Repositioning agricultural innovation systems in post-Soviet Central Asia

Transforming a centrally planned system of agricultural production to one where individual farmers are accorded choice in crop mix and land use management practices is much more than a structural change. Embedded within this process is a fundamental shift in how knowledge is generated, disseminated and adopted. Upon dissolution of the Soviet Union, one immediate priority was the privatization of state farms and thereby relaxation of policies for collective production. Little attention was accorded to developing systems of innovation, which would be necessary in the provision of services and support to a new generation of pri-vate farmers. This policy brief analyses the rural extension and advisory services in the post-soviet Asia and the emerging opportunities for enhancing national systems of agricultural innovation