Industrial zones, agroparks and technopoles catalysts for innovation, regional prosperity and enhanced rural-urban synergies

Central Asia and the South Caucasus countries, with their rich agricultural heritage and diverse climates, hold significant value and potential for increased agricultural productivity and a solid opportunity to drive economic growth in rural and peri-urban areas. In recent years, the establishment of agroparks has emerged as a promising strategy to modernize agricultural practices by leveraging the latest technological advancements, enhance food security and exports. The governments of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Georgia have notably invested over the past decade in a growing number of integrated agricultural production zones designed to consolidate various farming activities into a single location. These parks typically feature state-of-the-art infrastructure, including modern facilities for processing, storage, and packaging, as well as access to essential services such as irrigation, energy, and transportation which ultimately strengthen rural-urban linkages.
Other notable areas of investment in the region have been the establishment of high-tech (technoparks), eco-industrial Zones and research and development (R&D) hubs, whereby the clustering of technological activities within a defined area has favours economies of scale, promotes synergies between different value chain actors, facilitates knowledge sharing and innovation, and offers numerous benefits for investors, entrepreneurs, specialised workforces and the wider economy.
Although within the region, the Republic of Azerbaijan might be one of the most recent locations being promoted for the creation of agroparks and technopoles, the government has fully recognised the potential of such structures as catalysts for the diversification of the economy. Also, since 2021, it has embarked on an ambitious reconstruction programme of its Liberated Territories, designed to support the safe and sustainable return of 680,000 IDPs to their areas of origin. It is thus offering a range of investment incentives for the creation of vital employment opportunities to stimulate business activities and foster sustainable growth in these areas. Accordingly, the Ministry of Economy has recently created a dedicated Agency for Development of Economic Zones (ADEZ) and launched the establishment of several agroparks across the country, leveraging Azerbaijan's diverse agro-climatic conditions, but also encouraging foreign investments in the creation of high-tech hubs, leveraging the most recent government push for innovation in the renewable energy sector and climate adaptation.
This event will make the most of existing know-how in this sector, sharing strategies to further improve economic opportunities throughout the region and in particular along the multilateral and multimodal Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), known as the “Middle Corridor”, whose development is potentially transformative for the economies of Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Turkey.