Kyrgyzstan Joins the Green Agriculture Initiative as a Pilot Country
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan – 24 February 2025
On 28 February 2025, Kyrgyzstan officially joined the Green Agriculture Initiative, an initiative launched in 2022 by the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU), as a pilot country, marking a significant milestone in its transition to a green economy. This decision reflects the country’s ongoing commitment to combating the pressing challenges of climate change, environmental degradation, and food insecurity while ensuring a sustainable future for its agricultural sector.
Agrifood systems globally have been under increasing strain due to factors like climate change, biodiversity loss, and natural resource depletion. Kyrgyzstan has already felt the effects, with a rise of 1.12°C in temperature over the past 40 years, inching closer to the 1.5°C target set by the Paris Agreement. If current trends continue, it’s predicted that up to 80% of the country’s glaciers could melt by 2100, leading to a severe water shortage. In addition to climate risks, monoculture farming, excessive pesticide use, and inefficient irrigation have placed additional stress on Kyrgyzstan’s agricultural sector. These unsustainable practices degrade soil health, reduce biodiversity, and increase vulnerability to climate-related shocks.
In response to these challenges, Kyrgyzstan has prioritized the development of green agriculture as a central component of its Green Economy Development Program (2019-2023), which focuses on building climate resilience and sustainable resource management. The 2024-2028 strategy expands this focus, integrating renewable energy and further solidifying green agriculture as a strategic priority.
At the event, Mr. Zhanybek Kerimaliev, First Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic, expressed the significance of green agriculture:
“The promotion of green agriculture is an important step towards the formation of modern and efficient agrifood systems in Kyrgyzstan. Combining the efforts of the state, science, and business will make it possible to implement environmentally sustainable solutions, increase agricultural productivity, and ensure the country’s food security.”
FAO REU has conceptualized the Green Agriculture Initiative which is designed to catalyze the adoption of science, policy, and technological innovations. Oleg Guchgeldiyev, FAO Representative in the Kyrgyz Republic, emphasized the broader significance of Kyrgyzstan’s inclusion in this regional effort:
“The 'green' economy can be viewed as a means to achieve a flexible and resilient economy that enhances the quality of life for the population. Concepts such as 'energy efficiency,' 'green technologies,' and 'green economy' are no longer just ideas but are becoming part of our everyday reality. Ecology and economics are not mutually exclusive, and it is crucial that any economy is environmentally friendly.”
The gathering of government representatives, development partners, experts, and stakeholders set the stage for deeper discussions about how green agriculture could reshape Kyrgyzstan’s farming practices. As Gulmira Urmanbetova, Project Coordinator at the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, highlighted:
“The development of green agriculture is not only a step towards sustainable development, but also a strategic necessity to ensure food security and preserve natural resources. This workshop has become a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration that will help Kyrgyzstan in greening its agrifood systems.”
The main objectives of the event were clear: introduce Green Agriculture as a holistic, multidisciplinary framework for transforming agrifood systems, define Kyrgyzstan’s capacity development needs in this area, and establish a National Technical Network to continue promoting sustainable practices across the country. Kyrgyzstan will join also other countries in the region such as Armenia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Expected outcomes included sharing the current status of green agriculture in Kyrgyzstan, offering policy and technical recommendations for its implementation, and charting the next steps for advancing the initiative. The event underscored Kyrgyzstan’s crucial role in the regional shift toward sustainable agrifood systems, with plans for broader knowledge-sharing and collaboration within the Central Asian region.
By becoming a pilot country in the Green Agriculture Initiative, Kyrgyzstan is reinforcing its commitment to a greener, more resilient future, setting an example for other nations in the region.