Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with Tashkent State Agrarian University, has established three farmer field schools in the Ferghana Valley.
The initiative is being implemented as part of a regional project on sustainable agricultural development bringing together regions of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
The schools operate in the Kurgantepa district of Andijan region, Namangan district of Namangan region and Ferghana district of Ferghana region.
Each school specializes according to the agricultural profile of its area. In Andijan region, farmers study potato cultivation; in Namangan region, resource-efficient greenhouse farming; and in Ferghana region, raspberry cultivation.
The training format differs from traditional lecture-based courses. Participants monitor crops throughout the season, analyze emerging problems together with specialists and test various solutions on their own plots. “Here, the farmer becomes not just a listener, but an active participant in the learning process,” said project coordinator Mukhammadjon Kosimov.
In Kurgantepa district, classes covered potato nutrition and care, soil cultivation, and integrated pest and disease management.
In Namangan district, the training focused on preparing greenhouses for planting, controlling temperature and humidity, and the efficient use of water and fertilizers.
In Ferghana district, farmers learned raspberry cultivation techniques, from determining plants’ nutritional needs to biological and chemical methods of pest control.
The training follows a “seed to seed” approach and continues throughout the growing season, creating a permanent platform for knowledge exchange among farmers, scientists and agronomists. The accumulated practices are planned to be shared in other districts of the valley.
