Scaling up climate-optimized communities (aimaqs)

In Kyrgyzstan's recent history, we are experiencing an overlap of complex and multidirectional crisis processes, which together have led to systemic and complex problems. The planned economy that had been in place for two or three generations has been abruptly replaced by a market economy of a very rigid type. This process, painful for the vast majority of residents, is still going on. In addition, since the year 2000, we have been experiencing the effects of climate change, and they are getting worse every year. In addition, we have also been affected by financial, cross-border and geopolitical crises. Unfortunately, adequate strategies and programs were not formed on the level of state management, which led to a sharp decrease in economic indicators and living standards, the growth of social tensions and migration (internal and external). During these years we experienced three acute political crises in the country and still have frequent changes of leadership at the level of ministries and departments, which does not contribute to the continuity and effectiveness in the implementation of economic and social programs.

In the period from 1992 to 2010, with the support of international organizations in the countrу, a number of projects in the agricultural sector were implemented. But all of them were narrowly focused, and, as a result, their results were not sustainable. Unfortunately, this practice is still largely in place today.

This situation inevitably activated civil society and led to an understanding of the need for a comprehensive approach in the analysis and implementation of forced measures to achieve at least acceptable stability and sustainability.

In 2010, a group of experts began work on a model for the sustainable development of rural and mountain communities. It took into account that the basis of modern civilization was originally a rural way of life, which, in turn, was based on matrices of behavior adapted to the processes of nature. As long as this successive chain HONORED and observed the Lordship of Nature and its laws in their unity and interrelation, mankind has not known large-scale crisis problems. One of the main advantages of Kyrgyzstan is that a significant part of the rural population still has these priorities as the basic foundations of traditional culture. It is thanks to this that our country has still preserved relatively healthy ecosystems and sufficient biodiversity.

Proceeding from all of this, the expert group identified the basic factors of sustainable development for Kyrgyzstan - (a) sustainable preservation and strengthening of the environment and biodiversity, (b) revival of the meanings and priorities of traditional culture and traditional technologies to achieve sustainable harmony between man and nature, harmonious social relations and the balance of spiritual, cultural and economic-applied areas of life in synthesis with modern environmental and climatic optimized (organic) technologies 

We have developed a "micro-model" for the sustainable development of rural and mountain communities based on a synthesis of the potential of eco-centric meanings and values of traditional culture and modern climate-optimized organic technologies.

Trying to achieve "sustainable development" outside of the original "meanings and basic priorities" is a destructive delusion. Herein lies the basic relevance and universal transformative potential of what is generically referred to as "traditional culture.

Finance, technology, and economics in general are all just tools that should contribute to the sustainable development of communities through the original "meanings and basic priorities," so in traditional cultures they have a primary role.

The mission of the model:

To revitalize the Harmony of Man and Nature in communities, to preserve and develop biocultural diversity, and to adapt to climate change.

Goal of the model:

Creation of a local sustainable model for integrated development of rural and mountainous communities based on the synthesis of the potential of traditional culture and modern climate-optimized technologies.

Objectives of the model:

• Revival and development of the cultural and attitudinal bases of the traditional culture, nature preservation activities and efficient traditional social and production technologies among the local communities.
• Implementation of climate-optimized land-use practices, achievement of sustainable practices of organic farming as a basis for food and nutritional security of the local communities, provision of health and preservation of the gene pool.
• Addressing the issues of habitat conservation and development, its biodiversity, as well as adaptation to climate change.

Categories (Clusters) of Activities:

• Informing and teaching the basics of climate-optimized land use, the principles of organic agriculture.
• Determination of the most optimal complex economic structure of each community, taking into account their individual conditions.
• Introduction of product processing and promotion of the "Value Chain".
• Development of handicraft production, local crafts and promotion of local brands, ensuring gender equality. 5.
• Development of agro-, eco- and ethno-tourism.
• Revival of the aboriginal horse as the main tool of revival of traditional technology of pastoralism. (Much of the near pastures have been overgrazed and degraded, while distant pastures are overgrown because the entire Soviet-era transport infrastructure to distant pastures has fallen into disrepair and the stock of native horses as the main form of traditional transport for the highlands is almost on the verge of extinction).
• Promotion of energy efficient stoves (stoves are used by all families in the communities) and the introduction of technology for insulating houses using available local materials (straw, clay) and triple glazing of the windows of the living area.
• Modern interpretation of "traditional culture" and sharing experience in traditional knowledge and social and economic technologies.
• Creation of a mechanism of effective civil and corporate responsibility of producers and processors through the use of the adapted traditional mechanisms and institutions.

