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Vice-ministers, senators, scientists discuss improving training and education in veterinary medicines at KazNARU

Posted on by Muhammad Sheraz

A high-level meeting on the issues related to training and education in veterinary medicine was held at the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University (KazNARU) in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Friday, November 04, 2022.

Various vice ministers and members of the Upper House of the Kazakhstani Parliament (Senate), KazNARU leadership, leading scientists, faculty members, and students attended the meeting.

KazNARU Acting Rector Akhylbek Kurishbaev chaired the meeting. Senator Ali Bektaev, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agrarian Issues, Nature Management, and Development of Rural Territories, moderated the meeting proceedings.The Chairman of the Board of the National Agrarian Scientific and Educational Center of the Ministry of Agriculture Kazakhstan, Darkhan Balpanov, was also present at the meeting.

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, on September 01, 2021, said: “The health and productivity of livestock depend on the effective work of veterinarians on the ground. And this, in turn, directly affects the well-being of rural residents. Education has a decisive role in raising the country’s potential in this particular area of science.”

Veterinary sciences are taught at nine higher education institutions in Kazakhstan, of which three are specialized universities in this particular area of science education and training.The Vice Minister of Agriculture, Rustem Kurmanov, informed the meeting participants that KazNARU, the Kazakh Agro-Technical Research University named after S.Seifullin in Astana, and the West Kazakhstan Agro-Technical Research University named after Zhangir Khan annually train between 1500 and 2000 graduates in agriculture and veterinary medicine.
KazNARU Deputy Chairman of the Board- and Vice-Rector, Primkul Ibragimov Balpanov, informed the meeting participants that the University has created an appropriate scientific and educational infrastructure and human resources for the high-quality training of veterinary specialists.

Currently, over 1600 students are enrolled at the KazNARU Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, out of which 100 are undergraduate students, and 32 are doctoral students in the five departments of the Faculty. There are 128 professors, including 31 doctors of sciences and 50 candidates of sciences. Sixty-three percent of the faculty members have higher degrees in relevant fields.

KazNARU staff continuously develops new programs in cooperation with international partner organizations and experts. Modular educational and working curricula have been developed, taking into account the requirements of the OIE.

KazNARU applies best international practices and has been cooperating with the world’s leading universities, such as the Higher Veterinary School (Toulouse, France), the Hannover Institute of Veterinary Medicine (Germany), and Wageningen University and Research (Netherlands).
KazNARU “Veterinary Medicine” and “Veterinary Sanitation” programs are internationally accredited. The “Veterinary Food Safety and Technologies” program has been developed and is successfully operating in cooperation with Wageningen University and Research (Netherlands).
The University is the Republican UMO-SUE in the areas of “Agriculture and Bioresources” and “Veterinary”. KazNARU students travel to leading foreign universities in Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan, and other countries to study under academic mobility programs.
As part of the integration, scientists from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of KazNARU and the Kazakh Research Veterinary Institute have carried out joint scientific projects worth about USD 320,000 on training young veterinary scientists. Over the past three years, 24 master’s and 5 doctoral dissertations on viral, bacterial, and parasitic diseases have been jointly produced.Over 80 percent of KazNARU veterinary science students get employment after graduation.

Members of the Committee on Agrarian Affairs, Nature Management and Rural Development Mukhtar Zhumagaziyev and Duysengazy Musin, Vice Minister of Labor and Social Protection Kazakhstan, Olzhas Ordabayev, First Vice-Minister of Education and Science Kazakhstan, Sholpan Karinova, also shared their thoughts and suggestions at the Meeting.

The Meeting noted the lack of harmony among Kazakhstani universities in the training of veterinarians.
Each university, within the framework of academic freedom, independently develops educational programs, which affects the quality of training of veterinarians.

The Meeting participant stressed strengthening the role of the Educational and Methodological Association – Project Management Group (UMO-GUP) in the areas of education “Veterinary Medicine”, “Agriculture, and Bioresources”.

Since this specialty is costly, the Meeting participants suggested reviewing state grants that are awarded to students who study veterinary medicine. At present, the state allocates 1.82 million Kazakh tenges (approximately USD 2000) for the training of a student. Preliminary calculations, taking into account the standard costs at the market price, the increase in the MCI, and inflation show that they should be 1.811 million Kazakh tenges.

