KREI calls for country-specific ODA strategies for facility agriculture

88% of surveyed farmers want to adopt or upgrade facility agriculture

Smart farm preference tops 80% in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan

75% of Tajik farmers say they cannot afford smart farm costs

This image is not related to the article. [Getty Images Bank]
This image is not related to the article. [Getty Images Bank]

More than eight in 10 farmers in Central Asia identified high upfront investment costs as the biggest obstacle to adopting smart farms and other forms of facility agriculture, a new report has found. While demand for facility agriculture is strong, inadequate infrastructure — including power and irrigation — and limited financial capacity among farming households point to the need for country-specific support, the report concluded.

The Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI) released a report Friday titled "Establishing International Development Cooperation Strategies for Priority Partner Countries in Agriculture and Forestry (Year 8)." A survey of 133 farmers in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan found that 83.5 percent cited high initial costs as the main barrier to adopting facility agriculture. Insufficient technical capacity came second at 31.6 percent, followed by difficulties in maintenance and management at 9.8 percent. Respondents were allowed to select multiple answers.

By country, Tajik farmers recorded the highest rate, with 95.0 percent citing high upfront costs. The figure reached 85.1 percent in Kyrgyzstan and 71.7 percent in Uzbekistan. Insufficient technical capacity was also cited most frequently in Tajikistan at 45.0 percent, compared with 31.9 percent in Kyrgyzstan and 19.6 percent in Uzbekistan.

The cost barrier grew more pronounced as the level of facility sophistication increased. Some 40.6 percent of all respondents said they could not afford glass greenhouses at all, while 33.8 percent said the same about smart farms. In Tajikistan, 75.0 percent said they could not afford either glass greenhouses or smart farms. In Kyrgyzstan, by contrast, the most common response for smart farms was "partial affordability" at 40.4 percent, while in Uzbekistan it was "half affordability" at 37.0 percent, highlighting significant differences in financial capacity across the three countries.

Demand for facility agriculture was high overall. Some 88 percent of surveyed farmers said they intended to introduce or upgrade facility agriculture. When asked about their preferred type of facility, 63.9 percent of all respondents chose smart farms. The preference was particularly strong in Kyrgyzstan at 80.9 percent and Uzbekistan at 84.8 percent. Tajikistan was the exception: 67.5 percent of Tajik farmers preferred plastic greenhouses, far outpacing the 20.0 percent who chose smart farms.

Demand for facility agriculture and smart farms in three Central Asian countries Source: Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI)

Category | Kyrgyzstan | Tajikistan | Uzbekistan Share citing upfront costs as adoption barrier | 85.1% | 95.0% | 71.7% Smart farm preference | 80.9% | 20.0% | 84.8% Primary facility agriculture direction | Insulated/heat-retaining structures | Plastic greenhouses and low-power facilities | Smart farms and technology transfer Primary response direction | Energy savings via solar heat storage | Low-cost models such as mini-greenhouses | Tiered greenhouse models and technology hubs by farm level

The researchers argued that these differences mean South Korea's Official Development Assistance should move away from a one-size-fits-all approach of rolling out advanced smart farms. Central Asian agriculture simultaneously faces water shortages, extreme weather, soil degradation and labor shortages, while power and irrigation infrastructure remains inadequate. Rainfall during the growing season in June and July, as well as high temperatures and drought at harvest time, were found to have a significant impact on the productivity of major vegetables.

The report proposed country-specific solutions. For Kyrgyzstan, it recommended prioritizing insulated plastic greenhouses suited to highland conditions along with solar heat-storage technology. For Tajikistan, it suggested deploying low-power facilities designed for frequent power outages and mini-greenhouses for winter production. For Uzbekistan, where facility agriculture is relatively more advanced, the report called for building a three-tier greenhouse model based on varying levels of technology and nurturing regional technology-transfer hubs.

Farmers' policy priorities also differed by country. In Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, 86 percent and 72 percent of respondents, respectively, said fiscal support should come first, underscoring the need for subsidies or low-interest loans. In Uzbekistan, by contrast, 72.5 percent prioritized market support, indicating that contract farming arrangements and connections to export buyers are relatively more important there.

"Rather than simply distributing smart farm facilities across Central Asia, what matters is support that takes into account each country's climate, agricultural conditions and the financial capacity of farming households," said Jeong Hak-gyun, a senior research fellow at KREI. "If facility agriculture is pursued together with water and energy efficiency, workforce development and public-private cooperation, it will help Central Asian agriculture respond to the climate crisis and improve productivity, while also expanding South Korea's cooperation in the agricultural technology sector."


adastra@heraldcorp.com