Since 2014, with donor support (including the support from The Christensen Fund), we piloted this model (in a simplified form) in 9 rural communities of two regions of Kyrgyzstan (Talas and Naryn). Now we are thinking of scaling up this experience.

In conceptualizing the meaning, logic and structure of the model, we tried to objectively determine the "main beneficiary" of the efforts undertaken. In essence, the main beneficiary is the "Life Principle" as an absolute priority of Mother Nature's interests and her Laws for all life forms on the Earth. Only on this "healthy" foundation all other forms of life, including human life (in our case - first of all farmers, rural and mountain communities) can successfully and sustainably develop - i.e. to preserve and develop biocultural diversity. Nature is fundamental to the functioning of the modern human population, as it was thousands of years ago. But now the world is ruled by cities, where people are cut off from all forms of life except human life, no one feels a sense of belonging to ecosystems and is unaware that sustainable human existence depends, at its core, on harmonious interaction with natural factors.   All the "irresistible technological glitz and glamor" of our days also rests on the same "natural roots" as centuries ago. But unlike in former times, the exorbitant "urbanized superstructure" draws all the "juices" - natural and human resources - from nature, giving in return a growing shaft of domestic, industrial and energy pollution, and increasingly expanding the scope of destructive behavior patterns.

Therefore, the first "addressee" of our efforts is the environment and its ecosystems in the fullness of their biodiversity. A complete habitat has a very stable "cumulative immunity" to various unfavorable external factors. And this immunity is transmitted to all its components, including the human population. If, due to various reasons, its aggregate immunity decreases, it is also reflected in the state of all its constituents (somewhere earlier, somewhere later). This is an immutable evolutionary interdependence of the Whole and all its parts. It is possible to try to ward it off by various measures (like vaccination or lockdown), but only TIMELY!!! Such measures do not yield sustainable results, and, even in terms of economic approaches, are extremely unprofitable.

The second, but very harmoniously interrelated first "group of beneficiaries" is the human community. And it is not only farmers, their families and local communities. Urban residents are also, in many ways, direct beneficiaries of the "benefits" - quality food, clean air and water, a more stable "climatic landscape," a favorable background of general immunity and a wholesome living environment.

In addition, the air basin of our country is a part of the planetary, as well as the climate, water (glaciers of Kyrgyzstan store 36% of water resources of Central Asia). The dynamics and logic of natural processes of the last decades insistently lead all of us to the realization of the inseparable UNITY of the entire planetary complex (according to our elders, these events are a manifestation of the forced scenario of Mother Earth)

During the promotion of the model in real conditions (since 2014), the concept, in general, has confirmed its validity, and the practice of its implementation has identified the main hindering and facilitating factors and circumstances. The necessary experience of interaction with local communities, local and regional authorities, the media, and various civil society organizations has been accumulated.

In 2021 the work of our team to promote our model in cooperation with FOM BIO-KG was among the 10 winners of the global Equator Prize. Unfortunately, weak management and non-transparent reporting by FOM BIO-KG management, fundamentally different approaches to the effective use of incoming funds and prioritization of work, did not allow to realize the full potential of the model and limited our further cooperation.

Therefore, in 2019 we formed a "consortium" of organizations with real experience in developing and promoting both the conceptual part (Public Foundation "Peace Center", which has extensive experience in traditional culture; "Economic Policy Research Institute" to provide the necessary expert support, communication with government agencies and lobbying at the official level) and the applied economic activities (Organization of legal entities "Organic - Holding", whose members have years of experience in promoting organics and close communication with the farming community in all regions), to scale the model at the national level.

Several years ago, our team was approached by the leadership of Ak-Syi district of Jalal Abad region and the heads of all 9 rural communities of the district, with a request to implement our model in all 9 communities of the district. Due to the lack of necessary funds, we were not able to do it.

The main emphasis, as in our work, was to achieve a synthesis of two main directions.