The Meeting recommended the allocation of more funds from the state budget for new and modern research laboratories (biological safety and biosecurity, veterinary clinics).

The Meeting also recommended that based on the experience of the country’s medical universities; to increase the employment opportunities for veterinary graduates, the review of the mechanisms for implementing the program “With a diploma – to the village.” is necessary.

The meeting proposed to increase one-time lifting allowances, the volume of allocated loans for the construction of housing for young professionals. The Meeting participants said that it is necessary to place a state order for undergraduate (up to 70%), master’s, and doctoral studies (100%) at the three leading agricultural universities.The Meeting recommended giving authority to UMO-GUP to conduct strict qualification control over the quality of training in agricultural specialties.

Young Kazakh scientist’s work added to ‘GenBank’

Posted on by Muhammad Sheraz

Dr. Togzhan Kenzhetaevna Boranbayeva, a young scientist at the Kazakh National Agrarian University (KazNARU), has isolated more than 300 probiotic strains and registered 9 strains in the GenBank, which is the database of the United States National Information Biotechnology Center (NSBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Boranbayeve is the head of the KazNARU research laboratory on dairy products. Her area of expertise is the study of probiotic microorganisms in traditional Kazakh fermented dairy products. She studies the safety, probiotic potential, and antimicrobial properties of dairy products.

Dr. Boranbayeve has authored one book and more than 20 articles. Currently, she is working with researchers from Turkey and Qatar on joint projects and is also a participant in the international projects Mevlana and Erasmus and two grant projects of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

KazNARU wins patent for developing new varieties of “kurt”

Posted on by Muhammad Sheraz

Researchers at the Laboratory for Food Products Technology of the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University (KazaNARU) have developed new varieties of traditional dry cottage cheese called, “Kurt”. It can be made from cow, goat, or camel’s milk. It is concentrated sour milk (kayak) and has been in use in the Central Asian region for centuries. Nomadic tribes developed “Kurt” to preserve milk for a long period of time. In its new form, they could carry milk on their long journeys on horseback.

Recently, we visited the Laboratory for Food Product Technology at KazNARU Agro-Tec Hub where Professor Dr. Yerenova Bibipatyma showed us the new varieties of ‘Kurt” that their team has developed. Professor Yerenova informed us that the University has a patent for the new varieties of “Kurt” which it has developed after analyzing the health benefits of adding new content to “Kurt”.

“Kurt is a unique product that contains a large number of vitamins, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Microorganisms that are present in fermented milk products increase their biological value, calcium speeds up metabolism and strengthens bone tissue, vitamin A improves the functioning of the visual system, vitamin E helps to saturate the body with oxygen, reduces the aging process of cells, vitamin D helps reduce the likelihood of cancer cells,” said the Professor.

Scientists at the KazNARU Innovation Center for Technology and Food Quality have developed a component composition and a method for producing “Kurt” from cow, camel, goat, and sheep milk with the use of enriching additives of plant origin. The uniqueness of the newly developed “Kurt” by KazNARU lies in the use of enriching additives of plant origin (blackcurrant, raspberry, sea buckthorn, spinach juice, spirulina extract), which provide high nutritional and biological value and long shelf life.

Professor Yerenova says that the inclusion of blackcurrant juice in “Kurt” provides antimicrobial, neuroprotective, hypotensive, immunomodulatory, and diaphoretic effects of varying severity, as well as powerful anti-radiation, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can be useful in the prevention and treatment of cancer.

Blackcurrant is rich in vitamins C (0.25%), B1 (0.2%), B6 ​​(0.4%), and E (0.7%), due to the high concentration of ascorbic acid, said Professor Yerenova.

Blackcurrant juice gives the new “Kurt” an attractive light purple color with a lilac tint, a delicate aroma, slightly sweet and sour taste.

Raspberry juice addition to “Kurt” is another innovation. Raspberry is known for lowering the level of carcinogens in the body, it’s good for our liver, activates metabolism, and may help in lowering blood sugar. Raspberry juice gives Kurt an attractive rich purple-pink color, a pleasant aroma, and a delicate sweet aftertaste.

