On 27 February 2019 in Nukus, Mr. Levan Bouadze, UNDP Resident Representative a.i., handed over agricultural equipment and machinery to the Forestry Committee of Karakalpakstan, as well as to the pasture cooperatives established within the framework of the "Developing climate resilience of farming communities in the drought prone parts of Uzbekistan" project implemented by the Centre of Hydrometeorological Service at the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzhydromet) and UNDP.

A part of the equipment was acquired in accordance with the Memorandum of Cooperation between UNDP Uzbekistan and the State Forestry Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The document was signed in May 2018. According to the Memorandum, the tractors, as well as previously delivered tree-planting machines, excavating plows, ditching plows, deep tillers, etc., will be used in performing forest reclamation works on the dried bottom of the Aral Sea and in preserving and improving pasture productivity.

The main objective of the above-mentioned project, implemented with financial support of the Adaptation Fund, is to create climate-resilient agricultural and livestock farms in the most drought prone regions of Uzbekistan. The pilot areas of the project are located in Karakalpakstan.

As an adaptation measure to the climate change at the landscape level, 10 pasture cooperatives have first been established in Karakalpakstan with the support of the project. Their main task is to organize pasture farming in rural communities, effectively manage pastures, restore and improve degraded lands. 43,455 people are involved in the activities of the cooperatives located in the Kegeyli, Takhtakupir, Chimbay, Kanlykol, and Muynak districts. The establishment of the cooperatives allowed creating new jobs and organizing work to improve knowledge and skills to ensure the sustainability of local communities in the face of increased risk of drought.

In the framework of the ceremony, the representatives of the cooperative communities were given tractors, mowers, balers to strengthen the fodder base, as well as water pumps to provide liman irrigation in order to restore degraded pastures and increase their productivity.

In the final part of the ceremony, the responsible representatives of the UNDP Country Office, the Forestry Committee of the Republic of Karakalpakstan and the pasture cooperatives established with the support of the project signed documents on transfer of the agricultural equipment. The participants of the event included the representatives of the Council of Ministers of Karakalpakstan, Uzhydromet of Uzbekistan and its units in Karakalpakstan, the Forestry Committees and its branch in Karakalpakstan, khakims of Takhtakupir, Kegeyli, Chimbay, Kanlykol, and Muynak districts, heads of district forestry farms and pasture communities operating in the pilot areas.