The first - the revival and use of the potential of traditional culture in terms of the formation of basic values of community life and as a social regulator, the creation of internal motivation of social and economic activity, the use of traditional technologies and knowledge.  The second is the active application of modern climate-optimized and nature-saving technologies, as well as the possibilities of social communications and economic interactions.        

The task is to lay the foundations for the creation of a harmonious, socially sustainable and economically self-sufficient model of life in rural and mountain communities. It was very important to determine in the project activities the most optimal areas of combination of the cultural-moral and material-residential component in everyday life.

Experience in previous years has confirmed that sufficient starting conditions are:

- development of traditional culture and active use of its potential in the economic and social spheres of community life;                                                                                             

- development of agro-, eco- and ethno-tourism;

- development of traditional craftsmanship in the format of production cooperatives.

- production of livestock and agricultural products using organic and traditional technologies.

It is these areas that have the greatest potential to give a "second breath" to nomadic eco-centrism, as well as to improve the economic condition of the people. 

9 communities in 2 provinces of Kyrgyzstan 

Total 14029 people, 3500 families, around 10000 farmers 

We are all experiencing a systemic crisis, and the most effective measures will be systemic and comprehensive. In this vein, our team has been working since 2010 to analyze the complex causes of these processes and to determine their underlying factors. We have concentrated our efforts on determining the key conditions that can guarantee success in conditions of increasing global turbulence. These are where the main efforts should be directed in order to really close the gap between the growing challenges and the measures to overcome them. Spending time and effort on secondary issues, or on individual components, will only increase our lag in this "race. 

The problem is global and affects everyone, no one can "step aside. We can count on success only if we combine a "correct diagnosis" of the situation and a global cooperation of efforts.

We have developed a "micro-model" for stabilizing the growing turbulence - the concept of a model for sustainable development of rural and mountain communities based on the synthesis of the potential of ecocentric meanings and values of traditional culture and modern climate-optimized organic technologies. "The controlling stake in the concept belongs to the revival and activation of "ecocentric meanings, values and approaches of traditional culture, as the basic "fulcrum" that Archimedes had in mind.

During this time, the necessary experience of interaction with local communities, local and regional authorities, the media, and various civil society organizations has been accumulated.

The implementation of the model has received a certain public response and recognition at the official level. In 2015, at the regional contest "Equator" in Alma Ata (Kazakhstan), our work and the concept of the model itself won the grand prize as the best and most promising socio-economic project for scaling. At the round table "Prospects of organics in the countries of the Customs Union" (Moscow, 2017) our presentation on the promotion of organics in the framework of our model, caused active interest and approval from all participants. At the international symposium "Agroecology for Sustainable Development" (2018, Rome), we made a presentation on the concept and our work. In late summer 2018, one of the pilot communities to implement the model (Talas) was visited by members of INMIP from 11 countries to see the actual practice of promoting the concept.

Since 2019 on the basis of our pilot villages, we are working on the revival of the aboriginal Kyrgyz horse with the support of the Agroecology Fund.

We are looking for partners to further promote the model, financial and technical support. We are also interested in experience in monitoring and public relations (branding/marketing strategy, social and global media). In our opinion, our model is applicable and will have a real effect in the context of many countries with agrarian economies, and the principle positions are applicable on a more global scale. In March, we received an invitation from MIT Solve team to participate in the Solve Contest

The twenty-first century, which has barely begun, has from the very beginning shown in an ever more concentrated form all the crisis processes of the past twentieth century.

In the first decades of the new century, all the existing problems have become more acute, and many of them have reached a qualitatively new level, which, taken together, has led almost to a "new picture of the world. And in this "new picture", there are more challenges than opportunities to solve them within the framework of old approaches and concepts.

The whole range of risks - economy (in all its crucial components), social tensions, geopolitics, ecology, climate, seismics and volcanism - has intensified.

In addition, this "clot of causes and effects" with all the contingencies, climatic and environmental exacerbations, has entered such a turbulent state that any "predictability" becomes very tentative. The time of relative stability of the totality of factors determining the time of their evaluation and decision-making is becoming increasingly short, which requires a shorter time frame for decision-making and implementation of measures. At the same time, quantitatively and qualitatively, tasks requiring urgent solutions are increasing. And now, we have entered a zone of clear lag in our actions to emerging risks and challenges.

