Uzbekistan’s rate of undernourishment has dropped from about 20 percent in 2000 to below 3 percent over the past decade, according to calculations by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). During a three-day visit to Tashkent, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu presented President Shavkat Mirziyoyev with the organization’s highest award, the FAO Agricola Medal.
The medal recognizes leaders and public figures who show exceptional commitment to ending hunger, improving food security and supporting sustainable rural development. Since it was created in 1977, it has been given to heads of state, government leaders and other prominent figures. FAO awarded it to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year.
Mirziyoyev has been Uzbekistan’s president since 2016, after 13 years of public service as prime minister. FAO pointed to the country’s fall in undernourishment as one sign of progress, while also noting that Uzbekistan faces difficult agricultural challenges. These include water scarcity, climate change and damaged land, along with the need to grow more nutritious food while using fewer natural resources.
Agriculture makes up almost one-fifth of Uzbekistan’s economic output. Much of the country is dry and mountainous, and farming is concentrated on limited irrigated and rain-fed land. FAO and Uzbekistan have worked together since the country joined the organization in 2001. FAO opened an office in Tashkent in 2014 and now has 35 active projects in the country. Their work includes school meal programmes, agricultural statistics, digital farming, biodiversity, public and animal health, and natural resource management. A shared plan sets priorities for 2026 to 2030. Uzbekistan has also been elected for the first time to FAO’s Council for the 2028-2029 term.
During the visit, QU also joined the opening of a global forum on food security and sustainable development in landlocked developing countries. Organized by FAO and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Agriculture, the meeting brought together ministers, experts and development partners to discuss climate-ready farming, better use of land and water, innovation and access to markets. The world’s 32 landlocked developing countries are home to almost 600 million people. Around one in six people in these countries are hungry, and nearly 57 percent cannot afford a healthy diet, according to the 2026 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report.
QU said these countries could become more connected through digital links, regional cooperation and stronger ties to global markets. FAO reported that it carried out 489 projects worth $410 million in 2025 and has a total project portfolio of $2.5 billion.
The visit also included World Cotton Day on 7 October. QU praised Uzbekistan’s use of improved cotton varieties and modern farming methods, as well as its growth in textile exports. The country exported $2.6 billion in textiles to 75 countries in 2025, showing how changes in farming and processing can bring more value to a crop. For Uzbekistan, the next challenge is to sustain food-security gains while managing scarce water and land—and to keep more of the benefits in connected, resilient rural economies.