Another variety of KazNARU “Kurt” contains sea buckthorn juice, which has a juicy color and aroma. Sea buckthorn can be useful for gastric and duodenal ulcers as it helps in reducing acidity in the stomach. Sea buckthorn may also help in cancer prevention, lowering cholesterol levels and strengthening immunity.

The sea buckthorn juice gives “Kurt” an attractive and rich natural pale orange color with a predominance of sea buckthorn aroma, light sea buckthorn sourness harmonizes with the traditional milky taste.

A variety of KazNARU “Kurt” contains spinach, which has a high content of iron and several health benefits. “Kurt” enriched with spinach juice, has an attractive appearance, an unusual color – light green, and an unobtrusive aroma with a pleasant aftertaste.

Yet another variety of KazNARU “Kurt contains spirulina extract as an enricher. Spirulina has a large amount of the blue pigment phycocyanin, the only known substance that can stop the growth of cancer cells. Spirulina is a safe marine microalga that provides enriched nutrient soil to maintain optimal health and well-being and is an essential element in the prevention and comprehensive treatment of diseases of the heart, blood vessels, digestive system, anemia, thyroid, liver, and kidney pathologies.

Kurt with spirulina extract acquires a rich dark green color without a specific smell and taste.

Under the method developed at KazNARU laboratory, “Kurt” is dried in a ventilated room at a temperature of 20-25°C and a relative humidity of 60-65% for 36 hours. Under optimal conditions, the new compositions of “Kurt” can be stored for more than 24 months without any particular loss of consumer properties since the absence of sucrose and an abundance of acidic compounds creates an unfavorable environment for various microflora.

KazNARU experts believe that once it receives the certification, KazNARU “Kurt” will be ready for industrial production and exports.

A model for university transformation and modernisation in “New Kazakhstan”

Posted on by Muhammad Sheraz

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has a huge modernization and reformation agenda for his country. While explaining his vision to the public, he said: “Together we will build a New Kazakhstan.”

Reforming the higher education sector and making it a key economic driver at par with national and global economic trends and demands is central to the President’s transformation agenda for “New Kazakhstan.”

The President sees higher education as a channel for regional cooperation in Central Asia and beyond. Mr. Tokayev believes that exchanges of knowledge, expertise, and talent among the five Central Asian states and deepening cooperation in the higher education sector will strengthen bonds among the Central Asian states.

One of Kazakhstan’s largest and oldest universities, the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University (KazNARU) is Central Asia’s largest research hub in food, agriculture, and environmental sciences. This globally engaged University is on the path of massive transformation under the motto, “New University, New Kazakhstan”.

Established in 1929 as an institute, KazNARU has been a prestigious seat of learning, knowledge creation, and innovation in the Eurasian region since its founding in the late 1920s.

Today’s KazNARU is a glaring example of the President’s vision of a “New Kazakhstan”. It has a rich history of creating and exchanging knowledge and transferring new technologies & expertise in the fields of food, agriculture, veterinary sciences, and sustainable development.

KazNARU’s acting Rector Professor Dr. Kanat Tireuov says that as an entrepreneurial research university of the 21ist century, KazNARU trains business leaders, researchers, and scientists with a global outlook; and for national and international economies.

“KazNARU is a global hub of innovation, strategic research, and training for knowledge seekers, creators, and disseminators in the fields of food, agriculture, and environmental sciences in the heart of Central Asia,” says the acting Rector Tireuov.

The university’s international standing and position in international and regional rankings have been constantly improving since 2019. In the 2023 QS World University Rankings, KazNARU is number 481 in the world and the 401-410 range in QS regional rankings, Emerging Europe and Central Asia.

Professor Tireuov is determined to include KazNARU among the world’s 200 top universities on the University’s 100th founding anniversary in 2029.

With its 49 research labs, 18 international research centers, and nine innovation institutes, and a galaxy of celebrated professors and leading scientists, KazNARU aims to build “Knowledge Bridges and Innovations” between Kazakhstan and the rest of the world in the food & agriculture sectors, and other vital fields such as environmental sciences through the work, achievements, and contributions of its scientists, teachers, and graduates.

