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In focus: preservation of soil fertility, organic farming, climate-friendly production - trade event in cooperation with Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft (DLG) - 12 October 2022, as part of the KazAgro/KazFarm trade fairs in Astana (Kazakhstan).
The issues of sustainability, biodiversity and climate change are shaping the future development of Kazakh agriculture. As part of the German-Kazakh Agricultural Policy Dialogue, experts from Kazakhstan and Germany will discuss the use of resource-saving technologies in arable farming, current challenges in water management and integrated pest management, and the importance of organic farming as a building block of a sustainable agricultural system. The event will take place within the framework of the KazAgro/KazFarm exhibitions, on 12 October in Astana (Kazakhstan). DLG is a partner of the conference.
The Republic of Kazakhstan has considerable land resources for agricultural production. Unfortunately, not all land is available for efficient crop cultivation. This is because of the increasing threat to agricultural land from wind and water erosion as well as growing salinisation in recent years, experts have noticed. . At the same time, domestic arable farming is characterised by low use of fertiliser . According to statistical reports, the share of seeded areas in the Republic of Kazakhstan on which mineral fertilisers are applied is only 11 percent. Organic fertiliser is applied on only 0.3 percent. These factors lead to the loss of soil fertility as well as the loss of potential agricultural production land.
In organic farming, special attention must be paid to maintaining soil fertility and preventing wind and water erosion as well. The resulting and increasingly evident climatic changes as well as the lack of precipitation pose additional challenges for Kazakh agriculture.
International panel of experts:
During the event of the German-Kazakh Agricultural Policy Dialogue, experts from Kazakhstan and Germany will discuss the use of resource-saving technologies in agriculture, current challenges in water management and integrated pest management, as well as the importance of organic farming as a component of a sustainable agricultural system.
Among others, speakers will include Bruno Hoffstadt, the Head of International Projects Unit Twinning at the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, as well as our project team leader Alexander Barnewitz.
The conference will be moderated by Dr Olga Hunger, Regional Director Central and Eastern Europe of the DLG. The event is hold in Russian and German.
Details about the conference can be found at this LINK.
The German-Kazakh Agricultural Policy Dialogue (APD) is a project funded by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) since 2009, based on a resolution of the German Bundestag. The aim is to support Kazakhstan in the formulation of agricultural policy plans and strategies with the help of experiences from Germany and other European countries. The project is implemented through the mandatary GFA Consulting Group GmbH and a consortium consisting of AFC Agriculture and Finance Consultants GmbH and ADG - Akademie Deutscher Genossenschaften e.V., Bonn. The DLG e.V. and IFOAM - Organics International are involved in the project as project partners. Information on APD: https://agrardialog-kaz.de/
Foto Credits: Sergey Parunov