Conservation of fruit tree diversity in Central Asia: An analysis of policy options and challenges Conservation of fruit tree diversity in Central Asia: Policy options and challenges Edited by Isabel Lapeña, Muhabbat Turdieva, Isabel López Noriega and Wagdi George Ayad c Conservation of fruit tree diversity in Central Asia: Policy options and challenges Edited by Isabel Lapeña, Muhabbat Turdieva, Isabel López Noriega and Wagdi George Ayad Bioversity International is a research-for-development organization working with partners worldwide to use and conserveagricultural and forest biodiversity for improved livelihoods, nutrition, sustainability and productive and resilient ecosystems. Bioversity International is working towards a world in which smallholder farming communities in developing countries of Africa, Asia and the Americas are thriving and sustainable. Bioversity International focuses on rain-fed farming systems, primarily managed by smallholder farmers, in areas where large-scale agriculture is not a viable option. Its research influences policy decisions and investment in agricultural research, from the local level to the global level. Bioversity International is a member of the CGIAR Consortium, a global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for a food secure future. CGIAR research is dedicated to reducing rural poverty, increasing food security, improving human health and nutrition, and ensuring more sustainable management of natural resources. It is carried out by the 15 centers who are members of the CGIAR Consortium in close collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, and the private sector. www.cgiar.org Bioversity International’s headquarters are near Rome, Italy, along with Rome-based UN food agencies FAO, IFAD and WFP. Bioversity International has regional offices in Colombia, Kenya and Malaysia. The organization, founded in 1973, has more than 300 staff and scientists worldwide working with almost 700 partners. www.bioversityinternational.org Citation: Lapeña I., Turdieva M., López Noriega I. and W.G. Ayad (eds.). 2014. Conservation of fruit tree diversity in Central Asia: Policy options and challenges. Bioversity International, Rome, Italy. ISBN 978-92-9043-920-2 Bioversity International Via dei Tre Denari, 472/a 00057 Maccarese Rome, Italy © Bioversity International, 2014 Bioversity International is the operating name of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). ii Table of Contents Contributors iv Acknowledgements v CONSErvation OF FRUIT TREE DIVERSITY IN CENTRAL ASIA: AN ANALYSIS OF POLICY OPTIONS AND CHALLENGES 1 Introduction 2 Policy options for the conservation of wild fruit species in Central Asia 4 Agricultural policy changes and their impact on fruit crop diversity 11 Farmers’ rights to access, exchange and use diverse planting material: Seed legislation and intellectual property regimes 20 Empowering Central Asian farmers in sustainable management of fruit crop diversity on farm: From best practices to policies 24 National POLICIES ON Agricultural BIODIVERSITY CONSErvation 33 Kazakhstan legislation on conservation of wild fruit species in protected areas and forest lands 34 Kyrgyzstan legislation on agricultural biodiversity conservation 44 Tajikistan legislative framework for the conservation and use of agricultural biodiversity 57 Turkmenistan legislation on conservation of wild relatives of horticultural crops in specially protected areas and forest lands 72 Uzbekistan legislation on conservation of wild fruit species in protected natural areas and forest lands 85 STRENGTHENING FARMERS’ MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSErvation OF LOCAL VARIETIES 103 Legislative framework supporting the development of krestyan enterprises in Kazakhstan 104 Kyrgyz Republic legislation on support to farmers 118 Republic of Tajikistan legislation on support to farmers 128 Turkmenistan legislation on support to farmers in conservation of local varieties of fruit crops 137 Republic of Uzbekistan legislation on support to farmers 147 National POLICIES ON FARMERS’ RIGHTS 163 Farmers’ rights in Kazakhstan 164 Farmers’ rights in Kyrgyzstan 174 Farmers’ rights in Tajikistan 184 Farmers’ rights in Turkmenistan 196 Farmers’ rights in Uzbekistan 205 Annex I - Fruit and nut species under threat 221 Annex II - Natural protected areas for conservation of wild fruit and nut species in Central Asia 229 Annex III - Intellectual property rights and farmers’ rights legislation 239 iii Contributors Isabel Lapeña Garcia, Bioversity International, Rome, Italy Muhabbat Turdieva, Bioversity International, Tashkent, Uzbekistan Isabel López Noriega, Bioversity International, Rome, Italy Tleu Nurmuratuly, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Almaty, Kazakhstan Sergey Chekalin, Research