Kazakhstan was the only Central Asian state to have developed three Covid-19 vaccines at the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic. It was the work of KazaNARU scientists and researchers who developed three Covid-19 vaccines–two for humans and one for animals. These vaccines are included in the WHO lists of candidate vaccines.

At the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting on September 17, 2021, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proudly announced that “NARUVAX-C19 and NARUVAX-C19/Nano developed by KazNARU were included into WHO registry as vaccine candidates against COVID-19.

“I am convinced that accelerating the procedure of mutual recognition of vaccination passports in the SCO states and their integration into multilateral systems will help overcome the difficulties and challenges faced by our countries,” noted the President.

KazNARU has a presence in the 88 districts of Kazakhstan and has 3000 agricultural farms across Kazakhstan.

In June 2022, high-profile delegates from 38 countries gathered at KazNARU for the international forum on food security that was held in collaboration with the Islamic Organization for Food Security.

KazNARU specializes in food sciences and technologies, particularly in the areas of food safety and food security. KazNARU hosts world-class laboratories on food technology and food safety. It has launched Central Asia’s first MBA program in food and agriculture.

The University is also the leader in water and environmental sciences in the entire Central Asian Region. It’s the only university to have established four international research labs on renewable energy sources. KazNARU has its biogas plant and the university is conducting cutting-edge research in wind energy.

There is an international research center ‘Water Hub at KazNARU that has 14 fully equipped laboratories. KazNARU’s water scientist, 84-year-old professor Alexssndr Alexandrovich Yakovlev, is a respected name globally, he has 100 patents in his name. Professor Yakovlev is the inventor of several technologies, machines, and equipment.

The University uses smart technologies and has digitized education and agricultural practices. It plans to develop and implement innovative teaching and learning strategies and will conduct cutting-edge applied research in partnership with the world’s leading universities, research centers, and institutes in the next five years.

In line with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s vision, during 2023-2028, KazNARU will focus on strengthening and expanding linkages with Central Asian states and other member states of the CIS. Through:

a) Student recruitment.

As the leader in food & agriculture and having the most advanced teaching and research facilities, the university will invest most of its marketing resources and human energies in attracting bachelor, master’s, and doctoral students from neighboring Central Asian states to study at KazNARU.

b) Research and expertise exchanges

KazNARU has live and meaningful partnerships with universities and research institutions in the entire CIS region. KazaNARU’s Rector is the Chair of the Council of all agrarian universities in the CIS region. As the next step, KazNARU will help in forming university alliances within the CIS region. These university groups or alliances will jointly conduct research projects in the areas of common interest and, as alliances, they will also collaborate with universities and institutions outside the CIS region.

Our mutually beneficial joint research projects will positively contribute to national and regional economies by solving pressing issues/problems and creating new knowledge.

Together they will organize joint training activities to harmonize and improve the quality of education in the CIS Region. KazNARU will encourage junior faculty from the neighboring states to do Ph.D. studies or post-doctoral studies at KazNARU. At the same time, KazNARU scientists, faculty, and master’s students will go to universities in Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and other Central Asian states for research and study under mutual agreements.

c) Cooperation with Business & Industry

We will create channels to establish direct links and also through our partners, relations with food and agriculture businesses & industries in the CIS region. This move will be part of our research commercialization.

Beyond Central Asia, KazNARU is reaching out to universities in China, India, Pakistan, the Middle East, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Africa, and even Latin American countries for building strategic alliances.

At the same KazNARU has active collaborations with several western universities. The University aims to acquire new knowledge and technologies by working with our partners from G7 countries in the areas of its specialties.

KazNARU is investing significant financial and human resources in international PR and marketing using the latest technologies and social media platforms.

All the above transformation aims to help Kazakhstan’s economy grow through the work of and contributions of KazNARU’s able and skilled graduates and scientists.

Through its global engagement strategy, KazNARU is positioned as a prominent goodwill ambassador for Kazakhstan on the world stage and a leader and economic driver in the entire Central Asian region.

