Bottom-Up Approaches to Knowledge Coproduction in Pasture Management: The Case of Kyrgyzstan

Irène Mestre*

Institut Français d’Etudes sur l’Asie Centrale

*Email: irene.mestre@cnrs.fr

https://doi.org/10.29258/CAJSCR/2026-R1.v5-1/35-52.eng

Thematic cluster: Sustainability, Landscape/Agriculture

Type of paper: Research paper

June 08, 2026

Solton Sary pastures, Naryn oblast, 2012. Credits: Irène Mestre

Abstract

This paper examines how local-level actors in Kyrgyzstan’s community-based pasture governance system have organised themselves to influence knowledge generation and policy-making. It explores the sophisticated interplay between decentralisation, stakeholder coordination, and power dynamics in pastoral resource management. The paper describes the findings of the qualitative embedded multiple case study conducted between 2011 and 2019. Six municipalities in Naryn and Jalal-Abad oblasts were studied through 99 semi-structured interviews, participatory observation within NGOs, and engagement with national stakeholders. Ostrom’s principles of sustainable community management were used as the analytical framework, complemented by literature on governance and social learning. Kyrgyzstan’s decentralisation reform created new governance entities, notably Pasture User Associations (PUAs) and their executive bodies, as well as Pasture Committees (PCs), operating within a fragmented institutional environment. PCs adapted flexibly but faced challenges in terms of coordination with state agencies and local actors. The establishment of the Kyrgyz Federation of Pasture User Associations (KFPUA) created a platform for political representation, knowledge sharing, and legitimacy building, fostering bottom-up influence on national policy. However, legislative inconsistencies and reliance on donor funding remain the key constraints. This research highlights the importance of local agency in shaping sustainable resource governance and promoting participatory policy processes.

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For citation: Mestre, I. (2026). Participatory stakeholder approaches to and systemic thinking in agricultural production and resource use in Central Asia. Central Asian Journal of Sustainability and Climate Research, 5(1), 35-52. https://doi.org/10.29258/CAJSCR/2026-R1.v5-1/35-52.eng

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