Central Asia Kamiljon Akramov and Allen Park C
entral Asia is bracing for the rip- ple effects of falling commodity prices and declining migrant remitances from
Russia, which may undermine the region’s recent gains in economic growth and food security. Some Central Asian countries have depended heavily on these now-faltering engines to drive their economic growth during the last decade. Tis could have important consequences for the region’s households, that have recently enjoyed improved food security along with declines in poverty and undernourish- ment. Te prevalence of undernourishment has declined from approximately 17 percent in the late 1990s and early 2000s to less than 6 percent in Kyr- gyzstan and Uzbekistan in 2014. In Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, the rate declined to less than 5 per- cent. However, the prevalence of undernourishment in Tajikistan continues to persist at high levels (32 percent in 2014). All countries of the region are facing overlap-
ping burdens of different forms of malnutrition. For example, Tajikistan is struggling with stunting for children under the age of five as well as with anemia among women of reproductive age (WR). At the same time, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are having overlapping burdens of WR anemia and adult overweight.1 Additionally, all Central Asian countries continue to face various forms of micronu- trient deficiency–related public health threats.2 Furthermore, stunting rates for children under
five—a common measure of chronic malnutrition— remain relatively high throughout the region, vary- ing from 13 percent in Kazakhstan to 26.8 percent in Tajikistan, according to the most recent data from UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the World Bank.3 Nationally representative data for Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, released in 2014, reveal
new insights about the prevalence of stunting in the region’s two poorest countries. In Tajikistan, stunting rates for children under five declined from 39 percent in 2007 to 26.8 percent in 2012. On the other hand, stunting rates in Kyrgyzstan remained around 18 percent, representing virtually no change between 2006 and 2012. Te evidence also suggests that stunting rates are significantly higher among rural children and those born to mothers with less education. Te rates also appear to rise most rapidly for children during the transition period between breastfeeding and solid food consumption, typically between 6 and 24 months.4 Downward trends in global food and energy
prices helped Central Asian countries to keep food price inflation in check through most of 2014. While stable or declining food prices positively influenced the food security situation in general, declines in global commodity markets, capital outflows from emerging markets, and geopolitical tensions signifi- cantly weakened the economies of their major trad- ing partners, particularly Russia. Tis confluence of events has important implications for regional food policy. Below, we highlight some major external risks that these developments pose for food policy in Central Asia, and also briefly discuss important developments toward the diversification of the agri- cultural sector in the region.
MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN FOOD POLICY
Currency Issues External factors dominated Central Asia’s food pol- icy situation in 2014. Leading among them were the spillover effects of events in Russia. Te ruble, which had already been facing downward pressure since
Kamiljon Akramov is research fellow and Allen Park is research analyst, Development Strategy and Governance Division, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington, DC.
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