Institute of Botany and Phytointroduction, Almaty, Kazakhstan Amantay Kultaev, Research Institute of Economy of Agricultural Complex and Development of Rural Territories, Almaty, Kazakhstan Baktybek Koychumanov, State Agency on Environmental Protection and Forestry of Kyrgyz Republic, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Bulan Sharsheev, Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament) of Kyrgyz Republic, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Tuychi Samiev, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Dushanbe, Tajikistan Galina Kamakhina, Independent Expert on Agrobiodiversity, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan Nikolai Skripnikov, Tashkent State University of Law, Tashkent, Uzbekistan Alexander Grigoryants, State Committee of Nature Protection of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan Akmal Ismatov, Forestry Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan Eugeniy Butkov, Republican Scientific Production Center of Ornamental Gardening and Forestry, Tashkent, Uzbekistan Uryn Narynov, Farmers’ Association of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan Karim Baymetov, Uzbek Research Institute of Plant Industry, Tashkent, Uzbekistan iv Acknowledgements The studies presented in this book are part of the project “In situ/On farm Conservation and Use of Agricultural Biodiversity (Horticultural Crops and Wild Fruit Species) in Central Asia”. The project is coordinated by Bioversity International (IPGRI) with financing from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), and implementation support from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). The editors would like to recognize the financial support provided by these organizations. We would like to thank Judith Thompson, Arwen Bailey and Evsey Alexandrovskiy for their hard work in editing the English and Russian versions of this book. Very big thanks go to all project partners in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan who have directly or indirectly contributed to the book. v Conservation of fruit tree diversity in Central Asia: Policy options and challenges vi Conservation of fruit tree diversity in Central Asia: An analysis of policy options and challenges Conservation of fruit tree diversity in Central Asia: An analysis of policy options and challenges Lapeña Isabel, Turdieva Muhabbat and López Noriega Isabel 1 Conservation of fruit tree diversity in Central Asia: Policy options and challenges Introduction The five independent republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan cover a vast territory in Central Asia, almost 4 million hectares, which is just a little smaller than the whole of Western Europe. Very different ecoregions are represented in this territory: grassland plains (steppes), riparian forests (tugai), boreal forests (taiga), wetlands, snowfields and deserts. The variety of ecosystems in these countries contributes to the unique and extremely valuable diversity of local horticultural and fruit crops. The region has a population of approximately 60 million people, of which about 60% live in rural areas. Agriculture contributes about 30% of the region’s economy and gives employment to between 40% and 70% of the population. Wheat and cotton are the major agricultural commodities. The region has a vast area of rangelands (260 million hectares) much of which is used for livestock production. Arable land, on the other hand, is quite limited, particularly in the mountainous countries of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and in the densely populated regions of Uzbekistan (Samarkand and Khorezm Provinces and the Fergana Valley). Because of its importance, agriculture is a major user of natural resources, particularly water. Irrigation is extremely wasteful because the distribution infrastructure is old and poorly maintained. Soil erosion and salinization are the most important challenges for agriculture production. Central Asia is one of the most important centres of origin for temperate fruit species, and enjoys very rich specific and intraspecific diversity of fruit trees. Apple (Malus spp.), apricot (Prunus armeniaca), peach (Prunus persica), pear (Pyrus communis), plum (Prunus domestica), grape (Vitis vinifera), almond (Prunus amygdalus), pistachio (Pistacia vera), pomegranate (Punica granatum), and fig (Ficus carica) are among the best known crops cultivated in the region, where the diverse and extreme natural and climatic conditions have helped farmers produce varieties adaptable to drought and resistant to a number of environmental stress factors. For millennia, farmers have benefited from the natural crossing between crops and their wild relatives, breeding beneficial traits into the crops to enable them to successfully