Driving Rural Development by Empowering Smallholders in Kazakhstan’s Agrifood Sector - GCP/KAZ/004/HUN

Driving Rural Development by Empowering Smallholders in Kazakhstan’s Agrifood Sector - GCP/KAZ/004/HUN

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Year of publication 2025

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 2

Publisher FAO ;

Category Factsheet

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Synopsis (short abstract) Kazakhstan, with a rural population of approximately 8.3 million people (42 percent of the total population in 2023), relies heavily on agriculture for rural livelihoods. While the country’s agricultural sector is characterized by a dualistic structure, comprising large export-oriented farms and small household farms with an average landholding of 0.15 hectares, household farms play a vital role, producing over 50 percent of poultry and livestock and more than 70 percent of milk. Despite this, rural development in Kazakhstan has traditionally been narrowly focused on agricultural production, lacking a holistic approach to community development. Local communities have limited influence over their development objectives, with policy frameworks primarily driven by top-down approaches. The project was initially designed to support investment in smallholder-inclusive value chains but had to be restructured in 2022 due to COVID-19 constraints. The revised focus shifted toward addressing the broader needs, challenges and constraints of rural households and promoting rural development as a comprehensive concept.

Language English

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Factsheet

Driving Rural Development by Empowering Smallholders in Kazakhstan’s Agrifood Sector - GCP/KAZ/004/HUN 2025

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Kazakhstan, with a rural population of approximately 8.3 million people (42 percent of the total population in 2023), relies heavily on agriculture for rural livelihoods. While the country’s agricultural sector is characterized by a dualistic structure, comprising large export-oriented farms and small household farms with an average landholding of 0.15 hectares, household farms play a vital role, producing over 50 percent of poultry and livestock and more than 70 percent of milk. Despite this, rural development in Kazakhstan has traditionally been narrowly focused on agricultural production, lacking a holistic approach to community development. Local communities have limited influence over their development objectives, with policy frameworks primarily driven by top-down approaches. The project was initially designed to support investment in smallholder inclusive value chains but had to be restructured in 2022 due to COVID 19 constraints. The revised focus shifted toward addressing the broader needs, challenges and constraints of rural households and promoting rural development as a comprehensive concept.
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Enhancing Policy-Making on Rural Development and Smallholder Support Through the UN Decade of Family Farming 2019-2028 - TCP/RER/3804 2025

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The project addressed the critical need for sustainable development in rural communities across Europe and Central Asia (ECA), aligning with SDGs 1 (No Poverty) and 2 (Zero Hunger). In the ECA region, nearly one-third of the population resided in rural areas, where small family farms dominated the agricultural sector. Despite some progress, these areas continued to suffer from significantly lower income levels compared to urban areas. Challenges included limited access to resources such as land, finances, and technology, as well as a lack of entities capable of providing training on sustainable agricultural practices and disseminating knowledge to communities and governments. The COVID-19 crisis further highlighted the need for stronger local production systems, shorter value chains, and enhanced resilience of smallholders through nature-based solutions and agroecology.
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This publication is a compilation of some practical examples of the changes that are being introduced by the project under implementation. It discusses their context and the approach and presents some preliminary results mapped under the organizing principle of the Four Betters. As the project advances, further fine-tuning for optimization and new examples can be expected to be added. Moving forward, it will require sustained government support for scaling up the promising solutions in an equitable and contextual manner to maximize benefits for the rural livelihoods of Saudi Arabia.