“We aim to build “Knowledge Bridges” between KazNARU and the outside world, and Kazakhstan and the rest of the world in the food & agriculture sectors, and other vital fields such as environmental sciences through the work, achievements, and contributions of our scientists, teachers, and graduates,” says the acting Rector Professor Dr. Kanat Tireuov.

About the author: Mr. Muhammad Sheraz is the Director of the International Center for Strategic Communications at the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University (KazNARU) in Almaty, the Republic of Kazakhstan. He can be reached at: [email protected]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/muhammad-sheraz-5aab8929/

Kazakhstan would meet EU standards thanks to a KazNARU research project

Posted on by Muhammad Sheraz

Kazakh wines would meet Euro standards thanks to the implementation of the research results of a Kazakh National Agrarian Research University (KazNARU) research project.

Scientists of KazNARU’s Research Institute ‘Agronomy and Ecology’ have successfully adapted a European model of cultivation for technical grape varieties in relation to soil and climatic conditions in the south and South-East of Kazakhstan.

The technology uses a new combined method of forming technical varieties of grapes, based on rationing the number of eyes and shoots, by pruning, debris with subsequent minting of shoots.

The new method ensures the yield of technical grape varieties from 200 to 300 centners from 1 hectare, which meets the requirements of GOST for the wine varieties. Using this method Kazakhstan can now produce Euro-standard wines.

The best young scientist of Eurasia

Posted on by Al- Farabi Kazakh National University

Doszhanov Yerlan Ospanovich is a highly qualified specialist in the field of petrochemistry, microbiology and ecology. The main area of his scientific research concerns the environmental problems of the Republic of Kazakhstan related to the processes of purification of oil-contaminated soils, oxidation of hydrocarbons and oil refining after bioremediation and phytoremediation. The problem of environmental protection and purification from oil and petroleum products pollution is becoming increasingly acute due to the limited possibilities (and sometimes environmental harm) of using biotechnological and physico-chemical purification methods for these purposes. This area of research is particularly relevant for Kazakhstan, where soil and water bodies are polluted during oil extraction, transportation, processing and storage. Meanwhile, many aspects of the impact of hydrocarbon pollution on the environment and humans have been little studied.

For the first time , together with the laboratory staff under the guidance of Prof. Z.A. Mansurova proposed a method for investigating the regularities of the process of biooxidation of oil and petroleum products in soils depending on the process parameters and physico-chemical characteristics of hydrocarbons.

The proposed unique biochemical method for identifying sources of hydrocarbon pollution and assessing the degradation of oil and petroleum products in soil systems has been used in the implementation of scientific projects and published in a number of internationally cited journals.

The patterns and information obtained as a result of the performed studies on the utilization of hydrocarbon raw materials in the technogenesis zone are of great practical importance in petrochemistry and ecology for taking effective measures to reduce the impact of oil and petroleum products on the local population and predicting the biochemical and physico-chemical behavior of hydrocarbons in oil production sites, during its transportation, processing and storage. The obtained scientific results, as well as biochemical methods of analysis developed during the implementation of scientific projects, are widely used in the educational process in the courses “Petrochemistry”, “Oil and Gas business” (section “Ecology of the oil and gas complex”), including in the discipline taught in English (“Petrochemisty”).

He participated in conducting research work on oil fields and granary oil fields, conducted as part of scientific projects for conducting model and field experiments on cleaning soils with free cells of hydrocarbon-oxidizing microorganisms and oil-resistant plants.

In accordance with the program of scientific activity for the period of receiving the award, E.O. Doszhanov was engaged in the development of scientific foundations for the creation of a new technology for remediation of soils contaminated with organic hydrocarbons, taking into account the peculiarities of biotic and climatic conditions of the regions of Kazakhstan.

The development and implementation of highly effective biotechnologies based on the use of microorganisms-destructors of hydrocarbons, plants-accumulators for the protection and protection of the environment in oil-polluted soils of the regions of Kazakhstan are relevant. In order to develop a high technological level that ensures the formation of a biotechnological cluster, it is necessary to provide scientific and technical support for the development of biotechnology in the republic for the purification of soils from oil and petroleum products.

