News & Key Milestones

On 1st of October 2025 the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) have officially launched the Feasibility Study on Carbon Farming Solutions in Greater Central Asia, marking a new milestone in the region’s efforts toward sustainable land management and climate-resilient development.

The study will assess practical pathways to scale up carbon farming as an integrated approach to tackle land degradation, climate change, and rural development across Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia. By promoting soil-based carbon sequestration and regenerative land use, the initiative supports progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) particularly SDG15 Life on Land.

Building on the momentum of the Kazakhstan Carbon Farming Report "Carbon Farming in Kazakhstan: Unlocking the Opportunity", a highly successful study that sparked strong regional and international interest, the new regional initiative seeks to identify enabling conditions, financing mechanisms, and policy frameworks that can support broader replication and investment in sustainable land-use systems across Greater Central Asia.

The project’s outcomes will contribute to ongoing international dialogue on carbon farming, ecosystem restoration, and food systems resilience, and are expected to inform discussions at UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia (2026). The study also aligns with the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (2026), underlining Central Asia’s growing role in global land restoration and climate action efforts.