solutions as end-users andwitnessed the announcement of the winners of the Hack4DigitalVillages innovation challenge.
Overall, DVI twinning between Hisor and Fergana valley aims to strengthen socio-economic development at the grassroots level through digitalization, ultimately benefiting local stakeholders and contributing to the overall development of the regions involved. By bridging the gap between villages and academia, DVI twinning not only aims to enhance agricultural practices, knowledge exchange and technology transfer, but to also forge lasting relationships based on trust and cooperation.