The expected scientific results will have important theoretical and applied significance in petrochemistry, biotechnology and ecology, which is associated with ensuring the safety of the population and preventing hydrocarbon pollution of the territory of Kazakhstan.

Climate stress harming agriculture in Kazakhstan, air temp increase

Posted on by Muhammad Sheraz

A UNDP report says that the average annual air temperature in Kazakhstan has increased by 1.5-2 0 in the last 50 years. Kazakhstan, like other countries in Central Asia, is included in the group of countries more vulnerable due to climate change. The reason for it is dry environmental conditions and being a landlocked country.

The Report sights more and more evidence of climate change in the Central Asian region in form of the fluctuations of temperature rise, as well as waves of cold and heat, more droughts occur, the lack of water and related conflicts increase.

Glaciers in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, being “water stations” of Central Asia, decrease dramatically. In Tajikistan only, where about 60% of freshwater of Central Asia is stored, their volume reduced by 30% in a few recent decades, and more than 1000 glaciers are almost extinct. Alongside this, droughts and dust storms in this region occur almost with double frequency in the last decades.

Climate change is also affecting agriculture in the region. To discuss the climatic changes and their effects on agriculture, more than 100 leading scientists, academics, and experts from Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan gathered in Kazakhstan’s largest city and business hub, Almaty, for an international conference entitled: “Adaptation of crop production to the conditions of global climate change: problems and solutions”.

Kazakh National Agrarian Research University Rector Professor Tlektes Yespolov, who is also the Chairman of the Board, presided and moderated the Conference that was organized by the Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture and Plant Industry and held in the Almaty region’s Karasai district.

In his speech, Professor Yespolov termed climate change and its impact on the environment as one of the major challenges of the 21st century. He said that weather patterns are changing on the planet. Unusual rainstorms, hailstorms, floods, hurricanes, and snow blockages are affecting agricultural patterns and productivity also.

In addition, anthropogenic factors have played, are taking place, and are playing an equally important role, especially in the degradation of soil and other agricultural lands and, in general, the entire biodiversity – vegetation, wildlife, and microorganisms.
Professor Yespolov said that more than 10 million hectares of arable land are lost annually in the world: from erosion – 6 million hectares, alienation for non-agricultural needs – 3 million hectares, salinization, and waterlogging – 2-3 million hectares.

Kazakhstan faces the threat of water shortage that would intensify drought. According to forecasts, the shortage of water, including the transboundary aspect, may increase up to 40% by 2030, and this may create serious obstacles to economic and social development and the preservation of natural systems. Such water deficiency may cause the degradation of lake and river ecosystems, agriculture, fisheries, and tourism.

The UNDP report says that aquatic ecosystems in Kazakhstan are particularly vulnerable, so unless timely measures are taken, the tragedy of the Aral Sea may be repeated on Balkhash Lake, in the Ural River delta, and other ecosystems and the well-being of many millions of people living there depends on their condition.

Climate stress factors are harming agriculture productivity. Kazakhstan is among the top 10 wheat exporting countries of the world but it is feared that by 2030, wheat yields can be reduced by almost 40%, which threatens food security in the entire Centra Asian region.

Kazakhstan’s rural population in several regions of the country is dependent on livestock, fodder sources, and pasture conditions. These regions have been facing abnormal droughts due to climate change. UNDP says that in many villages, people were unprepared: they were left without water and fodder, and a lot of livestock died. At the same time, rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns can also lead to outbreaks of agricultural pests.

Referring to the UNDP report, Professor Yespolov said that Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, is more affected by climate change than the rest because the agricultural regions are located in the zone of risky farming. It has been proven that up to 70% of the risks in these regions are associated with weather dynamics.

“Crop losses from adverse weather conditions in some years range from 50 to 70%,” revealed Professor Yespolov.

To support and boost the country’s agriculture sector, the Kazakh Government has been developing a project, the Agro-Industrial Complex, and has set targets that would be achieved between 2021 and 2030. These are:

1. Providing 90 % of the country’s population with socially significant food products
2. Increasing the income of rural entrepreneurs;
3. An increase in labor productivity in the agriculture sector by three times compared to 2020;
4. Doubling the exports of agricultural products over this period.
Kazakh National Agrarian Research University (KazNARU) has been playing a central role in achieving the goals of the Ago-Industrial Complex.

