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INTERNATIONAL ECOFORUM ON REORIENTING AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
Date: 2008-09-15 12:19:45
An International Ecoforum on “'Reorienting agricultural research to achieve the Millennium Development Goals: international and regional experience'” was organized jointly by the International Fund ECOSAN and the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of Uzbekistan, on 17 January, 2007. The Forum, aimed at examining the existing gaps in agricultural research and designing strategies to reorient agricultural research in Uzbekistan to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, was co-sponsored by the Central Asia and the Caucasus Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (CACAARI) and ICARDA-CAC. Over one hundred researchers, government officials and representatives of international organizations, as well as the heads of farmer associations of Uzbekistan participated in the event. Dr Raj Paroda, Head, CGIAR-PFU and Regional Coordinator, ICARDA-CAC, delivered keynote address on current research priorities and possible ways to reorient research to reduce poverty, ensure environmental sustainability and build research partnerships in the region. The research issues and strategic directions highlighted in his speech served as the basis for the Tashkent Declaration adopted by the Ecoforum.
The Tashkent Declaration calls for immediate actions to direct agricultural research in CAC towards improving crop productivity and reducing poverty through improving household food and nutrition security, developing post-harvest technologies for value addition, conserving natural resources for sustainable agriculture, developing partnerships at regional and international levels, and other measures. The Declaration urges governments in the region to allocate at least 1% of agricultural GDP for research. Following the decision of the Ecoforum, a Working Group was constituted for preparing a Report on Agricultural Development in CAC, as well as devising strategies to implement the recommendations of the Tashkent Declaration. It was also agreed to seek ways to establish closer linkages between heads of farmers’ associations and ICARDA’s Tashkent office for outscaling of new technologies.
Regional Brainstorm meeting for Transforming and Strengthening of Agricultural Research and Innovation Systems in Central Asia and Caucasus
Tashkent, 29-30 November, 2011
Samarqand, 01-03 December, 2011
Acad. Hukmatullo Ahmadov, the Chairman of CACAARI at GCARD-2010 more» 
