Japan and UNDP Introduce Climate Situational Centres in Fergana Valley

Local farmers are expected to benefit from the access to well-coordinated agrometeorological data

May 24, 2023

23 May 2023 – Namangan region hosted an opening ceremony for the Climate Situational Centre located in the newly opened weather radar post building. H.E. Mr. Hatori Takashi, Ambassador of Japan in Uzbekistan, and Ms. Matilda Dimovska, UNDP Resident Representative, visited the region to take part in the opening ceremony.

The Climate Situational Centre is a facility equipped with means of communication and comprehensively interactive presentation of information. Three Situational Centres have been launched on the territory of Fergana Valley, namely in Namangan, Andijan and Fergana regions. They enable every region to collect, monitor, and process real-time agrometeorological data from meteostations and weather radar located in the Namangan region. With funding support from the Government of Japan, UNDP and Uzhydromet have fully equipped these centres.

“Global warming and climate change pose serious challenges to our lives, and farmers and rural households are increasingly threatened by drought, water shortages and extreme weather events. The Government of Japan considers it important to make those who are most at risk to be more resilient to climate change in order to promote human security and sustainable growth, and has provided support to many countries including Uzbekistan,”

– noted H.E. Mr. Hatori Takashi, Ambassador of Japan in Uzbekistan.

“The Situational Centres will help shape agrometeorological services and provide early warnings of extreme weather. This advancement in data processing and visualisation, combined with the modernization of agrometeorological observation networks, is expected to result in the avoidance/mitigation of potential losses and damage to Fergana Valley horticulture production, benefiting population of the region and ensuring the food security,”

– added Ms. Matilda Dimovska, UNDP Resident Representative.

The establishment of Situational Centres is a consistent step towards increasing the climate resilience of Ferghana Valley horticultural producers. Earlier this year, as part of this work, 20 small agrometeorological stations were installed on farmlands in the Fergana Valley.

In addition, 15 big automated weather stations have been installed in the Fergana Valley throughout May and June 2023. H.E. Mr. Hatori Takashi, Ambassador of Japan in Uzbekistan, and Ms. Matilda Dimovska, UNDP Resident Representative visited one of the 15 weather stations in Namangan region and handed over all 35 weather stations to Uzhydromet.

Farmers who attended the event talked about their experiences with the meteostations and shared stories on how the meteostations and enhanced access to data can help optimize agricultural processes. According to farmers, getting access to agrometeorological data will enable them to implement climate-informed planning, reduce farming costs, and improve product quality.

“From my early childhood I am involved in gardening. Nowadays, our farm specialized on viticulture and gardening. Returning frosts, droughts, and unusually high air temperatures are more common than we expect. The knowledge we gained during training workshops on how to respond to unexpected weather changes, as well as access to agrometeorological data from meteostations, enable us to take appropriate actions, grow quality products and get a decent income,”

– shared Mavlonbek Komiljonov, Director of “Komiljon Rasuljon Mavlobek” Farm.

During the visit the Ambassador of Japan in Uzbekistan, and UNDP Resident Representative met with the hokim of Namangan region and participated in a roundtable event to discuss the joint impact of the UNDP, Japan and Uzhydromet cooperation on increasing climate resilience of Fergana Valley horticultural producers.

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The mission is organized within the “Climate resilient livelihoods of horticultural producers in Fergana valley in Uzbekistan” project. This project is a joint initiative of UNDP and Uzhydromet funded by the Government of Japan. The project aims to meet the needs of agricultural communities in the Ferghana Valley by modernizing of agrometeorological observation networks and early warnings system, shaping agrometeorological services for horticultural producers and implementing climate-informed planning. Its total budget amounts to USD 954,147. Project outcomes will strengthen the country’s climate adaptation efforts indicated in the more ambitious NDC2 adopted by Uzbekistan in 2021.