Agriculture is at the forefront of the development objectives of the republics of Central Asia (CA). Since independence in 1991, these countries have undergone transitions from being centrally planned economies to market-oriented systems, which did not include the creation of agricultural extension systems. This paper provides information on the current status of the agricultural extension systems in CA with special reference to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. We reviewed the existing extension strategies, donor- and state-driven initiatives to revitalize the agricultural extension systems, informal linkages that nongovernmental organizations play in helping a limited number of farmers, and provided recommendations on ways to further improve the agricultural extension services in CA. The information related to each country was analyzed separately. This is because, after independence, each republic in CA had initiated their agricultural reforms with specific objectives and has now established their unique agricultural systems that differ contextually. However, due to having the same history and agricultural system that existed during the Soviet times, we tried to give a historical perspective to the unified agricultural extension system that existed before independence.

During the past decade, smallholder groundwater irrigation with motor pumps has increased considerably in Zambia. The present study analyzes an important, but hitherto ignored, factor for adoption: the supply chain of imported motor pumps. Findings include types of pumps; organization of import, wholesale and retail, including after-sales services; fiscal measures (import duty waiver and VAT zero rating); prices of pumps; and financing facilities to the farmers. The main obstacles for farmers were found to be: the highly centralized supply chain and financing facilities in urban hubs; lack of information, also about prices, which vary significantly even for the same make and model of pump; lack of information and training about proper use and maintenance; and lack of financing facilities. The Zambia National Farmers Union seems best placed to remove these obstacles.

The AgWater Solutions Project, carried out between 2009 and 2012, focused on resolving water issues faced by smallholder farmers. The project examined existing Agricultural Water Management (AWM) solutions, together with factors that influence their adoption and scaling up. The project aimed to identify investment opportunities in AWM that have high potential to improve the incomes and food security of poor farmers. The work was undertaken in the African countries of Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia, and in the Indian States of Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. This Working Paper series summarizes results and recommendations from the research carried out in each of these countries and states.

The AgWater Solutions Project, carried out between 2009 and 2012, focused on resolving water issues faced by smallholder farmers. The project examined existing Agricultural Water Management (AWM) solutions, together with factors that influence their adoption and scaling up. The project aimed to identify investment opportunities in AWM that have high potential to improve the incomes and food security of poor farmers. The work was undertaken in the African countries of Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia, and in the Indian States of Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. This Working Paper series summarizes results and recommendations from the research carried out in each of these countries and states.

Smallholders and family farms are among the most widespread forms of agriculture in the world. Their appearance in the countries of Europe and Central Asia is connected with the transition to a market economy and the adoption of land reforms in the early 1990s, which led to the widespread emergence of smallholders and family farms formed on the basis of large state collective farms. After almost three decades at the beginning of the first phase of land reforms, smallholders and family farms still face considerable difficulties in doing business in the agricultural sector. Smallholders and family farms, as one of the forms of dehkan farms, are new economic actors in the recent history of the Republic of Tajikistan. However, at this moment there is no single agreed-upon definition of smallholders in Tajikistan, and there are no clear indicators for the definitions of both smallholders and family farms. The current situation, with the absence of a clear and shared conceptual apparatus, causes differences in approach to the definition of these farms applied by different stakeholders. One of the main objectives of this research is to identify the needs, challenges and constraints that affect the economic, social and environmental state of the dehkan farms and their development, as well as to develop conclusions and relevant recommendations. It should be noted that these needs, challenges and constraints are largely interweaved and interrelated with each other, which makes it difficult to determine the specific cause-and-effect relationship.

Increasing female and male farmers’ access to groundwater can contribute to increased incomes, improved food security and improved access to water for livestock and domestic needs. In many contexts, private sector manual well drilling is a reliable and affordable means to access shallow groundwater, but it is not widely available in Ethiopia. Data, information and mapping on pilot manual well drilling efforts in selected areas of Ethiopia indicated that the technique provided affordable access to shallow groundwater for farmers and demonstrated high demand among farmers for manually drilled wells, as well as profitability for drilling businesses. The authors of this paper suggest that investments in creating a spatial database of hydrogeologic suitability domains, investments in driller training, and associated investments in accelerating the drilling industry could catalyze a manual well drilling industry and significantly improve smallholder farmers’ affordable access to shallow groundwater.

Modernizing irrigation systems in Central Asia could increase the productivity of the irrigation sector to meet growing food and export demand, while also improving farmers’ livelihoods. It could ensure greater irrigation efficiency and crop productivity amid growing water scarcity in the region and deliver cost-effective and reliable irrigation services to farmers. In addition, modernized systems could contribute to national development objectives such as climate resilient economic growth, food security and poverty reduction. This publication, geared to policy-makers, sector managers and technical experts, draws on the findings of a study carried out by an FAO team through the World Bank’s regional assistance programme “Exposure and Practical In-Roads to Modernizing Irrigation in Central Asia”. It is part of the Directions in Investment series under the FAO Investment Centre's Knowledge for Investment (K4I) programme.