IS AGRICULTURAL PRACTICE IN TUNE WITH THE ENVIRONMENT? December 2017
Agriculture is at the heart of the Kyrgyz economy because of its contribution to GDP, employment (both direct and indirect through processing) and subsistence. But mistakes in land use and land-use changes have had a negative impact. Current farming practices, including incorrect or even unnecessary use of agrichemicals and ineffective irrigation (both supported by taxpayers’ money through government measures) and overgrazing, lead to reduced soil fertility. Sixty per cent of agricultural land is subject to water and wind erosion, affecting its productivity. 1980-1990
34
centners/ha
Productivity of arable land reduced 1996-2010
25.2
centners/ha
Decrease of 8.8 centners/ha
= Annual loss of more than 970,000 tons of grain
UNDP–UN Environment Poverty-Environment Initiative
KEY FACTS 2015 WATER CONSUMPTION AND AGRICULTURE: total water extracted: 7.6 billion m3 water losses in irrigation and transport: 2.1 billion m3 or 28% of total water extraction total water consumption: 5.2 billion m3 agriculture irrigation and other agriculture needs: 4.9 billion m3 AGRICULTURE SHARE IN GDP: 14.1% AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT: total employment: 23,512,000 agriculture: 689,300 (29%) of which 56% men, 44% - women Agriculture accounts for 70% OF TOTAL EMPLOYMENT among poor people. AGRICULTURAL-PURPOSE LAND: 33.8% of the total area of the Kyrgyz Republic
Likewise pastures have a significant economic and social value in the Kyrgyz Republic because they are the basis for agriculture production and are an important source of income for rural people. Pastures represent 45 per cent of the territory of Kyrgyz Republic and 85 per cent of all agriculture land area. The pastures that have retained a rich variety of plants are regarded as the most valuable because herders and herd owners know that this variety is best for their animals. Added to this, when pastures are not degraded they can accumulate more water, protecting people and the economy better from floods. But overgrazing and incorrect management have led to degradation and even loss and now around one third of pastures are classified as degraded. Overall, the productivity of the agro-industrial sector depends very much on the environment and ecosystems. For example, crop production, animal husbandry, and honey and berry production depend on soil, pollinating insects, quality of pastures, meadows and forests and on water availability. If these important ecosystems are degraded, the agro-industrial sector suffers and its productivity drops (see Figure 1).
216 million soms
Expenditure on environmental measures in agriculture
Figure 1. Links between agriculture and ecosystems
Ecosystems Arable land
1,154
Soil, fertility
million soms Wetlands
Irrigation water
Pastures
Animal feed
Forests
Animal feed, soil, water
Agro-industrial sector
Support to measures that may have negative environmental effects
Soil degradation, water deterioration, pasture degradation, reduction in productivity
Government support to sustainable and other environmental measures in agriculture (KGS 216 million in 2016) is low in comparison to total expenditure on the agriculture sector and even in comparison with support to practices such as pesticide use and ineffective irrigation (KGS 1,154 million), which have caused agricultural land to degrade.
This opens up an opportunity for the government to redirect these funds to sustainable agriculture development, including sustainable pasture management, more effective irrigation and drip irrigation, and organic farming.
Information based on: Policy and Institutional Review for Environment Financing with a Focus on Biodiversity and Climate Change Adaptation in the Kyrgyz Republic (2017) Public and Private Expenditure Review (2017) For further information, visit the BIOFIN knowledge platform: http://biodiversityfinance.net/knowledge-platform
Photo credit: Asian Development Bank. Sourced from Flickr via Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)