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LITERATURE REVIEW
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School of Law
The countries of the Central Asian region are heavily agrarian societies and have low
income per capita except for Turkmenistan which has high oil and gas reserves. Water scarcity
is also rampant in the region coupled with inefficient use of water. Because of this, agricultural
activities are not as efficient as they should be. Only a small part of the region’s land is
Moreover, state intervention, a legacy of the Soviet era is still reflected in many parts of
This essay is an attempt to review the existing literature in the topic of “Food and Water
Security Nexus in Central Asia”. All the literature referred for this review are secondary
sources. This literature review will broadly include the following themes:
Water and irrigation have been important factors for progress, development of culture
and sciences, and the co-operation of people inhabiting Central Asia. Most of Central Asia has
an arid climate. Scant precipitation (less than 350–400 mm/year), extremely low humidity (22–
40% in summer), high evaporation rates (maximum 1,700 t/year), and abundant solar radiation
are major climatic features of this region covering an area of more than 300 million ha.
Therefore, management of water resources has been a very crucial element in the Central Asian
civilization since time immemorial. Similarly, when it comes to food, agriculture or farming
has been considered as one of the most honourable occupations in the whole of Central Asia.
Today sustainable food security in the region depends on two main issues:
2. Food availability
` Food security refers to both physical and economic access to food and food supplies.
Food security in Central Asia cannot be understood as a stand-alone challenge. The current
food crisis in the region cannot be understood unless located in the broader nexus that
encompasses food, water and indeed energy (gas and oil). Developing a sustainable strategy
will require in depth understanding of the three nexus and how they are entangled with each
other. Tajikistan has faced the most acute situation in the region.
Irrigation has been an vital element of agriculture throughout Central Asia but due to
drop in world prices on agricultural output, farmers are unable to support the water sector. As
a result it has affected productivity of various crops ( know about water sharing in central Asian
countries)There is a drastic decrease in subsidies and support of the agriculture and water
sectors, In addition, procurement of agricultural machinery, fertilizers and other chemicals has
During the transition from planned to market economies, the Central Asian Republics
experienced rising poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition (Green and Bauer, 1998). The rise
in Central Asia’s food insecurity is an indirect result of a poor macroeconomic environment,
which is illustrated by the initial fall in national output and high inflation rates
Although much progress has been made in moving toward a market economy and in
implementing land reforms the process is not yet complete. Food sector reforms, particularly
the removal of school and preschool nutrition programmes and the elimination of food
subsidies, have increased the vulnerability of poor households to food insecurity and
malnutrition
As mentioned earlier, Tajikistan is hit worst by the food insecurity in the region. Some of
i. Exclusive dependence on Uzbekistan for its gas supplies and its relative bad
iii. Overarching reliance on Kazakhstan and Russia for its food and gain imports which
results in unaffordability.
Water scarcity is a major issue in the Central Asian region. The two main sources of water
in central Asia are Syr Darya and Amu Darya Rivers. 96% of the water of both the rivers is
used for irrigation purposes. At the heart of the problem is the lack of cooperation and dialogue
and Turkmenistan are dependent on irrigated agriculture whereas upstream countries like
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are focused on expanding reservoir capacity and hydroelectric
power generation. Therefore, absence of bilateral dialogues regarding efficient water sharing
and extreme climatic conditions characterised by draughts are two of the main causes of water
In order to achieve, sustainable food and water security in Central Asia, following are some
3. Increasing water rights for irrigated agriculture at all levels of water hierarchy.
water delivery.
exchanges, the development of alternative energy sources and improving overall energy
efficiency;
7. Lowering barriers to trading food and agricultural goods, thus promoting their more
cost-, water- and energy efficient production and exchange within the region;
After reviewing the available literature in on the topic, following are research gaps that
1. Potential for bilateral dialogues between the Central Asian countries regarding water
sharing
REFERENCES
Qin, T. (2008). Implementing Integrated Water Resources Management in Central Asia. Edited
by PATRICIA WOUTERS, VICTOR DUKHOVNY AND ANDREW ALLAN. Journal Of
Environmental Law, 20(3), 493-496. doi: 10.1093/jel/eqn024
Granit, J., Jägerskog, A., Lindström, A., Björklund, G., Bullock, A., & Löfgren, R. et al. (2012).
Regional Options for Addressing the Water, Energy and Food Nexus in Central Asia and the
Aral Sea Basin. International Journal Of Water Resources Development, 28(3), 419-432. doi:
10.1080/07900627.2012.684307
Rhoe, V., Babu, S., & Reidhead, W. (2008). An analysis of food security and poverty in Central
Asia—case study from Kazakhstan. Journal Of International Development, 20(4), 452-465.
doi: 10.1002/jid.1421
Hannan, T. (2000). A Solution to the Aral Sea Crisis? Sustainable Water Use in Central
Asia. Water And Environment Journal, 14(3), 213-218. doi: 10.1111/j.1747-
6593.2000.tb00252.x
King, E., Curtin, M., Namgyal, T., Kazmir, M., Bell, B., & Kampmark, B. et al. (2019). Solving
Central Asia’s Water Crisis. Retrieved from https://intpolicydigest.org/2017/05/19/solving-
central-asia-s-water-crisis/
Linn, J. (2019). The Impending Water Crisis in Central Asia: An Immediate Threat. Retrieved
from https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/the-impending-water-crisis-in-central-asia-an-
immediate-threat/