A Tale of Three Nations: Empowering Women for Climate Change Adaptation Solutions through Traditional Knowledge

The skills and insights gained through the Climate Dialogue 2024,

organized by the Climate Action Network for Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and

Central Asia (CAN EECCA),greatly contributed to the development of the following article.

The climate change debate is escalating, with global warming now impossible to ignore. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and more frequent extreme weather events are putting pressure on agriculture and water resources, highlighting the urgent need for adaptation measures. Communities play a vital role in this process.

In Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia (EECCA) region, the impacts are being felt deeply. In these mountainous regions, women—often the primary household managers—are taking the lead in climate adaptation. Their role is crucial in developing inclusive, sustainable, and resilient strategies for their communities, positioning them at the forefront of the fight against climate change.

Traditional Knowledge and Modern Adaptation in Armenia

Let’s meet Gohar Nersisyan, a young Armenian farmer, who embodies the spirit of innovation and tradition in agricultural practices. Gohar was trained by the AgriCamp program (https://www.facebook.com/agricamprogram, https://agricamp.icare.am/goal-1/), and is part of a growing movement of women agri-entrepreneurs and farmers who have been given the opportunity to implement climate-smart agricultural practices and innovative solutions to increase productivity and income.

Gohar was born and raised in the heart of the Kotayk region, in the small village of Teghenik, and farming is more than just a means of survival for her. It is a deeply rooted way of life. The rocky terrain and unpredictable weather patterns have long made agriculture a serious challenge in Teghenik, threatening crops cultivated in the community for decades.

Applying the new knowledge gained from the training, Gohar recorded a significant increase in productivity, with potato yields increasing from 4-5 t/ha to 6-8 t/ha.These improvements are mainly due to the use of innovative agricultural practices (the most viable seed selection, setting irrigation regimes, etc.) and a greater understanding of the impact of climate change.

“Potatoes are a long season crop, and you will really have to practice patience, while starting this journey. The key aspect to ensuring the best harvest is the selection of disease-free seeds.” says Gohar.

Climate-resistant varieties selection enabled the Teghenik community to diversify agricultural value chains and discover new ones. The use of crop sorting (by quality and size) and graded storage techniques led to a change in marketing behavior: еarlier export of poor-quality product to the market created the opportunity to reduce the risk of losses due to crop spoilage.

The acquisition of practical skills in crop rotation and soil improvement through the mulching, use of organic fertilizers and natural pesticides, water management (drip irrigation and irrigation scheduling) led to increased yields on the farms of more than 200 women farmers.

“Learned agricultural practices were combined with the replacement of cultivated crops with high-value varieties (broccoli, arugula, armenian cucumber), because these species provided an opportunity to improve the nutritional diversity of the community while reducing the unpredictable risks inherent in single-crop farms. Along with this, the income potential also increased, as wider market opportunities opened up to the farmers.” Gohar explains.

Gohar’s story highlights the potential and adaptability of women farmers, who preserve agricultural traditions while willingly taking on the responsibility of introducing innovative farming practices, both in Armenia and across the region.

Preserving traditional knowledge: a case of Kyrgyzstan

Next, we are going to meet Zhanara Algozhoeva, a hereditary herbalist and healer in Kyrgyzstan. She was born into a shepherd’s family and spent her entire childhood in the Suusamyr mountain meadows of Chuy province. Since childhood, Zhanara remembers how her grandmother worked with herbs such as kerech

(Anjelika/Trifoilum https://ky.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%87), kokomeren (thyme https://24.kg/files/media/333/333241.jpg), adirashman (Harmala/Graveyard https://ru.sputnik.kz/20190530/Adyraspan-svoystva-10315134.html), which she put in cloth bags and dried. At that time, Zhanara did not even think that she would work with medicinal herbs, but she still remembers the smell of these herbs. Her grandmother drank medicinal herbs herself, mixed them with milk and gave them to children.

Zhanara explains that Kyrgyzstan’s biodiversity is unique in Central Asia due to its rich variety of medicinal herbs. The country’s geography and climate contribute to the fact that many types of herbs with healing properties grow here.

High mountain conditions increase the content of biologically active substances. When it is hot during the day, cold at night, plus atmospheric changes – these are stressful conditions for plants, which have a beneficial effect on the amount of active substances in them.

Zhanara shares her experience of collecting medicinal plants, emphasizing the importance of caring for them: the right way of collecting and drying them is of great importance to preserve their effectiveness. As Zhanara noted: – “Each herb requires its own time to be collected – spring, summer or autumn. She goes to the mountains for several months to collect these plants, doing it with respect and taking into account the natural cycles. This process requires not only knowledge of herbs, but also a deep understanding of the ecosystem and its conservation. My work is not only about collecting herbs, but also about caring for nature and preserving traditional knowledge passed down from generation to generation.”

