Developing Turkmenistan’s first ever national strategy for the prevention and management of wheat rust diseases

Ashgabat – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is supporting the government of Turkmenistan to develop the first ever national strategy and the accompanying contingency plan for the prevention and management of wheat rust diseases.

Wheat rust diseases threaten to affect approximately 0.5 million hectares of Turkmenistan’s arable land considering the climatic conditions. 

The national strategy that will be reviewed every five years, is being drafted under the framework of the ongoing project “Strengthening Regional Collaboration and National Capacities for Management of Wheat Rust Diseases (CAC-Rust)” of the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programmes financially supported by the government of Türkiye.

Why the national strategy is important

The strategy will guide the country’s efforts in the prevention and management of wheat rust epidemics through defining roles and responsibilities of related institutions while facilitating collaboration among them.

It underscores the importance of sustainable agricultural practices, productivity enhancement and improving farmers’ livelihoods and effective collaboration and coordination between countries and among numerous sectors and international actors.

Where it all starts

Wheat rusts are complex diseases and require collaborative work of different disciplines and institutions.

FAO organized consultation workshop that brought together experts, government officials including the Ministry of Agriculture of Turkmenistan, the Turkish Embassy in Ashgabat and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Türkiye and other stakeholders. Presentations were made and ideas exchanged providing valuable insights and data on the current situation of wheat rust diseases in Turkmenistan and in the region.

The recommendations also included the formulation of a robust monitoring and early warning framework and the provision of more investment in human resource development.

Kerimnazar Mametkulov, Senior Rust Researcher from Turkmenistan's Ministry of Agriculture expressed his gratitude for the support provided to improve wheat rust management in the country. Fazil Dusunceli, FAO’s Agriculture Officer and the technical lead of the project, said: “The information provided, and ideas shared during the consultations will form a solid basis for a strong national strategy for more effective management of wheat rust diseases in the country”.

Pillars of the wheat trusts national strategy

The main objectives of the national strategy and contingency plan are aligned with those of the Turkmenistan’s agricultural goal to improve the sustainability of wheat production and resilience of agriculture in the country by reducing dependency on imported seeds and the use of chemical pesticides.

The strategy and plan are hinged on enhancing effective wheat rust disease management efforts by prioritizing preventive measures, developing a strong wheat breeding programme to develop disease resistant varieties as well as improving monitoring, surveillance, early warning, and effective use of fungicides and their management, as well as farmer training.

The strategy will seek to increase awareness and understanding of wheat trust diseases and their control and management, as well as strengthening the knowledge and evidence base through research. Ends