沙漠研究 25-3, 237-240 (2015) Ἃ₍◊✲ Journal of Arid25-3, Land 237 -240Studies (2015) － ICAL 2 Refereed Paper － Journal of Arid Land Studies ̺ICAL 2 Refereed paper̺ Transfer and Localization of Sericulture Technology for Redeveloping Silk Industry in Central Asia - An Integrated Effort of Academic Research and Extension - Masaaki YAMADA*1), Yoshiko KAWABATA 2), Mitsuo OSAWA 1), Makoto IIKUBO 3), Umarov SHAVKAT 4), Vyacheslav APARIN 5) and Shiho KAGAMI 1) Abstract: Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology has been collaborating with the Uzbek Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources and the Uzbek Research Institute of Sericulture on two rural development projects in the Republic of Uzbekistan. This cooperative effort is sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. After concluding an initial project in the Fergana Valley, where environmental conditions are suitable for successful silkworm rearing, University staff and local Uzbek counterparts undertook follow-up research in some of the harshest climate conditions of Uzbekistan. This was done to ascertain the extent to which introduced sericulture technology might be adopted anywhere within Uzbekistan. In 2013, this follow-up project was launched in four communities of Shavat County in Uzbekistan’s Khorezm Province. The Japanese Kinshu × Showa autumn-breed and Shungetsu × Hosho spring-breed of silkworms (Bombyx mori) were distributed to cocoon producers, who received regular technical visits from the experts dispatched from Japan. All project participants were asked for their appraisal of the two introduced silkworm breeds, and associated rearing systems. They reported that they were satisfied with the increased cocoon harvests, and expressed their interest in acquisition of Japanese mulberry (Morus alba) cultivars, which they felt may better sustain the large appetites of the introduced silkworm breeds. The respondents also especially liked a laborsaving technique that uses plastic netting for quick and safe removal of leftover mulberry leaves and silkworm feces from the rearing bed. The Uzbek government has requested continued technical cooperation with the University, emphasizing silkworm foundation stock and improved breeding lines. Key Words: International technical cooperation, JICA, Silk thread, TUAT, URIS. 2013 and 2014; Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, 2014). 1. Introduction The initial project “Revitalization of the Silk Road Silk Industry in Uzbekistan - Developing a Rural Income Raw silk supply to global silk garment markets has Generation Model by Improved Sericulture in Fergana Valley” declined drastically in recent years, due to the sharp decline in (September 2009-August 2012) led to a Memorandum of exports by the dominant producer, China. Chinese export of Understanding of technical cooperation that was signed at the raw silk contracted from 14,700 MT in 2002 to 7,700 MT in 10th Japan-Uzbekistan Joint Economic Conference in Tokyo 2012A). This decline was primarily due to dwindling (Yamada et al., 2012) between the State Joint-Stock Company family-based sericulture in the recently urbanized and Uzbekengilsanoat and the University. On this occasion, the industrialized Eastern Coast of China (Fan et al., 2008; Kubo, University recommended that its Uzbek partner establish 2014). This has resulted in rising raw silk prices B, C), offering young silkworms (Bombyx mori) communal rearing facilities a niche opportunity for the promotion of capital/land-saving to both increase cocoon productivity and to alleviate the work and labor-intensive family farm-based silk productionD). This burden on sericulturists. The University presented the same effort initially aims to furnish raw silk primarily for the recommendation to the director of the Uzbek Research domestic market. Then later on, when silk production Institute of Sericulture (URIS) while concluding fieldwork on techniques advanced sufficiently, export grade silk can be the project in August 2012. In December of that year, a provided to the quality-demanding international marketE, F). Cabinet Order was proclaimed which resulted in the With this backdrop, Tokyo University of Agriculture and establishment of 196 sericulture rearing facilities throughout Technology (hereinafter called the University) financed by the the country, each having the capacity to rear through pupation Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has 50 to 100 boxes (29 grams of silkworm eggs per box) at a time undertakensericulture development projects in Uzbekistan (Madyarov and Umarov, 2013). The University was (Yamada et al., 2012; Japan International Cooperation Agency, informally invitedto manage two of these facilities. In a related * Corresponding Author: [email protected] 