From Dust to Orchards: Tree Planting Revives Kazakhstan’s Degraded Soil

On the outskirts of Kyzylorda, once barren plots of land owned by farmers are now lined with rows of apple trees, melon vines, and small ponds glinting in the sun. For the Karakat farming enterprise, this transformation reflects a broader shift taking place across Kazakhstan's southern regions, where communities are working to bring degraded landscapes back to life.

Karakat's operations have expanded rapidly: planting a seven-hectare orchard, constructing a 25-ton fruit storage facility, and excavating ponds on four hectares for fish farming.

These improvements are part of the GEF-funded Resiland Project implemented through the World Bank, which is helping Kazakhstan rehabilitate degraded land in the Kyzylorda, Zhambyl, Turkestan, and Akmola regions.

Years of wind erosion, dust storms, and the impact of the drying Aral Sea have disrupted rural livelihoods-particularly in agriculture, one of these regions' largest employers. By combining community-driven work with new technologies and scientific support, the project aims to restore land productivity, strengthen local resilience, and create new income-generating opportunities for communities.

Protecting Kyzylorda

Just outside Kyzylorda, visitors can see the project's most extensive efforts-millions of hardy, deep-rooted saxaul shrubs ringing the city.

In 2023, more than 3.6 million seedlings were planted, with another 2.1 million added during maintenance activities in 2024-2025.

Today, these saxauls acts as a living barrier that reduces dust, improves microclimates in nearby settlements, and lays the foundation for a future forest zone. As this barrier matures, it will help protect the city from the region's harsh winds and recurring dust storms-critical for protecting public health, infrastructure, and agriculture.

Millions of Seedlings for the Aral Seabed

One of the Kyzulorda region's most ambitious environmental goals is the restoration of the dried seabed of the Aral Sea. An estimated 66% of land is affected by degradation, with about 4% already desertified and roughly 76% of the territory highly sensitive to further desertification.

To reverse this, a new 33.5-hectare forest nursery was constructed in the Kazalinsk district between 2023 and 2024. "The purpose of establishing the forest nursery is to provide planting material for reforestation on the dried bottom of the Aral Sea," explains Serik Aymish, Deputy Director of the Kyzylorda Regional Kazalinsk State Institution for Forest and Wildlife Protection. "Its annual production capacity is three million black saxaul seedlings, along with 55,000 hardwood and fruit-bearing species."

These efforts are paying off. In 2023-2024 alone, more than 74,000 hectares of Aral seabed were planted or seeded with saxaul and other salt-tolerant halophytic shrubs, helping stabilize sandy soils and reduce the spread of toxic dust.

Safeguarding Kazakhstan's Forest Genetic Resources

While planting trees is essential for protecting Kazakhstan's topsoil, long-term land restoration depends on preserving the country's forest genetics. Conserving forest biodiversity is crucial for responding to blights and pests that could undermine investments like Kyzylorda's saxaul belt and hurt the livelihoods of local farmers. Storing and studying a strong and diverse genetic plant stock not only provides a buffer to such potentially devastating shocks but also can help improve the quality of farmers' fruits and nuts, encourage crucial pollinators like bees and birds, and bolster the Kazakh timber industry.

That's why in Shchuchinsk, Resiland is supporting the national forest seed genetic bank. "Seeds can be preserved for up to 20 years or more. Kazakhstan's mountain forests contain extremely valuable genetic material, and our goal is to preserve these plant genes." says Natalia Zakharova, Deputy Director of the Republican State Enterprise "Forest Breeding and Seed Center".

Now equipped with 65 types of specialized laboratory instruments-including low-temperature storage, seed counters, and analytical equipment-the seed bank maintains samples from 156 species of trees and shrubs. The facility supports forest institutions nationwide by supplying high-quality seed and conducting testing, cataloguing, and monitoring for diseases and other threats to forests and agricultural produce.

A Community-Centered Approach

Getting community buy-in and leadership on Resiland-backed restoration efforts has been a boon for rural communities. For example, farmers in the Zhambyl region launched 120 hectares of pilot agroforestry sites, where they are planting orchards that are diversifying their crops, improving local water retention, and generating new sources of income:

• 15 hectares of agroforestry demonstration plots were established around Kyzylorda.
• 120 hectares of pilot agroforestry sites were launched by farmers in Zhambyl region.
• 101,882 hectares of previously unaccounted forests were identified and transferred into the State Forest Fund in Kyzylorda and Turkestan regions.
• About 1,000 people gained seasonal employment to plant trees.

For farmers, these efforts mean more than environmental improvement-diversified crops, better soil conditions, and new income-generating opportunities.

Back in the orchard outside Kyzylorda, farmer Sabit Karamyrzaev reflects on the changes: "We have been cultivating previously unused land. Now it feeds our families."

By investing in tree planting, Kazakhstan is not only protecting against natural hazards, but creating jobs and supporting livelihoods for farmers and agribusinesses across the country.