Afforestation and Reforestation of Walnut Forests in Southern Kyrgyzstan: An Economic Perspective
Kyrgyzstan is home to one of the largest areas of natural walnut forest in the world. These forests support significant genetic diversity of many important ancestral strains of fruit and nut tree species. The walnuts from those forests are a major source of cash income for many households in that re...
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International Mountain Society
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doaj-8289d01acd5f469c8a4f19fc85bf64322020-11-25T02:18:30ZengInternational Mountain SocietyMountain Research and Development0276-47411994-71512018-11-0138433234110.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-17-00046.1Afforestation and Reforestation of Walnut Forests in Southern Kyrgyzstan: An Economic PerspectiveKara A. Hardy 0Niels Thevs1Kumar Aliev2Martin Welp3Faculty of Forest and Environment, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Alfred-M€oller-Straße 1, 16225 Eberswalde, GermanyCentral Asia Office of World Agroforestry Center, Toktogul Street 138, 720001 Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; N.Thevs@cgiar.orgCentral Asia Office of World Agroforestry Center, Toktogul Street 138, 720001 Bishkek, KyrgyzstanFaculty of Forest and Environment, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Alfred-M€oller-Straße 1, 16225 Eberswalde, GermanyKyrgyzstan is home to one of the largest areas of natural walnut forest in the world. These forests support significant genetic diversity of many important ancestral strains of fruit and nut tree species. The walnuts from those forests are a major source of cash income for many households in that region. Most of the walnut forests are overgrazed, which effectively hinders natural rejuvenation. This has resulted in overaged and degraded forests. Currently, tree cutting for timber is forbidden under a moratorium. In some instances, walnut trees grow in agroforestry systems together with potato and corn as annual crops or apples and berries, alongside hay. Reforestation and afforestation in the walnut forest region is imperative to secure walnut harvests and associated incomes once the existing trees start bearing fewer nuts. The objective of this study was to analyze the economic performance of a range of representative combinations of annual crops, berries, and fast-bearing fruit trees in reforestation and afforestation plots. This included hypothetical timber utilization in order to be able to bridge the income gap until newly planted walnut trees bear nuts. Data were based on semistructured household and expert interviews. In all plots there was grassy vegetation, which was harvested for hay. In some of the plots, corn and potatoes were grown as annual crops. Additionally, in part of the plots apple and berries were grown next to walnuts. The net present value of the farming systems for a 20-year period was highest for the 2 systems that included hypothetical timber utilization. Walnut and haymaking performed worst, with a negative net present value. All non-timber systems yielded an income gap until around year 10, when walnut trees begin to fruit.https://bioone.org/journals/Mountain-Research-and-Development/volume-38/issue-4/MRD-JOURNAL-D-17-00046.1/Afforestation-and-Reforestation-of-Walnut-Forests-in-Southern-Kyrgyzstan/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-17-00046.1.fullAgroforestryCentral Asiaforest degradationforest recruitmentlogging banovergrazingWild fruit forests |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Kara A. Hardy Niels Thevs Kumar Aliev Martin Welp |
spellingShingle |
Kara A. Hardy Niels Thevs Kumar Aliev Martin Welp Afforestation and Reforestation of Walnut Forests in Southern Kyrgyzstan: An Economic Perspective Mountain Research and Development Agroforestry Central Asia forest degradation forest recruitment logging ban overgrazing Wild fruit forests |
author_facet |
Kara A. Hardy Niels Thevs Kumar Aliev Martin Welp |
author_sort |
Kara A. Hardy |
title |
Afforestation and Reforestation of Walnut Forests in Southern Kyrgyzstan: An Economic Perspective |
title_short |
Afforestation and Reforestation of Walnut Forests in Southern Kyrgyzstan: An Economic Perspective |
title_full |
Afforestation and Reforestation of Walnut Forests in Southern Kyrgyzstan: An Economic Perspective |
title_fullStr |
Afforestation and Reforestation of Walnut Forests in Southern Kyrgyzstan: An Economic Perspective |
title_full_unstemmed |
Afforestation and Reforestation of Walnut Forests in Southern Kyrgyzstan: An Economic Perspective |
title_sort |
afforestation and reforestation of walnut forests in southern kyrgyzstan: an economic perspective |
publisher |
International Mountain Society |
series |
Mountain Research and Development |
issn |
0276-4741 1994-7151 |
publishDate |
2018-11-01 |
description |
Kyrgyzstan is home to one of the largest areas of natural walnut forest in the world. These forests support significant genetic diversity of many important ancestral strains of fruit and nut tree species. The walnuts from those forests are a major source of cash income for many households in that region. Most of the walnut forests are overgrazed, which effectively hinders natural rejuvenation. This has resulted in overaged and degraded forests. Currently, tree cutting for timber is forbidden under a moratorium. In some instances, walnut trees grow in agroforestry systems together with potato and corn as annual crops or apples and berries, alongside hay. Reforestation and afforestation in the walnut forest region is imperative to secure walnut harvests and associated incomes once the existing trees start bearing fewer nuts. The objective of this study was to analyze the economic performance of a range of representative combinations of annual crops, berries, and fast-bearing fruit trees in reforestation and afforestation plots. This included hypothetical timber utilization in order to be able to bridge the income gap until newly planted walnut trees bear nuts. Data were based on semistructured household and expert interviews. In all plots there was grassy vegetation, which was harvested for hay. In some of the plots, corn and potatoes were grown as annual crops. Additionally, in part of the plots apple and berries were grown next to walnuts. The net present value of the farming systems for a 20-year period was highest for the 2 systems that included hypothetical timber utilization. Walnut and haymaking performed worst, with a negative net present value. All non-timber systems yielded an income gap until around year 10, when walnut trees begin to fruit. |
topic |
Agroforestry Central Asia forest degradation forest recruitment logging ban overgrazing Wild fruit forests |
url |
https://bioone.org/journals/Mountain-Research-and-Development/volume-38/issue-4/MRD-JOURNAL-D-17-00046.1/Afforestation-and-Reforestation-of-Walnut-Forests-in-Southern-Kyrgyzstan/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-17-00046.1.full |
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