Supply chain resilience and sustainable food systems - comparative Insights from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

Abstract

This thesis explores how supply chain resilience affects the possibility of sustainable food systems in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Drawing from policy analysis and expert interviews, the study examines risks, barriers, and enabling factors for food security in two landlocked economies affected by climate change. Particular attention is given to institutional responses toward irrigation management, border and trade corridor reliability and post-harvest logistics, which remain key chokepoints for regional agri-food systems. The study also highlights how the quality of governance, subsidy policy and design, and digitalisation initiatives affect predictability in supply chains, often more than resource endowment itself. While both countries have committed to ambitious agricultural reform programs, significant gaps remain between strategic vision and implementation. The study argues that improving cross-border coordination, infrastructure services, and smallholder inclusion is necessary for more sustainable and resilient food systems. By placing these dynamics into the context of food security and agricultural policy reforms, which are already of concern to Central Asian governments, the study will also generate evidence relevant to national reform agendas and regional cooperation.