The ACDI/VOCA team is excited to welcome you to Kyrgyzstan! Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country located in Central Asia that shares a border with Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest, and China to the southeast. The capital city is Bishkek and other large towns include Osh, Jalal-Abad, and Karakol. They experience cold, frosty winters and warm, sunny summers. About 90% of the country is 4,900 feet above sea level.

The official languages are Kyrgyz and Russian and the country is predominantly Islamic (75%) but has Christian Orthodox (20%) and other religions (5%) as well.

One of the largest economic sectors is Agriculture which makes up about 40% of the national workforce in Kyrgyzstan. ACDI/VOCA has identified fruit orchards as an area of promise within the Agricultural Sector for the Farmer to Farmer project to make an impact. It is our vision that by improving the production of fruits, farmers in this sector can increase their product quality and quantity thereby increasing their overall profits. Common fruit crops include apples, pears, apricots, plums, cherries, along with various berries such as raspberry, currant, buckthorn and strawberry. Local farmers face common issues involving planting techniques, proper pruning and grafting, as well as pest management.

We have identified several private farmers looking to modernize the ways in which they grow their fruits, increase their yields and market their fruits. These host beneficiaries all understand the tremendous value an expert volunteer in this field would bring to them and would truly benefit from your engagement.

For more information on how to become a Farmer to Farmer Volunteer in Kyrgyzstan, please contact Diana Shipman at dshipman@acdivoca.org or at 202-469-6182.

Check out the gallery for images of Kyrgzystan and volunteers assisting local farmers during past assignments.