With the establishment of “Amanat-Omur” Public Fund (https://www.facebook.com/amanatomurfund/?profile_tab_item_selected=mentions&paipv=0&eav=AfaB-gnLt_Sld2PduZSkHBvPkwPrP7oiIIO84qCRhali_GmB9jXBD8fi-0QpQK_n2Y4&_rdr) in 2014, Zhanara took an important step towards preserving traditional knowledge and sustainable use of local natural resources. The Fund’s initiatives aim to educate local women and community members, which not only contributes to the preservation of biodiversity and cultural heritage, but also improves the quality of life of local residents. The establishment of the first pre-school ethnobotanical garden in Kyrgyzstan was a significant step. An alley of local fruit trees serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving biodiversity and maintaining local agricultural crops. The active participation of the members of “Young Naturalist” environmental club allows schoolchildren not only to gain theoretical knowledge, but also to apply it in practice, developing their environmental awareness. Training in traditional beekeeping, the basics of organic farming, and traditional “shakar samyn” soap making from local herbs creates unique opportunities for local residents.

From Seed to Success: Soilless cultivation of microgreens in Uzbekistan

Our third leader is Gulzar Toreniyazova, an innovative agricultural engineer, businesswoman and mentor from Uzbekistan’s Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan, who is passionate about planting microgreens indoors. Gulzar is a specialist at the International Innovation Center for the Aral Sea Basin (IICAS).

The Aral Sea region has been suffering from droughts and harsh climate conditions that negatively affect soil and crops. Gulzar, being concerned about the climate issues, tried to find solutions for challenges in growing plants in open ground, such as late frosts, early warming, unseasonal weather conditions, pests, etc. She came up with an idea to grow plants indoors, did research, studied indoor planting methods on the Internet and learned about microgreens.

She immediately realized that this was what she was looking for. When she needed financial support to realize her project, she took part in the program of Accelerating Women’s Greentech Startup by Tech4Impact(https://t.me/greentechkarakalpakstan/576 ) and UNDEF and won $2,000 to develop her in-house planting project in 2022.

Gulzar was not an expert in farming, rather a self-taught enthusiast. She says, “I was born and raised in the village. Like all village children, I also worked in the field and I have always been able to take care of plants better than others. Now it is trendy to call a green finger (a light hand – this is what they call a person who literally only needs to stick a simple stick into the ground, and it immediately comes to life and blooms). It appears I have green fingers. I learned all the details about planting seeds online and made a lot of mistakes, since there are a lot of pitfalls that are not discussed on the Internet.”

Microgreens are young nutrient-rich vegetable greens that can be easily grown in small spaces, including people’s homes. They are a valuable source of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Microgreens are grown from the seeds of various plants: spinach, radish, mustard, basil and others. Its peculiarity is that it is harvested at the stage of the first leaves.

Microgreens have an intense taste, aroma, and attractive appearance, making them a popular cooking ingredient. A key advantage of growing hydroponic microgreens is that they are free of soil particles, and nutrient mixtures are easy to dispose of in urban areas without compost space. With soil depletion and limited natural resources, growing microgreens uses minimal resources. Their short growing period of 10-20 days allows for water savings of up to 90% (https://direct.farm/post/gidroponika-vs-akvaponika-sravnitelnyy-analiz-24760 ), and they require little space. This makes microgreens a resilient agricultural practice amid climate change. Gulzar produces them on a large scale in her basement and sells them at local markets and restaurants.

After a huge success in production of microgreens, Gulzar wanted to share her two-year experience and expertise with women in Karakalpakstan. She continues her story,  “To develop a workshop project, I participated in the Startup competition and received a grant of $24.000 from the Ministry of Innovative Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The aim of my project was not only to receive economic benefits from the sale of products, but mostly to teach local residents how to grow organic food at home for themselves and for sale.”

In May, 2024, Gulzar collaborated with Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and organized a master class on growing microgreens among women with disabilities. This is ideal for individuals with limited mobility compared to traditional farming, which requires heavy lifting and extensive outdoor work. Microgreens can also be sold at local markets and cafes, providing potential income and a viable home-based business for women, contributing to their financial independence with minimal equipment. Growing microgreens indoors protects women from harsh weather, pests, and other challenges of traditional agriculture, making it a more resilient practice in the face of climate change. By cultivating microgreens at home, these women can enhance their household nutrition and food security while engaging in sustainable agriculture. Gulzar notes that participants gained valuable knowledge and built a supportive network for their future. A month later, Gulzar and GGGI delivered shelves and phytolamps to the women’s homes, ensuring their new skills were put into practice. Gulzar conducted mini masterclasses to instruct them on using the equipment.

In the end Gulzar shares her insights, “I am happy to see the desire of women to eat healthy. When they learned about microgreens, they all showed interest and joy. I feel fulfilled to help them with advice and share my experience. I think we always need to raise awareness of the opportunities that can help any women in society find what they like, as well as adapt to the current situation.”