Achieving food and nutrition security is at the forefront of the development objectives of the Central Asian republics. Since independence, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have undergone a series of transitions from centrally planned economies to market-oriented systems. Despite great efforts by these countries and the advice of international and bilateral development agencies, policy reform has been frustratingly slow, agricultural productivity and performance have been declining, and food insecurity and malnutrition remain high. As part of the CGIAR’s Central Asia and Caucuses systemwide program, IFPRI is therefore seeking to expand its research efforts in Central Asia, and its International Service for National Agricultural Research division (ISNAR) has embarked upon an initial phase of exploratory needs assessments.
IFPRI Asia