Comparison of practices

• Use of water resources
• Use of land resources

Country: Kazakhstan

Province: Almaty region

District: Alakol District

Other settlement: Yntaly Rural District (320 km away from Taldykorgan (region center))

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Province: Jalal-Abad Region

Foothill area

Water User Associations (WUAs) are located to the northwest of Jalal-Abad (region’s capital) on the border of Namangan and Andizhan Regions of Uzbekistan (Kugart River Valley, 1,200 m ASL, northern tail of the Fergana Valley).

Start date: 01.01.2008

End date: 31.12.2010

Start date: 01.01.2009

End date: 31.12.2017

After disintegration of large agricultural enterprises (state farms), the maintenance of inter- and intra-farm irrigation systems – that were earlier on the balance of state farms – appeared to exceed the technical capacity of small-scale private and owner-operated farms.  Due to this reason, in the majority of agricultural districts the tray irrigation networks got out of order.  The wear of the lion’s share of hydraulic engineering facilities in Alakol District reached nearly 70% leading to water losses associated with crops watering – the analysis showed that 40% of water was lost to filtration and evaporation.  In its turn, that resulted in ineffective and irrational use of water resources and contraction of irrigated land area.  For example, whereas in 2003 water intake for irrigation amounted to 195 mln m³, in 2009 it decreased to 114.8 mln m³ (41.1% drop).

Issue: Low efficiency of irrigation water due to wear of hydraulic engineering facilities/installations (tray irrigation system).

Low water use efficiency on WUA and farm levels

Drip irrigation in combination with soil mulching with polyethylene film

Technical tools:

Effective water use technologies, modern technologies of irrigation water management.

Cognitive tools:

Consultations by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and local experts, capacity-building training seminars.

Drip irrigation combined with filming has been widely adopted around the world in vegetable and cucurbits cultivation.  Thanks to long moisture preservation and proper thermal balance achieved under film, deployment of this technology allows reducing the overall need for irrigation water and receiving earlier and higher crop yields.

Actions:

The K-DEN Farm was offered to apply drip irrigation through film cover on the area of 5 hectares in Yntaly Rural District.  The technique was adapted for project site by Doctor of Engineering R.I. Vagapov. The recommended technology is the most available to local farmers and ensures significant saving of irrigation water.

Necessary resources:

1) seeds of vegetable and cucurbit crops;

2) polyethylene film;

3) equipment (DT-75 tractor, seeder, cultivator);

4) labor for preparatory works, sowing and harvest campaigns;

5) expert consultations and training.

Results:

Financial and economic:

The yield of vegetable and cucurbit crops increased twofold compared to two previous years allowing the farm to receive the profit of $12,000/ha in spite of the fact that the whole yield was sold at low price to the local population of Eastern Kazakhstan and Almaty Regions.  In particular, the productivity of vegetable crops amounted to 350-400 dt/ha, and cucurbits – 400 dt/ha.

Technical:

Water saving made 220,040 m³.

Actions:

Capacity building:

• farmers in pilot areas underwent trainings on advanced methods of effective water use;
• the Project was implemented within WUAs and agriculture servicing organizations;
• in 2011, 1,694 farmers (including 488 women) underwent community-level trainings on effective management of water resources; training and awareness-raising materials (manuals, modules, newsletters, etc.) were designed, published and disseminated among partners; also, Guidelines on Effective Community-Level Use of Water Resources and Advanced Irrigation Methods were developed and disseminated.

Partnership building:

• trainings-of-trainers for partner organizations on 10 aspects of effective irrigation water use were held;
• irrigation specialists visited all partners for consultations (30 visits);
• partners received spillways to measure water consumption;
• farmers exchanged their experiences in the course of exchange visits.

Results:

The practice promoted building of WUA capacities, increasing the efficiency of irrigation water use on farm level as well as building farmer capacities on water resources management.

Lessons learnt:

The practice of drip irrigation in combination with the application of polyethylene film has increased the efficiency of water use and crops productivity as well as reduced labor needs.

Recommendations:

The widespread deployment of water-saving technologies requires the presence of effective financial incentives for at water consumers.

• Domestic tools (outcomes of research by domestic R&D organizations),
• Foreign tools (transfer of foreign experience)

Lessons learnt:

Water shortage and inefficient water use (field/farm level) pose obstacles to farmers receiving high yields and incomes from agricultural production. Excessive irrigation in upper-stream areas and water shortage in lower-stream areas, although a paradox, occur simultaneously as farmers lack knowledge on actual crop water requirements and water-efficient irrigation.

Recommendations:

The practice should be scaled-up across the country.  It is also necessary to conduct regular trainings to raise awareness among farmers and build their capacities on applying advanced irrigation methods providing them with an opportunity to manage scarce water resources more effectively.

• Domestic tools (outcomes of research by domestic R&D organizations)
• Foreign tools (transfer of foreign experience)

1. Cost of implementation: High

2. Approximate cost of investment per 1 ha:

3. O&M costs: High

4. Expert support: Not needed

1. Cost of implementation: High

2. Approximate cost of investment per 1 ha:

3. O&M costs: High

4. Expert support: Not needed

Project title: Integrated preservation of globally significant wetlands as dwelling places of migrating birds.

Project duration: May 2008-Sept 2010.

Project goal and objectives: assessment of agro-economic and environmental efficiency of technology of sprinkling irrigation on vegetable crops; establishment of optimum watering regimes for vegetable crops based on mist sprinkling irrigation.

Project beneficiaries: peasants (farmers) and agricultural producers.

Project implementer: K-DEN Farm

Project title: Effective Water Use (SEP) (Kyrg. “Suunu effektivduu paidalanuu”)

Project duration: 2009-2017 (9 years).

Project goal and objectives: enhance water resources management frameworks and capacities in terms of rendering services to farmers with the aim of increasing their incomes, food security and capabilities to adapt to social, economic and climate risks; improve farmers knowledge and their abilities to apply advanced field-level irrigation and water collection methods providing them with an opportunity to manage scarce water resources more effectively.

Project beneficiaries: water users (farmers) and WUAs.

Project implementer: Department of Water Management and Reclamation of the MoAFIR of Kyrgyzstan

K-DEN Farm,

Mr. Afrikan Konstantinovich Kim, farm head

(ph.: +7 701 227 27 49, +7 701 672 85 85)

1. Assessment report on water user associations performance in southern regions of the Kyrgyz Republic, 2010;
2. Presentation “Review of adaptation projects in the Kyrgyz Republic: preliminary outcomes”; 
3. SEP: Effective Water Use, Kyrgyzstan, 2011 Annual Report, HELVETAS ;
4. "Suunu Effektivduu Paidalanuu” (SEP) Leaflet, Intra-Farm Water Resources Management Project.

SIC ICWC

SIC ICWC