Implementation period: 2018 – 2023 Participating countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan Lead agency: International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) Funding: Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), national governments, international and regional partners Main partners: UNDP, UNEP, ICARDA, national ministries of agriculture and environment, research institutes, academia, NGOs
CACILM-2 is the second phase of the Central Asian Countries Initiative for Land Management (CACILM), building on the foundation of CACILM-I (2006–2011). The project focuses on achieving sustainable land management (SLM) and land degradation neutrality (LDN) across Central Asia, where up to 60% of land is affected by degradation.
The region faces serious environmental challenges such as desertification, soil erosion, overgrazing, salinization, and water scarcity. CACILM-2 supports countries in adopting sustainable land use systems, improving agricultural productivity, and adapting to climate change.
Key Results
National LDN strategies developed in all five countries.
Over 30 pilot sites demonstrated land rehabilitation techniques with local community involvement.
More than 1000 experts, farmers, and officials trained in SLM practices.
Established a regional coordination mechanism for land management.
Developed multilingual training materials and technical guidance.
Raised awareness of land degradation and solutions at national and regional levels.
Regional Impact
CACILM-2 provided a powerful platform for regional cooperation in addressing land degradation. It helped Central Asian countries to share lessons, harmonize approaches, and implement scalable solutions that improve environmental health, rural livelihoods, and climate resilience.