The main reason for this situation is that we are reacting to the consequences, excessively hoping for tools (technological, financial and economic, sociopolitical), leaving aside the underlying causes and reaping the rapid growth of the variability of new consequences, their scale and dynamics.

And in our time, this threatens not an economic or political, but an evolutionary collapse!

For all the importance and necessity of taking urgent priority measures, the circumstances dictate the extreme need for a deeper causal analysis, the development on its basis of an adequate strategic vision and programs of action in the realities of the "new picture" of the world. If we try to give a substantive assessment of what is happening, the most adequate one would be "acute systemic civilization crisis". Accordingly, the focus of analysis and subsequent efforts should be made in this plane. Without comprehensive analysis and comprehensive measures, we have no chance of "catching up and leveling out the situation. We missed the time long ago when it was possible to limit ourselves to solving these or those acute problems on a limited scale. In this vein, our team has been working since 2010 to analyze a set of causes for these processes and to determine their underlying factors. We have concentrated our efforts on identifying the key conditions that can guarantee success in the face of growing global turbulence. These are where the main efforts should be directed in order to really close the gap between the growing challenges and the measures to overcome them. Wasting time and effort on secondary issues will only increase our lag in this "race. All of this led to the development of the concept and its practical model.

The model of "organic (climate-optimized) aimaks (communities) is already on the lips of much of the rural population. Formally, the model is "marked" in the official documents on the development of the agricultural sector and it interested in the "Department of Organic Agriculture" (Department was created at the initiative of our expert group after a presentation to members of the Agrarian Committee of Parliament). But, unfortunately, the newly created department has neither budgetary capacity, nor the necessary competence, nor mature motivation.

 Therefore, our group is looking for opportunities to scale the model in all seven regions of Kyrgyzstan. We are periodically approached by farmers from different provinces with requests to include their communities in our work. We help them, give consultations and advice, but this is clearly not enough. Moreover, the 2.5 pandemic years have put a wide range of ordinary farmers in a difficult financial situation, while the "climate swings", to which the agricultural sector is particularly sensitive, are swinging harder and harder.

With sufficient funding, we plan to promote our experience in 5 - 7 communities in each of the 7 regions. The analysis has shown that such a scale, with competent and responsible execution, can provide the necessary impetus for the transition of a significant part of the rural population of Kyrgyzstan to the model of sustainable development in the current turbulent times in the next 4-5 years.

The basic prerequisites for this are in place - the model itself has been tested, an analysis of the work done in 9 communities has been made. Factors and approaches which hampered and reduced the effectiveness of the work were identified, as well as those factors and approaches which gave a real positive result. A sufficient group of motivated supporters and enthusiasts was formed, both among farmers, local legislative and executive authorities, as well as among environmentally oriented NGOs, experts, employees of donor organizations and agencies. The basic criteria for selecting communities, people, and approaches and working with them have been worked out. Ways to solve or minimize the most frequent threats, problems and obstacles as well as forms of interaction and cooperation with local and regional structures are defined. In general, the strategy and tactics for achieving the necessary results are clear. All these necessary components are concentrated in the Consortium that we formed in 2019, a voluntary association of organizations and individuals united by the desire to make a feasible contribution to the solution of those acute problems that face not only our society, but also other countries.  

If we proceed from the meanings and tasks of all 17 "sustainable development goals", then they are almost identical in meaning to the main provisions of our traditional culture. True, they were to some extent deformed by the pressure of the market mentality in the post-Soviet period, but they are still alive in rural areas.

The most important condition, after people are explained the mission and goals of the model of sustainable development of their community, to reach the inner conscious motivation to participate actively in its implementation. An indispensable condition for their sustainable future is the preservation and improvement of their environment, without which "what are we?" and "where are we?" In our traditional culture, "Zher Ene" ("Mother Earth") is, the basic factor of our being on the planet, of our physical life. And it is still active in the mentality of the older generation, activated to a stable stage in the mentality of the middle generation, and the younger generation should be helped in its formation. In addition, the daily life of farmers takes place in the bosom of the surrounding nature, and they see a direct dependence of their life, especially economic activity, on natural conditions.

