Enhancement of the long-term sustainability of the collection and commercialisation of local medicinal and aromatic plants. In March 2024, representatives of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, in collaboration with colleagues from Rhine-Waal University (Germany) and the University of Gastronomic Sciences

In Kyrgyzstan, most farming systems are based on animal husbandry, which depends on mixtures of crops and pastures around settlements and higher-elevation summer pastures. These farms face the problems of insufficient fodder production and pasture degradation due to overgrazing, resulting in low livestock productivity and reduced household incomes. This study used multivariate analysis to develop a consistent typology of smallholder farms in the Tien Shan mountainous range.

The paper, published in the journal Land, results from a long-term cooperation between the University of Central Asia, Rhine-Waal University and CZU Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences (research teams TRIBE and TRACE).

Analyzing data from 235 farm-households and evaluating key classification variables, we identified two distinct farming systems, upper and lower mountain farms, based on socioeconomic and agro-ecological characteristics. Understanding the diversity and types of local farming systems is crucial for setting efficient and suitable policies to enhance livelihood and sustainable use of natural resources.

Eleven years of the war in Syria have caused substantial socioeconomic and cultural changes, and have led to widespread food insecurity across the country. Our recently published study in the journal Economic Botany (IF: 2.6, Q2 in Plant Sciences) seeks to scrutinize the impact of socioeconomic factors on the use of wild food plants during the conflict. The study revealed that the number of used species had a significant statistical relationship with informant age and annual household income, while informant gender was a predictor for both reliance on wild plants and frequency of use.