Uzbekistan is increasing the potential of organic agriculture.

Uzbekistan is increasing the potential of organic agriculture. The Institute for Organic Agriculture Research (FiBL) estimates that organic agriculture (OA) is practiced in 172 countries around the world. Today, 43.7 million hectares of land in the world are occupied by this type of agricultural activity, which involves approximately 2.3 million farmers. As of 2015, 87 countries had regulations in the field of environmental protection. Organic agriculture in Uzbekistan is just beginning to develop. Like any other innovation, the introduction of organic agriculture, in addition to the practical demonstration of benefits and advantages on specific farms and dehkan farms, requires the development of a regulatory framework and the preparation of a law on organic agriculture. Aiming at achieving specifically these objectives and supporting the revision of legislation in the field of organic agriculture in Uzbekistan, FAO initiated the project “Strengthening institutional capacity for the development of organic agriculture and the promotion of good agricultural practices (GAP) in Uzbekistan”, within the framework of which this seminar is held. The project for the development of public agriculture and national agricultural production is carried out jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan. On November 3, a seminar on the regulatory framework for the preparation of legislation in the field of organic agriculture was held in Tashkent. The seminar was organized for participants of the working group to develop a draft law on organic agriculture for the Republic of Uzbekistan. The event was organized by the FAO Office in the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The main objective of the workshop is to strengthen national capacity on elements of organic legislation, review the provided results of the preliminary analysis of national organic legislation and discuss with stakeholders the key elements of the draft new legislation. The seminar is also intended to initiate public discussion on legislative activities in the field of organic production and consider the opinions of relevant experts, specialists and stakeholders on the issues of regulating the needs and priorities in the implementation of the law on organic agriculture. Public relations consultant for the project.