The next position is the revival of active communality, which ensures the effectiveness of joint efforts both in the socio-organizational and communicational spheres and in the economic sphere. Gratuitous participation in the work of solving common tasks or providing gratuitous assistance where needed ("ashar") is still a valid traditional tool within community relations.

It is very important to activate one of the most important conditions of sustainable continuity - to always calculate the final result of our actions, based on the basic factor - the preservation of Harmony with Nature and all its natural manifestations. Mankind is a part of Nature and cannot ignore its Laws with impunity.

Another important condition for sustainability, under conditions of limited resources of the majority of earthly resources, is the activation of the conscious practice of "reasonable consumption" of traditional culture, taking into account the sustainability of surrounding ecosystems and the interests of future generations.

In traditional culture, norms and rules of personal behavior and social relations, relations with the surrounding world were determined by ethics, in contrast to the norms and rules determined by "law. In terms of real impact, ethics is more effective as an unconditional consensus of the set of interests in the vast system "nature - society - man" (as opposed to "formal law") and contributes to the sustainable harmony of this system, the priority of "common good - the good of man, society and the surrounding Nature". Ethical norms are implemented on the basis of conscious voluntary internal acceptance and execution. The main indicators of the model are not quantitative indicators (although they are also necessarily taken into account), but the meanings and values that form the motives and intentions of their personal and social behavior and, accordingly, determine the resulting "fruits.  

The most effective way to solve any problem is to make a correct analysis, to find the main cause of its appearance and to focus on it, rather than on the consequences, which are usually perceived more clearly and acutely. A correct "diagnosis" guarantees a successful solution to any problem.

Phiosophy and practice of traditional culture always relied on understanding of natural cause-and-effect connection of all events, and clearly differentiated "the sphere of causes" and "the sphere of consequences". The main efforts were directed to the elimination of causes, in parallel mitigating and correcting the manifested consequences. With a focus on the effects, problems inevitably develop into crises. When this happens to several problems, we have a systemic crisis.

For decades now, the problems of natural, environmental and climate change as well as growing social and economic tensions and conflicts have been actively discussed at the global level at regional and international symposiums, conferences and summits. How much effort, money, faith and expectations have been spent! But things are only getting worse - the problems are escalating to the scale of "catastrophes". Why? - Because we continue to deceive ourselves, we rely on "badly distorted accents", we never dare to call things by their proper names. It is not mankind that is experiencing natural, environmental and climatic disasters, no! It is the nature, ecology and climate of the planet that is experiencing a PANDEMIA of catastrophic impact of the human population!!!

In this regard, very interesting points were made in the Club of Rome's anniversary report ("COME ON!", 2018), which focused on "the philosophical roots of the current state of the world”. The world is in danger and salvation lies in a change of worldview. Naive realism and materialism are philosophically untenable and simply wrong scientifically. The key point of the report is the idea of a "new Enlightenment," a fundamental transformation of thinking, the result of which must be a holistic worldview. Humanistic, but free of anthropocentrism, open to development, but appreciating sustainability and caring about the future, and it is the economy of the future that must strive for sustainability rather than growth and increase the common good rather than maximize private gain." In roughly the same sense, the "Second Appeal to Humanity" (1917) by over 15,000 scientists from 184 countries warned of the catastrophic nature of maintaining the current "way of life of planetary humanity. - These positions and assessments are very much in harmony with the vision of traditional culture, its values and basic principles.

Nature itself has no ecological or climatic problems, there are natural processes of evolutionary development of the planetary system, and there are phases of transition from one stage to another, but no crisis. We are collectively experiencing a systemic crisis of our model of life and relationships with the life processes of the surrounding mega-space. The patterns of our life and behavior are determined by the basic meanings, values and priorities of our worldview

The "basic technology", on which our solution is based, is a prototype of the "technology of civilization shift" (the concept of which we are now finalizing), as a set of basic conditions and a set of priority measures to stabilize turbulent processes and return to the matrix of "civilization stability". In this concept, the category of "technology" itself leaves the sphere of applied tools and becomes an action of effective correction of "civilization failure" and transition to the mainstream of sustainable evolutionary development.

