The Priozernoye community is located approximately 150km north of Kazakhstan's capital, Astana. It sits in the transition zone between the dry and moderately-dry steppes, and the community's economy is predominantly focused on production of spring wheat. Winter snowfall is the most important precipitation for agriculture, as meltwater provides the moisture required for agricultural production. In the case of Priozernoye, declining precipitation and an increasing rainfall-to-snowfall ratio threatens to intensify erosion and desertification on the sloping lands; rainfall is more likely to run off, rather than slowly infiltrate. Climate change pressures will likely compound this effect as temperatures rise and evapotranspiration increases.

In response to the shift towards a warmer and dryer climate, this Community-Based Adaptation project builds on baseline sustainable agro-ecosystem management and rehabilitation initiatives to pilot new agricultural practices adapted to a changing climate. The project also includes capacity development components for the community, and a component on lesson sharing with government and other national stakeholders.

* This project is part of Kazakhstan's Community-Based Adaptation portfolio. *