Uzbekistan Schools Hold Nationwide 'Grow Your Garden' Competition

The UBS Students team won first place among participants from Uzbekistan at the Eurasia Clean Games Cup 2026. This achievement was secured after environmental competitions were held in 15 cities and settlements across the country.

The Ecostar team from the Syrdarya region came in second place, and the Yosh ekologlar team from the Navoi region took third place.

In total, 15 environmental games were held in Uzbekistan, involving over 830 participants. According to the Clean Games platform, the total weight of collected waste exceeded 8.3 tons.

The competitions took place in settlements such as Tashkent, Nukus, Samarkand, Bukhara, Jizzakh, Gulistan, Termez, Urgench, Karshi, Navoi, Namangan, Fergana, Chirchik, and Yangi Andijan. Regional events were organized by the youth movement Young Climate Champions Uzbekistan with the support of the Association of Volunteers of Uzbekistan.

The final game in Uzbekistan was held on October 3rd in Akkurgan and was dedicated to volunteers. Sixty-nine people from Birlik mahalla participated in the event, collecting about 614 kg of trash.

The largest event in terms of participant numbers was the collection in Samarkand, which saw 139 attendees. In Chirchik, participants collected over one ton of waste; in Urgench, about 987 kg; and in Fergana, approximately 844 kg.

A representative from Uzbekistan will be invited to the EcoCommunity forum in Kazan as a guest of honor and speaker. They will share the country's experience in organizing Clean Games and conducting competitions in 14 regions.

Clean Games is an international environmental project founded in 2014. It organizes team competitions for waste collection and sorting using a quest format in natural areas. Participants collect trash, separate it by type, and complete tasks to earn points. Results are recorded on the Clean Games digital platform, and participation is free.

According to the organizers, since the project started, there have been over 3500 games in 840 cities across 40 countries, involving more than 245,000 people.

Local organizers are responsible for choosing venues, forming teams, and recruiting volunteers. They are also involved in waste collection and transferring recyclable materials for recycling. Public organizations, initiative groups, and residents can host games with the project team's support.

The Eurasia Clean Games Cup unites Clean Games competitions held in cities and countries across the entire region. In the autumn of 2026, teams from Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan participated. The games were held at local sites, and results were summed up in the international ranking on the Clean Games platform.

The scoring system accounted for collected waste and recyclable materials. If a team participated in multiple games, its best result was counted. Organizers also held two additional contests this season. The first, 'Clean by Numbers,' focused on participant registration and result recording on the digital platform. The second assessed the quality of waste sorting and confirmed that the collected recyclable materials were transferred for secondary processing.

A center designed for propagating seedlings to improve local mahallas was opened in the Guzar district of Kashkadarya region. Initially, the production is planned for 1.6 million trees and plants, but in the future, the output volume is set to increase to five million seedlings annually.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev inspected the work of this center as part of the nationwide 'Yashil Maqon' initiative during his visit to the region. The complex covers an area of 65 hectares, and the total project cost is estimated at 9.5 billion soms. The creation of the center has resulted in about 100 new jobs.

The center's territory is divided into zones: 50 hectares are allocated for growing ornamental trees, five hectares for fruit crops, and another three hectares are used for cultivating shrubs and flowers. The center features 41 varieties of ornamental and coniferous trees.

The center's infrastructure is equipped with a greenhouse, special cultivation plots, seed germination facilities, and protective structures. Three reservoirs with a total capacity of 4.2 thousand cubic meters have been installed for irrigation, and a drip irrigation system has been implemented on 20 hectares. Additionally, composting and mulching units are used, and some energy needs are covered by solar panels.

Thanks to the application of modern technologies, seedling cultivation is possible throughout the year, including periods outside the main planting season. Preliminary estimates suggest this allows for an 8–10 times increase in production volume compared to traditional methods and reduces water consumption threefold. It is projected that the cost of seedlings will decrease by 30–40%.

The center will also support mahallas in greening efforts: it will supply necessary trees and shrubs, manage the treatment of damaged plantings, soil mulching, and installation of drip irrigation systems. A mentor-forester will be assigned to each mahalla, and training is conducted for members of the 'mahalla seven' before the start of each planting season.

Residents can also participate in the project: they will be issued young plants based on cooperative agreements. After caring for these seedlings on their private plots for one or two seasons, the ready plants are guaranteed to be purchased, allowing families to earn additional income.

During his visit, the head of state noted that planting trees and creating gardens is a valuable tradition of the Uzbek people. He was also presented with information on the complex's potential to expand green areas in mahallas and increase the income level of the local population.

Uzbekistan plans the annual training of one million young citizens in areas such as robotics, computer game creation, startup launching, and other promising fields. To achieve this goal, educational initiatives for schoolchildren will be expanded, new courses launched, and curricula updated in higher education institutions.

These plans were announced at a presentation on the development of digital education before President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. For schoolchildren, there is a plan to expand the 'Al-Khwarizmi Heirs' and 'Five Million Artificial Intelligence Leaders' projects. Furthermore, interaction will be established between schools, universities, and private training centers, and national trainers will be prepared to ensure the scaling of education.

In universities, the focus will be on in-depth training of specialists in artificial intelligence, microchip design, unmanned technologies, and game development. Special attention will be paid to microelectronics, embedded systems, and the Internet of Things. Students will be more actively involved in practical projects, and scientific research should be integrated into real developments through the support of research laboratories and engineering projects.

There is also a provision for improving the qualifications of informatics teachers in the field of artificial intelligence, followed by certification. University students will be given expanded access to international courses in digital technologies. It is planned to open centers for training iOS developers, building on the experience of Fergana, and to prepare mentors for private training centers.

The authorities also aim to accelerate the launch of online platforms and short-term courses so that young people have the opportunity to acquire new knowledge not only in large settlements but also in regions. It is worth noting that as the chairman of the CIS in 2027, Uzbekistan intends to hold over one hundred events, among which key themes will be robotization, artificial intelligence, as well as scientific cooperation and education in the Commonwealth countries.