An FAO expert mission arrived in Turkmenistan within the framework of the project "Improving the efficiency of small ruminants production for reduction of the greenhouse gases emission intensity".

The purpose of the mission is to organize meetings with representatives of institutions involved in the implementation of the project and field visits to Dashoguz province, as well as to plan further activities under the project.

The FAO expert delegation includes specialists in livestock and small ruminant feeding, pasture vegetation and biodiversity, integrated landscape management, development of grazing plans and remote sensing data.

They will meet with representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Technology Center of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan to exchange information on ongoing and planned FAO projects.

As part of the visit, FAO mission members will be in Dashoguz velayat to meet and consult with representatives of local authorities responsible for distant livestock breeding and pasture management.

It is also planned to visit the territory of pasture camps to familiarize with the conditions of local distant pastures. After consultations and assessment of field work, international experts and national partners will determine further steps for project implementation.

These are aimed in particular at achieving project expected results such as improved small ruminant production through climate-optimized forage production and improved feeding practices in modern animal feeding systems, improved pasture and natural resource management, and ultimately reduced greenhouse gas emission intensity.

An agreement to implement the regional project "Improving the efficiency of small ruminants production for reduction of the greenhouse gases emission intensity" was signed between the Government of Turkmenistan and FAO during the visit to Ashgabat of Viorel Gutsu, Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in December 2021.

The project aims to improve the ability to analyze and improve the efficiency of the small ruminant production system in each participating country and the Central Asian subregion as a whole, including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.