Karakalpakstan Republic and Khorezm Region, Uzbekistan | ECO-ARAL in partnership with Association “Women of the Agricultural Sector” of Uzbekistan conducted a series of seminars for 310 trainees entitled “Capacity building of women in the Aral Sea region by involving them in agro-business and production of compost from waste” in Bozatov, Kungrad and Nukus districts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan between 28-30 July and in Urgench, Khanka and Gurlan districts of Khorezm region on 22-27, August 2022.
Empowerment of women in the society by increasing their income generation is an important part of ECO-ARAL’s efforts in the Aral Sea region. Uzbekistan has two co-existing agricultural structures – small scale family or homestead farming and large commercial private farms. Homestead farmers are key to national food security and livelihoods of rural communities. Despite, homestead farming is an important source for income generation of women and youth.
As trainers at the series of seminars, advanced experts in innovative Agriculture were invited from the International Innovation Centre of the Aral Sea Basin (IICAS), Research and Innovation department of Nukus branch of Samarkand Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary and Livestock Development Department of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) of Kegeli district of Karakalpakstan, Department of Technology for Storage and Processing of Agricultural Products of the Khorezm regional department of MoA, lecturers and professors from the department of Sustainable Development and Environmental Education of Urgench State University, the Department of General Zootechnics of Tashkent State Agrarian University and Akhangaran Department of the Research Institute of Livestock and Poultry Breeding.
During the seminars the participants learnt about the importance of increasing soil fertility, nutrition and fertilization, the effective use of fertilizers (i), soil salinity level in Karakalpakstan and Khorezm region, the factors for preventing and reducing it (ii), types of compost and the technology of its preparation (iii), making compost at domestic conditions (iv), technology of innovative compost preparation, its chemical composition and advantage over the ordinary compost (v), responsibilities of homestead landowners to maintain and improve the environment of the area (vi), improving the ecology through efficient use of waste (vii), rational use of household and industrial waste and its use for increasing the fertility of farm lands (viii). At the end of the training sessions, the participants practiced the preparation of compost at the training programme premises.
Initial two workshops of the series of seminars in partnership with Association “Women of the Agricultural Sector” of Uzbekistan were held between 27-29 June in Muynak district of Karakalpakstan with participation of 65 female trainees.
