27.03.2024 – SDGnexus Network: March Highlights

Afghanistan initiated large-scale water projects, following the Taliban takeover, including an extensive irrigation project in northern Afghanistan, diverting water from the Amu Darya River to the northern provinces. This project is anticipated to significantly alter the water dynamics in the Amu Darya Basin, which is already facing water scarcity and climate vulnerability. Riparian nations Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan may be profoundly affected by the construction of the Qosh Tepa Canal. 

Read more about Central Asia's water situation and the canal's potential impact on Central Asia’s water sector in the policy brief by Dr. Iskandar Abdullaev and Shakhboz Akhmedov here.

Photo: Colourbox #85

Dr. Vladimir Otrachshenko, in collaboration with Nargiza Alimukhamdova and Sana Iliyas, published a study in the Communist and Post-Communist Studies journal.  

Traditions and culture affect decisions in many daily life aspects, including family, labor market, business, and social life activities. The focus of this article is on Uzbekistan, a country that has a legacy of the Soviet past but also maintains its own traditions. Specifically, we focus on an informal network of people with common interests, known as the gap. In this article we examine whether households participating in the gap react to adverse shocks differently compared to households that do not belong to this network.We focus on the impact of climate shocks, one of the most prominent problems in Uzbekistan. In particular, we study whether climate conditions lead to differences in livestock assets across households in Uzbekistan and explore the climate–livestock relationship for members and nonmembers of the gap. The results suggest that households participating in the gap are more risk averse compared to other households. That is, in a place with a high risk of climate shocks, the gap members have lower livestock assets. At the same time, if in a current year, weather conditions improve—that is, there is more rainfall—members of the gap are able to increase their livestock assets in comparison with nonmembers.

For more insights, the article is available here.

Photo: Dinara Ziganshina