A Regional Perspective of Socio-Ecological Predictors for Fruit and Nut Tree Varietal Diversity Maintained by Farmer Communities in Central Asia
The five independent countries of Central Asia, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, contain one of the richest areas in the world for the specific and intraspecific diversity of temperate fruit and nut tree species. Research was carried out via the collaboration...
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| author | Muhabbat Turdieva Agnès Bernis-Fonteneau Maira Esenalieva Abdihalil Kayimov Ashirmuhammed Saparmyradov Khursandi Safaraliev Kairkul Shalpykov Paolo Colangelo Devra I. Jarvis |
| author_facet | Muhabbat Turdieva Agnès Bernis-Fonteneau Maira Esenalieva Abdihalil Kayimov Ashirmuhammed Saparmyradov Khursandi Safaraliev Kairkul Shalpykov Paolo Colangelo Devra I. Jarvis |
| author_sort | Muhabbat Turdieva |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The five independent countries of Central Asia, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, contain one of the richest areas in the world for the specific and intraspecific diversity of temperate fruit and nut tree species. Research was carried out via the collaboration of national research and education institutes with local community-based agencies and farmer communities. Raw data (2014 observations) for almond, apple, apricot, cherry plum, currant, grapevine, pear, pomegranate, and walnut were collected at the household (HH) level across the five countries: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan. A set of models was used, including household variety richness as the dependent variable, to understand the influence of socio-ecological variables on the amount and distribution of crop varietal diversity in the farmers’ production systems. Four variables were included as explanatory variables of variety richness (fixed factors): ecoregion, ethno-linguistic group, management, and abiotic stress. The results show clear evidence that abiotic stress determines a higher richness of intra-specific diversity in the form of local varieties grown by farmers living in climatically unfavorable areas. The results for the studied ecoregions follow the same trend, with ecoregions with harsher conditions displaying a higher positive correlation with diversity. Mild environments such as the Central Asian riparian woodlands show an unexpectedly lower diversity than other harsher ecoregions. Ethno-linguistic groups also have an effect on the level of varietal diversity used, related to both historic nomadic practices and a culture of harvesting wild fruit and nuts in mountainous areas. The home garden management system hosts a higher diversity compared to larger production systems such as orchards. In Central Asia, encouraging the cultivation of local varieties of fruit and nut trees provides a key productive and resilient livelihood strategy for farmers living under the harsh environmental conditions of the region while providing a unique opportunity to conserve a genetic heritage of global importance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T17:45:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b8adde85def241bc9c9b15f300f10bc4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-4060 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T17:45:23Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-b8adde85def241bc9c9b15f300f10bc42024-03-27T14:08:48ZengMDPI AGWorld2673-40602024-01-0151223510.3390/world5010002A Regional Perspective of Socio-Ecological Predictors for Fruit and Nut Tree Varietal Diversity Maintained by Farmer Communities in Central AsiaMuhabbat Turdieva0Agnès Bernis-Fonteneau1Maira Esenalieva2Abdihalil Kayimov3Ashirmuhammed Saparmyradov4Khursandi Safaraliev5Kairkul Shalpykov6Paolo Colangelo7Devra I. Jarvis8Office for Central Asia, Bioversity International, c/o ICARDA, Osiyo Str., 6, Tashkent 100000, UzbekistanThe Raffaella Foundation Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research (PAR), 80 Myer Creek Rd, Twisp, WA 98856, USAHorticulture Department, Kazakh National Agricultural Research University, 137, Valihanov Str., Almaty 050000, KazakhstanForestry Department, Tashkent State Agrarian University, 2, Universitetskaya Str., Tashkent 100140, UzbekistanAgricultural Sciences Department, Academy of Sciences, Turkmenistan, 15, Bitarap Turkmenistan Str., Ashgabat 744000, TurkmenistanNon Commercial Cooperative “Sarob”, 52/46 Ayni Str., Dushanbe 734003, TajikistanInstitute of Chemistry and Phytotechnologies, 267, Chuy Avenue, Bishkek 720071, KyrgyzstanNational Research Council, Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems, Via Salaria km 29,300, 00015 Rome, ItalyThe Raffaella Foundation Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research (PAR), 80 Myer Creek Rd, Twisp, WA 98856, USAThe five independent countries of Central Asia, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, contain one of the richest areas in the world for the specific and intraspecific diversity of temperate fruit and nut tree species. Research was carried out via the collaboration of national research and education institutes with local community-based agencies and farmer communities. Raw data (2014 observations) for almond, apple, apricot, cherry plum, currant, grapevine, pear, pomegranate, and walnut were collected at the household (HH) level across the five countries: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan. A set of models was used, including household variety richness as the dependent variable, to understand the influence of socio-ecological variables on the amount and distribution of crop varietal diversity in the farmers’ production systems. Four variables were included as explanatory variables of variety richness (fixed factors): ecoregion, ethno-linguistic group, management, and abiotic stress. The results show clear evidence that abiotic stress determines a higher richness of intra-specific diversity in the form of local varieties grown by farmers living in climatically unfavorable areas. The results for the studied ecoregions follow the same trend, with ecoregions with harsher conditions displaying a higher positive correlation with diversity. Mild environments such as the Central Asian riparian woodlands show an unexpectedly lower diversity than other harsher ecoregions. Ethno-linguistic groups also have an effect on the level of varietal diversity used, related to both historic nomadic practices and a culture of harvesting wild fruit and nuts in mountainous areas. The home garden management system hosts a higher diversity compared to larger production systems such as orchards. In Central Asia, encouraging the cultivation of local varieties of fruit and nut trees provides a key productive and resilient livelihood strategy for farmers living under the harsh environmental conditions of the region while providing a unique opportunity to conserve a genetic heritage of global importance.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4060/5/1/2intraspecific diversityresilienceenvironmental stresshorticultural cropsrisk managementclimate adaptation |
| spellingShingle | Muhabbat Turdieva Agnès Bernis-Fonteneau Maira Esenalieva Abdihalil Kayimov Ashirmuhammed Saparmyradov Khursandi Safaraliev Kairkul Shalpykov Paolo Colangelo Devra I. Jarvis A Regional Perspective of Socio-Ecological Predictors for Fruit and Nut Tree Varietal Diversity Maintained by Farmer Communities in Central Asia World intraspecific diversity resilience environmental stress horticultural crops risk management climate adaptation |
| title | A Regional Perspective of Socio-Ecological Predictors for Fruit and Nut Tree Varietal Diversity Maintained by Farmer Communities in Central Asia |
| title_full | A Regional Perspective of Socio-Ecological Predictors for Fruit and Nut Tree Varietal Diversity Maintained by Farmer Communities in Central Asia |
| title_fullStr | A Regional Perspective of Socio-Ecological Predictors for Fruit and Nut Tree Varietal Diversity Maintained by Farmer Communities in Central Asia |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Regional Perspective of Socio-Ecological Predictors for Fruit and Nut Tree Varietal Diversity Maintained by Farmer Communities in Central Asia |
| title_short | A Regional Perspective of Socio-Ecological Predictors for Fruit and Nut Tree Varietal Diversity Maintained by Farmer Communities in Central Asia |
| title_sort | regional perspective of socio ecological predictors for fruit and nut tree varietal diversity maintained by farmer communities in central asia |
| topic | intraspecific diversity resilience environmental stress horticultural crops risk management climate adaptation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4060/5/1/2 |
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