Regional Project: Central Asia

TAJIKISTAN

A project focusing on development and delivery of ecologically-based IPM packages for wheat and potato and on building human resources and institutional capacity in IPM research and outreach in Tajikistan

Country Profiles

The IPM Innovation Lab has a presence in one country in Central Asia. This fact sheet provides an overview of the work we are 3-SpitamenFarmCooperatordoing in Tajikistan, including our research challenges and accomplishments.

Tajikistan

Project Description

Wheat and potato are important crops in Tajikistan and the Central Asia region, but insects, pathogens, viruses, and nematodes cause severe losses to these staple crops.

Michigan State University, in collaboration with the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), Kansas State University, and the Tajik Academy of Agricultural Sciences, is implementing a collaborative research and capacity building project in Tajikistan. The goal of this project is to develop and deliver ecologically-based IPM packages in wheat and potato crops to local farmers.

The project activities include collaborative research, IPM demonstration sites, and extension/outreach through farmer field schools. The project has implemented three research and demonstration sites for wheat IPM in the Khatlon, Hissor, and Sogd regions, and two sites for potato IPM in the Jirgatol and Mastojh regions. Student, scientist, and farmer training and institutional capacity building are integral parts of the Central Asia IPM program. Cross-cutting components of the program include diagnostics, viruses, gender issues, communication and advocacy, and socio-economic impact assessment. The research publications and information generated through the project are widely disseminated to various stakeholders in Tajikistan and the Central Asia region.

The project also maintains a website.

Project achivements and highlights

  • Established IPM applied research and demonstration sites in wheat and potatoes in three different regions of Tajikistan.
  • Established the first IPM farmer field school in Tajikistan, training more than 500 local farmers and other stakeholders in various aspects of IPM.
  • Created a network of IPM researchers in Tajikistan and Central Asia to foster the development of inter-disciplinary research and outreach projects.
  • Supported several local undergraduate and graduate students from Tajikistan in conducting collaborative research at project research and demonstration sites.
  • Provided training (in progress) for one M.S. degree graduate student from Tajikistan at Michigan State University with a specialization in biological control.

Phase IV official project title

Ecologically-based Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Packages for Food Security Crops in Tajikistan

Personnel

Principal Investigator (PI):

Karim Maredia, Professor, Department of Entomology, Michigan State University

Co-PIs/Collaborators:

Michigan State University: Doug Landis, David Douches, George Bird, Walter Pett, Joy Landis, Shahlo Safarzoda, Linda Racioppi, Mywish Maredia and Richard Bernsten

Kansas State University: Megan Kennelly

CGIAR/ICARDA: Christopher Martius and Mustapha Bouhssini

Tajikistan: Nurali Saidov (Country coordinator for the IPM IL)