“The current state and role of agro-industrial production in Kazakhstan in economic development are one of the most pressing issues. Kazakhstan has the potential not only to develop the country’s agro-industrial complex and the well-being of the population but also to become the world’s leading agricultural state by exporting a wide range of agricultural products,” said Professor Tlektes Yespolov in concluding his remarks at the International Conference.

Birzhan Usubaliev Director of the Kyrgyz Research Institute of Agriculture, Maksat Nurdinov Director of the Kyrgyz Research Institute of Animal Husbandry and Pastures, Dr. Ismail Abdelkhamid Director of the Department of Programs and Projects of the Islamic Organization for Food Security attended the Conference.

Gani Kaliev, the President of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Darkhan Balpanov, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and several regional governors and experts attended the conference and shared their opinions.

The participants of the Conference also took part in a “Field Day”.

#agriculture #kaznaru #climatechange #watersecurity #waterscarcity #drought #soil #kazakhstan #centralasia #research #internationalconference #sustainabledevelopment

Model-UN at KazNARU teaches students to deal with global challenges

Posted on by Rafis Abazov

The knowledge of and ability to deal with global challenges have been promoted by the Model-UN series of workshops at Kazakh National Agrarian Research University (KazNARU). During the seminars, students and junior faculty members became young international experts in the field of UN Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They discussed many different issues including such topics as global food security, the impact of climate changes on regional and global agriculture including such important commodities as grain production, improvement of education among children, and many other topics.

Throughout the year, the participants of the Model-UN workshops dedicated the activities to the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan joining the United Nations in 1992, and they organized the events within the framework of activities of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) program at KazNARU. The main goal included popularizing the knowledge about SDGs, searching for mechanisms for involving young people in the implementation of SDGs, and developing new skills and competencies. The Model UN trainers have also worked on the development of creative imagining, soft skills and critical thinking, and such skills like diplomacy and negotiations. The workshops were conducted with the support of diplomatic missions in Almaty city (including the USA and some other countries) and the United Nations Information Office (UNIO) of the UN Department of Global Communication.

The Rector of KazNARU Tlektes I. Yesbolov pointed out that the researchers at many universities in the Silk Way region pay great attention to research on sustainable development and green economy. These research projects and practical recommendations could contribute to solving many global challenges at the local, regional, and even global levels. In this context, there is the increasing role of young graduates and scientists, who need to develop practical skills and competencies in order to transfer the results of their research experiments into practical projects. In this context, KazNARU accumulated solid and unique experiences such as the reproduction of plants through special technologies to make those plants more sustainable to bacteria and climate changes. University experts also conducted some studies on improving the management of scarce surface, underground and torrential water resources. “Our students and young scholars should have skills and navigate competencies for dealing with those problems” – said Dr. Yesbolov.

Indeed, the urgency of global challenges requires urgent and innovative solutions. In this context, undergraduate and graduate students should acquire knowledge by experimenting in laboratories and experimental fields and by working directly with industries. It is very important to transform universities toward – what Johann Wissema called – the “third-generation University,” where students and scientists together work on not only creating knowledge but practical implementation of the knowledge. Therefore, the Model UN movement is emerging as one of the mechanisms for the development of practical skills and competencies, the ability to orient in the modern world and deal with global challenges with concrete actions.

Prof. Rafis Abazov, Director of the Institute for green and sustainable development and the author of research on Model-UN phenomena believes that Model-UN could become one of the important parts of student life and extracurricular activities. First, it brings together active youth into various local, national, and international networks. Secondly, it popularizes knowledge about the SDGs and mobilizes young people to address and solve many global challenges at the local level, especially the campus level. Thirdly, the development of the educational component of Model UN includes the strengthening of such skills as creative thinking, creative approaches to developing and implementing social innovation projects, and improving communication competencies to work with colleagues at local, national to international levels. He quoted “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.”