㸦Received, August 28th, 2014; Accepted, April 1st, 2015㸧 3-5-8 Saiwaicho, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan Tel: +81-42-367-5886 Fax: +81-+81-42-367-5886 1) Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 2) International Center, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 3) The United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 4) Uzbek Sericulture Research Institute, Uzbekistan 5) Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology Institute, Ministry of Geology of Republic of Uzbekistan, Republic of Uzbekistan 238 development, the University’s project office in Tashkent received visits from the local representative of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, which had begun implementing a German-supported official development assistance project titled “Sustainable Economic Development in Selected Regions of Uzbekistan” (2009-2014)G). The GIZ representative expressed his interest in assuming responsibility for the University’s initiative, if the University ever became unable to continue its work in Uzbekistan. GIZ’s goal would be to disseminate enhanced production of high-quality sericulture all over the country (Tokyo University of Fig. 1. Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology sericulture project sites in the Fergana Valley (first project at Yozyovon Agriculture and Technology, 2012). As a result, the and Vodil Counties) and Khorezm Province (second project at University proposed a second project: “Technical Cooperation Shavat County) (modified form Wikimedia Commons of a Project for Promotion of the Silk-Road Industry in Uzbekistan NASA satellite image). - Developing a Technical Transfer Model to Increase Sideline mulberry plantations and silkworm-rearing rooms, and to Income of Remote Villages” (March 2013-September 2015). conduct interviews with the participant farmers, with Mr. This second project was inaugurated in the Khorezm - Amu Djabbarov interpreting. Darya River Delta area, surrounded by the Kyzyl Kum and Kara Kum deserts. It was assumed that if this effort is 3. Results and Discussion successful in the harshest climate of Uzbekistan, then the introduced Japanese sericulture technology can be successfully The University’s sericulture development project in applied everywhere in the country. Khorezm was launched in March 2013, when experts were dispatched from Japan to work with Uzbek counterparts 2. Methods (government administrators, researchers, extensionists, sericulturists, textile manufacturers, and cloth-goods producers When this project in the Khorezm - Amu Darya River and retailers) to help facilitating reestablishment of the local Delta had been approved by JICA, the authors undertook a silk industry. Japanese single-cross Kinshu × Showa and survey of participating Uzbek sericulturists, to assess their double-cross Shungetsu × Hosho silkworm breeds were socioeconomic status and technological aptitudes/preferences. distributed to participating cocoon producers. Participating The authors designed a questionnaire in Japanese language family iszes ranged from four (4) to thirty two (32), with the which was translated into Uzbek by Mr. Muzaffar Djabbarov, a average of eight (8) persons per family. Some family local staffer and translator in the University’s Uzbek project. members were engaged in off-farm employment as teachers, Mr. Djabbarov administered the questionnaire during his machinery operators, rural extentionists, policemen and routine visits to project participants at Shavat (15 families) and migrant workers. There were three (3) midsized-farm Buyrachi (1 family) Townships, and Beshmergen (10 families) -enterprise (fermer) leaders in Shavat Township, who were and Hitoy (6 families) Rural Citizens' Assemblies of Shavat sustaining their large families of ten (10), twenty three (23) and County (41°39’36” N 60°17’24” E) in Khorezm Province (Fig. thirty two (32) respectively, and also organizing local 1), from April through June 2013. The questionnaire asked family-farm (dehkan) households for contract production of about: 1) the participants’ family members’ age, gender, government-monopolized cotton, wheat and silk cocoons education and employment; 2) how they became aware of and (Yamada et al., 2012). These fermer leaders worked with a participated in the project; 3) what they expected and learned sericulture instructor in Shavat Township to recruit the project from the project; 4) how many years and heads they had reared participants, coming mainly of their farm enterprises. The silkworms; 5) sericulture tasks assigned to each family majority of participants had good experience in sericulture: out member; 6) cocoon production, rate and previous year sales; 7) of total of thirty two (32) respondents, only eight (8) had