3. Socioeconomic impacts of environmental change3.1. IntroductionSoviet Central Asia remained one of the poorest regions of the USSR until the breakup of the Union. These republics lagged behind others in all social and economic indicators. The shortcomings of the Soviet policy of rapid economic integration became visible starting from the 1970s and a series of problems, including environmental ones, were assuming critical proportions (Patnaik, 1995). The situation worsened after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 due to lack of management and resources. Central Asia is facing a number of serious environmental challenges, where climate change and climate variability will add to the current complex problem. Climate variability is not a new phenomenon in Central Asia, but climate change will add to existing and recurring economic, social and ecological stresses, risks and uncertainties. Climate change is followed by environmental change which manifests itself in changes in the abundance or scarcity of natural resources and ecosystem services (Nilsson and Ingevall, May 2009). Major environmental challenges include climate change and climate variability, radioactive emissions, widespread pollution, desertification, ecosystem loss or degradation, salinisation, floods, droughts and large-scale resource depletion natural resources of land, water, forests, minerals and energy resources. Climate change adds to existing economic, social and environmental challenges. Central Asia's environmental problems are not isolated phenomena but are linked in multiple ways to other development issues in the region. Achieving development goals such as sustained, pro-poor growth, public health, broad employment, decentralization, and... middle of paper... increasing precipitation and rising temperatures in the West Central Asia, such as Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, leading to water shortages that directly heat agriculture and animal production. The estimated consequences of precipitation and temperature changes on food production are potential changes in variability and extreme events such as droughts, heat waves, dust storms and heavy rainfall. Increased surface runoff in mountainous regions accelerates landslides, soil erosion and floods that have an enormous capacity to destroy crops. The increase in food insecurity in Central Asia is an indirect result of an unfavorable macroeconomic environment (Rhoe et al., 2008). All five Central Asian countries are still in the process of agricultural transformation in the past Soviet context, characterized by market-oriented production..