Impact of Climate on Rural Livelihoods

Central Asia is a region with scarce water resources, and a population for which agriculture remains the main source of livelihood. There is heavy reliance on irrigation, which is channeled from mountain rivers.

Dr. Maksim Kulikov, a Research Fellow of UCA’s Mountain Societies Research Institute presented the findings of his research addressing the impact of climate on local communities in the Isfara river catchment. The conference on sustainable development of Batken region of the Kyrgyz Republic was hosted by the United Nations Development Programme.

In 2020, the UCA studied the historical data of Isfara river runoff, temperature and precipitation in the river catchment as well as data on remotely-sensed vegetation index (NDVI). The research was informed by a series of interviews with residents of local communities who shared their observations of changes in climate and its impact on natural resources.

The Isfara river is very important for the Batken region and downstream agriculture in the Sughd region of Tajikistan and Ferghana region of Uzbekistan. It is one of the three rivers in the Batken region and provides water for more than 40 villages in Batken district of Kyrgyzstan and Isfara district of Tajikistan.

The research revealed the environmental changes in the studied area, which are driven by climatic and economic factors and have direct impact on residents and local economy. Residents are generally aware of climate change and resource scarcity, and have intuitively adapted their income strategies to the changing environment. However, growing population requires more resources, which means that more efficient agricultural technologies need to be introduced, more added value products developed to create new jobs.

Read full text of UCA research here.

Isfara River with the orchards in the background.