Organic agriculture in Uzbekistan: SWOT analysis

Abstract

Greening the economy is what most industrialized countries are striving for under the pressure of global and regional environmental restrictions, lack of natural resources, and a growing public movement for the protection of nature [1]. Greening processes have resulted in organic agriculture (OA) or "alternative" agriculture. In the era of the sustainable approach, organic farming seems the best prototype for sustainable agriculture. The market of organic products is significantly expanding year by year. Globally, 1.5 percent of farmland is organic, however there are countries where the share of organic farmland exceeds 10% (figure 1). According to FiBL and research firm Ecovia Intelligence, the global organic food market achieved 106.4 billion euros as of 2019 [2]. Uzbekistan, along with the whole world, recognizes the need for sustainable agriculture and development approach. Uzbekistan accepts organic agriculture as an environment-friendly sustainable production system with better access to the markets. Hence, this article aims to make a SWOT analysis of organic agriculture in Uzbekistan. The SWOT analysis concludes that the recent law for OA and GAP in the country is the principal strength and opportunity. While farmers' poor education is considered the most significant weakness, the country's lack of foreign direct investment in agriculture threatens more than anything else.