A Proposed Typology of Farming Systems for Assessing Sustainable Livelihood Development Pathways in the Tien Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan

In Kyrgyzstan, most farming systems focus on animal husbandry, which depends on mixtures of crops and pastures around settlements and higher-elevation summer pastures. These farms face the problems of insufficient fodder production and pasture degradation due to overgrazing, resulting in low productivity of livestock and reduced household incomes. The spatial diversity of farms often hampers the development of interventions aimed at improving crop and animal productivity, as well as sustainable grassland management, while the absence of a comprehensive and systematic classification system that effectively encompasses the diverse range of livelihood strategies within farming systems presents a significant obstacle to the advancement of initiatives promoting sustainable livelihoods. This study aimed to develop a consistent typology of smallholder farms in the Tien Shan using multivariate analysis. By analyzing data from 235 farm-households and evaluating key classification variables, we identified two distinct farming systems, upper mountain farms and lower mountain farms, based on socioeconomic and agro-ecological characteristics. Our typology considers elevation, grazing period, cultivated area, and off-farm income and better captures the diversity of farming activities and household income compared to current classification models. These findings will inform and tailor policies and interventions suitable for enhancing sustainable livelihoods in Kyrgyzstan’s mountain farming systems.