The Great Silk Road played an important role in the development of the Kyrgyz people. Occupying a favourable geographical position on trade routes and absorbing the cultural achievements of the East and West, the Kyrgyz Republic became the bridge connecting the West and the East.
Now, there is an opportunity for this tradition to continue through FSC-certified smallholder collected NTFPs that find their way to European and Asian markets. The Silk Road Taste products, the first FSC-certified NTFPs from Kyrgyzstan, are an example of how a smallholder group certificate can offer important opportunities for local producers.
The smallholders live from 312 ha and collect more than 14 different NTFPs which are then brought to a small manufactory to produce various ready items (such as oils, dried fruits, juices).
The group includes the women’s jamaat (cooperative) Buck in Jalal-Abad Province. The cooperative taught 12 local women how to improve processing techniques for their forest products and how to start a more efficient supply chain.
The first results are already visible: in 2017, despite bad weather conditions leading to a smaller-than-expected harvest, the women’s jamaat harvested enough to produce 600 kg of packaged dried fruits and more than 100 kg of medicinal herbs that were sold in local markets.
FSC Smallholder Grant
The Kyrgyz Association of Forests and Land Users (KAFLU), to which the Buck cooperative belongs, obtained FSC certification for the smallholders that were part of its project to develop the sustainable use of natural resources and entrepreneurial activities in forestry and land use. Previously, this association had received an FSC smallholder grant in 2015 to start developing a value chain and to work towards FSC certification with the support of FSC Regional office for Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Countries.
Looking beyond the region, the Buck women’s cooperative is already considering to expand sales of its products to international markets beginning of next year.
Source: FSC International