In December 2023, an external evaluation of the project “Development of Higher Education Content aimed to Support Sustainable Industries for Sustainable Production of Qualitative Agri-food (AgroDev)” in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan was conducted. The evaluation was carried out by the Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LBTU) with the involvement of expert Linards Deidulis.
An online meeting took place between the expert and representatives from Kyrgyzstan, including Kyrgyz National Agrarian University named after K.I. Skryabin (KNAU) and S. Naamatov Naryn State University (NSU) on December 22, 2023. A similar meeting with partners from Uzbekistan – the Samarkand branch of Tashkent State University and Tashkent State Agrarian University – was held on December 28, 2024.
The achieved positive results, challenges, partner interactions, collaboration with stakeholders (non-governmental organizations and government agencies) were discussed during both meetings. The quality of organizing study visits to European partner countries, the relevance of guest lectures, seminars, and master classes conducted in Central Asian universities were also analyzed. The sustainability prospects of project results and future collaboration directions between partners were further examined.
The external expert noted that despite the constraints of time (3 years, one of which was during the Covid situation) and limited resources, substantial work was carried out, resulting in significant achievements in terms of modernizing educational programs, enhancing the qualifications of teachers, and exchanging experiences. Based on the acquired knowledge and strengthened collaboration between SBTSEU and TSAU within the project, additional educational activities were conducted for staff and external organizations, and several scientific articles were prepared and published in collaboration with Linnaeus University (LU) and LU.
Additional outcomes highlighted include: 1) active involvement of European experts in conducting an external audit and certification of the Global G.A.P. standard for a Kyrgyz company, “Tomat KG,” 2) internships for NSU students at the University of Agriculture in Krakow (UAK), and 3) joint research between KNAU and UAK on the development of biological fertilizer from sheep wool.
