In light of the upcoming National Youth Day (30 June) in Uzbekistan, the final stage of the contest “Youth and Innovative Development of Agriculture” was held at Tashkent State Agrarian University today. The Nukus branch of Samarkand State Veterinary Medicine, Animal Husbandry, and Biotechnology University was selected as the first-place winner for their innovation of sustainable plant pots and received a study tour to learn about European experiences in sustainable agriculture. Tashkent State Agrarian University won the second place for their proposal of smart veterinary hospital for households and received laptops, while the Andijan Institute of Agriculture and Agrotechnologies won the third place for their idea of the ‘’Space Agro’’ platform providing advisory services on crop agro technological practices and received tablets.

The purpose of the contest was to recognise the contributions of highly qualified, young specialists in agriculture and find new solutions to adapting agriculture production to today's severe climate change conditions. More than 4000 students (1851 women) from 10 agricultural universities submitted their proposals.

EU in Uzbekistan.

Ambassador of the European Union to Uzbekistan H.E. Ms Charlotte Adriaen encouraged young people in Uzbekistan to continue participating in other EU-funded programmes such as ERASMUS+ and HORIZON, which help them to study or do research in Europe, including on topics related to how addressing global challenges like climate change.

Ambassador Adriaen also congratulated the gender-diverse teams participating in the contest.

“More women in research can lead to better science, higher agriculture productivity and increased access to nutritious food and incomes to families”, she said.

Mr. Anas Qarman, UNDP Resident Representative a.i. in Uzbekistan noted that

“In a world where the impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly evident, and the need for sustainable solutions more pressing than ever, the role of youth in shaping the future of agriculture cannot be overstated. That's why UNDP and European Union are proud to stand behind these students who have dedicated themselves to creating projects that not only adapt to climate change but also preserve our precious resources. I am filled with hope and anticipation that this contest will bring new, fresh energy to achieving the SDGs in Uzbekistan, especially those related to gender equality, climate change, poverty reduction, and other global goals that are interlinked”.

The award ceremony was also attended by Ibrohim Abdurakhmanov,  Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Ms Malika Kadirxanova Senator, Chairperson of the Committee on Women and Girls and Gender Equality of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Eshmirza Abdualimov, Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The contest was launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Agency for Youth Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the Association of Women in the Agricultural Sector, with the support of the project “Supporting an inclusive transition to a green economy in the Agri-food sector and development of a climate-smart Uzbek Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation System” (EU-AGRIN). The project is implemented by the UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, and funded by the EU.

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European countries. It is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. It acts globally to promote sustainable development of societies, environment and economies, so that everyone can benefit.