Quinoa: a climate-proof multi-purpose crop to increase productivity of marginal lands and farmers' livelihoods in the desert areas of Uzbekistan

Drought and salinity has a far greater effect on food security in Central Asia. Evaluation, domestication and sustainable utilization of native and introduced halophytic and salt-tolerant plant resources it would have a significant goal for salinity control, remediation of arid/saline lands for increasing income and r better livelihood of rural communities.
ICBA have started a new project on “Towards a sustainable food production on marginal saline lands in Aral and Caspian seas basins” since 2013. The project main goal is to enhance food security by increasing food production on marginalized saline lands through the use of salt tolerant multi-purpose crops, trees and/or halophytic crops. The core of the new project is the integrated, interdisciplinary research conducted by a team of specialists in plant eco-physiology, soil science, plant chemistry, animal nutrition, extension crop and other disciplines that will provide novel knowledge on the use and melioration of marginal lands in Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan.