The Eurasian Carbon Project is deepening its cooperation with Kazakhstan as the country moves forward with national efforts to integrate carbon farming into its climate and land-use strategies.
Astana, Kazakhstan - March 19, 2025
A high-level meeting in Astana between Alexey Ivanov, Director of the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre and a core team member of the Eurasian Carbon Project, and Murat Temirzhanov, Chairman of the Committee for Land Resource Management under the Ministry of Agriculture, highlighted shared priorities and laid the groundwork for expanded collaboration.
As Kazakhstan pursues its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, carbon farming is emerging as a key tool to restore degraded land, increase carbon sequestration, and support rural development. Joining forces between international experts and the national Kazakhstani community -- through strengthened institutional ties and technical dialogue -- is now seen as essential to realizing this potential at scale.
The Eurasian Carbon Project, a multi-partner platform where IIASA is a core member through its Advancing Systems Analysis Program, has played a catalytic role in shaping strategic conversations around land-based climate solutions in the region. In 2023, the Project, in collaboration with IIASA, the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre and the TALAP Center for Applied Research, released the report "Carbon Farming in Kazakhstan: Unlocking Potential". The study has helped inform national-level planning and continues to serve as a reference for science-based policy development.
"Kazakhstan is showing strong readiness to scale carbon farming within a national strategy," said Ivanov. "This growing cooperation-with IIASA and other partners-creates the scientific and institutional foundation needed to move from vision to action."
Temirzhanov reaffirmed Kazakhstan's interest in structured collaboration to explore viable implementation models, pilot activities, and capacity-building frameworks.
As momentum builds, the Eurasian Carbon Project will continue working closely with Kazakhstani institutions and IIASA to ensure that carbon farming contributes meaningfully to the country's climate commitments and sustainable development goals.
