Uzbekistan | Cotton breeding

2026 Top Agri-food Pioneers: Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov

Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov provides a master blueprint for using advanced biotechnology to enhance the quality, quantity and availability of food and fiber within a sustainable and equitable system. His pioneering RNAi technology created superior cotton cultivars cultivated on over 100,000 hectares in Uzbekistan. These varieties offer a 20-30% yield increase along with premium fiber quality and exceptional drought and salt tolerance, boosting farmers’ livelihoods and the economic competitiveness of natural fibers. Abdurakhmonov extended this genomics platform to staple food crops such as wheat and potatoes. His revolutionary development of a tomato-based edible COVID-19 vaccine demonstrates a visionary fusion of food science and public health. His systematic leadership in introducing climate-smart crops, farmer carbon-trading mechanisms and the holistic HECI educational framework has strengthened Uzbekistan’s entire agricultural sector against climate change and biotic threats, exemplifying the integrated and impactful contributions necessary for a resilient food system. Abdurakhmonov is the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan.