Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – Introductory seminar on a new project of FAO, the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan and the State Committee for Ecology was held.

The event took place in a virtual format with the participation of international experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as well as national experts - representatives of the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Ecology and Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan, the private sector, clusters, NGOs and others.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has decided to co-finance FAO’s efforts in Uzbekistan to reorient food systems and land use towards sustainable development and to support land restoration. The main national partners of the project are the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan and the State Committee for Ecology and Environmental Protection.

The seminar was organized to familiarize the participants with the main goals and objectives of the project, as well as provide all the necessary information about the planned activities and expected results from its implementation.

The goal of the project is to stimulate the large-scale deployment of effective technologies in the field of environmental management and conservation approaches, as well as to encourage the creation of green value chains to realize the transition from ecosystem degradation to sustainable management, with a total amount of US$6.75 million.

During the seminar, it was noted that as a result of the project, a significant enrichment of the biological diversity of Uzbekistan is expected by 2024, and sustainable land use will prevail in the interests of agroecosystems.