The UN position on the potential of traditional cultures to address today's global challenges, expressed by the Secretary-General at the opening of the UN Conference on Biodiversity in Montreal (December 2022), is very telling in this respect: "We will have to define the conditions for biodiversity conservation for the next decade, which would involve the power of nature itself and the involvement of the experience of indigenous peoples". UNEP experts note that the rapid loss of biodiversity is accelerating global warming. Natural ecosystems play an important role in regulating the climate and can help capture and store carbon. This is also confirmed by the FAO Informal Working Group's "Review of the Impact of Crop Production on the Soil Microbiome" (2022). The review clearly shows that the soil microbiome plays a key role in the health of ecosystems, agro-ecosystems and the climate system. The review looks at different microbiome ecosystems and their relatively understudied potential to address global issues. Kyrgyzstan is one of the 15 countries in the Global South with the greatest biodiversity (17 countries in total).

The "basic technology" includes the revival of a living harmonious connection with Mother Earth through the formation of conscious patterns of behavior based on ethical foundations: "change your thoughts - your life will change", "change your intentions - your destiny will change", "do not wish too much, and you will avoid disharmony in your body, life and nature", "leave for posterity an environment not worse than you got from your ancestors", "everything in nature is living and has just as much right to be under the sun as you do". All this is supported and reinforced by traditional applied and modern technologies. Humanity is only one component of planetary evolution, and, like all other components of the planetary evolutionary process, has its own development program and corresponding "indicators of evolutionary capacity. It is on these basic indicators that all main applied indicators of human development - global, regional, local - should be formed. We must promptly develop "qualitative" (essential) indicators and move away from "quantitative" (formal) indicators. One of the main indicators is "ethics”. A. Toynbee noted in his time: "...the disparity between our technology and our ethics is greater now than ever. It is not merely humiliating, but deadly.... The willingness with which we allow ourselves to be greedy and aggressive is degrading. And the baseness of our ethical qualities is even more degrading because of the contrast with the brilliance of our technological accomplishments" (1974)

The very story of the birth of our team and the work it has done is made possible by a commitment to these principles. Our team was formed as a spontaneous reaction of members of civil society to the tragic events of 2010, which occurred as a result of the acute socio-economic crisis. The whole country was still suffering and could not recover from the shock of the April events. There was an urgent question of what objectively substantiated and based on its own characteristics and resources Kyrgyzstan, with its agrarian economy, could do for sustainable development. A group of patriotically-minded people gathered to find answers to this critical question.

The meeting was informal, the discussion heated and sincere. All supported the idea to work out and give the civil society, parliament and government a grounded, based on their national peculiarities and advantages, conception of the strategic development of the agrarian sector and population of the rural regions.

The result of the meeting was the creation of an informal independent expert group to solve the tasks. There was an unambiguous understanding that only a united team of like-minded persons could accomplish such a task and successfully realize it. Within a short time, the team developed its own "vision" for the justification of the country's development priorities. At the next general meeting these developments were approved in the format of the "Concept.

A peculiar "division of labor" was formed in the main areas: - the sphere of communications with farmers and the donor community, organization of trips, work with other NGOs; - analytics, conceptualization and strategizing; - traditional culture, work with civil society.

The main thing was to propose to the civil society, deputy corps, and official structures a really substantiated, understandable to all and consolidating all, practically realizable concept of action to achieve sustainable development.

It was firmly decided to promote the "concept" holistically, systematically, and not to "buy" private project proposals (which have already begun to arrive). It was not an easy decision for everyone (the work required full commitment of energy and time, own funds were very limited, the burden and inevitable costs of such "volunteering" fell on family members and forced family loans).

The team was able to interest and attract to cooperation a very wide range of leading scientists and experts in the field of nature management and ecology, leading agrarian specialists of the Soviet period of scientists, active seeking farmers and businessmen, many public associations. Former Vice Prime Minister Mira Dzhangaracheva evaluated the work done by our team (in 2012) - "Your friendly and creative teamwork was able to do what the government could not do so far.  

Our model is not a business model and has a pronounced social, environmental and climatic focus.

We are waiting for the results of the contest which we applied in the framework of grant programs of the several pool funds; we are also in the process of negotiation with the state bodies on the possibilities of the national program of support of climate-optimized communities 

Our project was supported by the Christensen Fund from 2014 – 2021, total funds provided as support to our initiative was around 720000 USD