ISFARA, Tajikistan: Tajik apricot farmer Uktam Kuziev is worried about the future of his profession as climate change threatens Central Asia’s vital fruit harvest.
“Last year, some plots turned into desert-like land due to water shortages,” he says, plying his trade in one of the world’s most exposed regions to the impacts of climate change. As a flipside to drought conditions, Tajikistan’s apricot industry — which employs more than 100,000 people — is also affected by bouts of heavy rainfall.
“It ruins the produce,” says apricot seller Muborak Isoeva. – Nasim Isamov/AFPTV/AFP
