The territory of the Turkestan region is prevailed by desert and semi-desert agrolandscapes.
Arable and grazing lands are subject to degradation due to natural and anthropogenic factors that represent great concern.
The goal of the project is to develop agro-tourism through demonstration sites with best practices to reduce the degradation of landscapes in the desert and semi-desert areas.
The objectives of proposed project are: to create an AgroEcoCenter to spread best practices to reduce degradation of desert and semi-desert lands, to teach and implement on practice innovative farming and soil protection technologies to representatives of peasant farms and students; create professional network of mutually beneficial cooperation and knowledge sharing in the field of agro-tourism.
As part of the project, following results are expected: the AgroEcoCentre will be established at Shymkent Agro College with 10 hectares demonstration site; more than 500 people will be trained in innovative agro-technologies (farmers, students, agro-tourists); on 2,267 hectares of desert and semi-desert lands (6 peasant farms) demonstration sites will be set up to teach best practices of combating land degradation with use of soil-protective technology; soil fertility will be increased by an average of 5%; income of farms, members of the agro-tourism network will increase by 20%.