The photo is courtesy of Rafis Abazov, Institute for green and sustainable development, KazNARU

Green campus concept relaunched at KazNARU

Posted on by Rafis Abazov

A team of young scholars, teachers, and students at KazNARU presented the preliminary concept of the green campus project as a part of a series of lectures and public presentations about youth initiatives and innovations on sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The brainstorming and discussions started in early 2022 and included the development and integration of new ideas, the startup pitches, and the innovations into the concept of the green campus. Young scholars and students have analyzed not only the theoretical aspects of ‘greening’ partnership and action plans but also the practical aspects of integrating the results of innovative students’ research studies and startups into the implementation process of sustainable development goals.

This project envisions the relaunch of the idea of a green campus that unfortunately received less attention and effort during the COVID-19 pandemic and related to the closures of universities around the world. Indeed, the concept of the green campus has a long history and has been implemented over more than three decades mainly in developed countries in the west.

In 2015, this concept receive a significant additional push with the introduction of sustainable development goals as a UN agenda until 2030. With the introduction of SDGs, many universities especially student organizations not only in developed countries but also in the developing world started rethinking the ways how they can implement more effectively the concept of greening their campuses. This is especially essential for achieving the implementation of sustainable development goals, increasing the contribution to the reduction of pollution, energy consumption, and mitigating the negative aspects of climate change.

The Rector of KazNARU Tlektes I. Yespolov highlighted that the universities in the region have been already for many years working on implementing the concept of green campus in many localities with the aim to make the campuses more user-friendly for students and educators by using new technologies and new innovative approaches. In this context, KazNARU has a unique advantage, which is related to the fact that this university intensively works on experimenting with various vegetations and selecting plants, bushes, and trees for urban habitat. Students and faculty focus on identifying plants that are more effective in absorbing heat, and air pollution, sustainable in surviving in the modern urban environment, and improving their steadiness through the selection process.

Indeed, some principles of the concept of the green campus are very simple and include familiar elements and steps. At the same time technical development, innovations, and creative thinking allow for integrating the latest technologies and ICT achievements into improving life on the campuses and making them greener and more sustainable.

The creativity initiatives of students allow finding new approaches and ideas to solving old problems. For example, during the 2021–2022 academic year, the students of KazNARU developed more than 15 small and not-so-small startups and innovations.

For example, they initiated planting and replanting flowers, bushes, and trees inside and outside their campuses. They also promoted switching from plastic to reusable bottles and created dynamic video presentations about their visions of green campuses for national and international competitions and events, such as the international “Creative spark – big idea challenge”. There is also a plan to integrate ideas of teaching about sustainable development into KazNARU’s MBA/EMBA programs.

Professor Rafis Abazov, Director of the Institute for green and sustainable development at KazNARU highlighted that the future of a green economy and green development starts not only with large plans and agendas but also with the implementation of concrete sustainable development goals in the concrete localities. For example, many small but concrete green campus actions at universities and innovative green projects developed by young people and students will take us hundreds of small steps forward in saving our planet. He quoted great traveler and naturalist Roberts Swan “The greatest threat to our plant is the belief that someone else will save it for us!”

The photo is courtesy of Rafis Abazov, Institute for green and sustainable development, KazNARU

Yessenov University’s English Philology Department partners with US Embassy

Posted on by maral.zhakypbekova

As a part of continuous professional development, English language teachers of the Department of English Philology, Yessenov University have taken three stages of the advanced training course “Pedagogical University Development Project” from the US Embassy in Kazakhstan and RELO Office.

Phase I was about digital tools used in FLT Classroom. English teachers had great opportunity to learn about useful tools to use in their online classes which was actual previous years.

Phase II was the Curriculum Development stage. Participants have chosen two courses to create a curriculum: English Language A2 and Methodology of FLT. During this course, teachers developed a full curriculum for these two courses.

Phase III was Curriculum Revision Stage and additional teacher workshops with different topics related to FLT. This stage of the course lasts two months, which allows teachers not only to obtain the necessary information, but also to delve into the practical application of the acquired skills.

The course sessions are interactive and include relevant topics that will allow teachers to improve the learning process, introduce modern language teaching technologies, integrate them with related disciplines, as well as improve the use of digital technologies aimed at in-depth study of the English language by students (future teachers and translators).