Comparison of practices

• Use of water resources
• Use of land resources

• Use of water resources
• Use of land resources

Country: Tajikistan

Province: Districts of Republican Subordination

District: Rudaki

Other settlement: Radzhabov Farm

Country: Kazakhstan

Province: Jambyl Region

District: Talas District

Other settlement: Village of Sadu Shakirov

• Located in the irrigated agriculture zone;
• Ground water occurrence below 5 meters;
• Typical gray soil, surface slope – 0.04.

The site is located in the desert foothill plain in South-ern Kazakhstan (internal drain area) at the very end of Sharuashlyk Irrigation Canal.

Start date: 01.01.2000

End date: 31.12.2003

Start date: 01.05.2008

End date: 30.04.2009

Shortage of irrigation water;
Poor yields;
Low irrigation efficiency;
Eroded soil;
Low income of farmers.

Acute water shortage; land degradation in the village of Sadu Shakirov; abandoned irrigated arable lands used only for year-round cattle grazing.

For a long time, the irrigation canal was not operation-al and, thus, became dilapidated. The situation in the area was aggravated by climate change impacts (de-creased quantity of early spring, summer and winter precipitation, increased average annual temperature, spring and autumn frost bites and summer droughts).

Corn drip irrigation system

Method of autumn and winter water-charging irrigation

Actions:

• Project design and budgeting, procurement of drip irrigation system;
• Installation of drip irrigation system, corn planting and cultivation, crop care;
• Accounting of water and resources.

Results:

Financial and economic:

increased labor productivity and farmer incomes, reduced production costs.

Ecological:

production of ecologically clean goods; prevention of water losses and soil erosion as well as improving soil ecological and reclamation condition.

Technical:

twofold (52%) increase of corn yields compared to furrow irrigation, 51% saving of irrigation water.

Social:

increased wellbeing of local residents due to better agricultural yields; reduced hard manual labor.

Actions:
1) Reconstruction of the canal, stop-gates and field irrigation networks (rehabilitation of irrigation furrows),
2) Setting up artificial pastures with forage crops

Results:

Financial and economic:
Using water-charging irrigation for rangelands allowed increasing their productivity from 3.5 to 5 dt/ha and receiving 60 tons of herbage for cattle and sheep and goats from non-cultivated land.

Technical:
1) 12 km of the canal and 5 stop-gates to regulate water releases restored,
2) 5 km of irrigation furrows built,
3) Cultivated pastures with forage crops created (soil preparation, alfaalfa planting, coordination of irrigation norms),
4) Fields are prepared during the summer-fall period, and watered during late fall or early spring.

Lessons learnt:

Application of drip irrigation ensures higher corn productivity and water saving as well as allows improving soil structure, watering efficiency, etc.

Recommendations:

It is necessary to widely introduce drip irrigation systems to build up the efficiency of water and land resources, reduce manual labor costs and save irrigation water.

Lessons learnt:
Application of water-charging irrigation allowed in-creasing water availability and, as the result, productivity of agricultural crops.

Application of water-charging irrigation demonstrated the efficiency of water use and allowed local popula-tion to go through winter without losing livestock.

Recommendations:
The method can be used in areas/communities where along with crop growing the population is also involved in livestock breeding.

Domestic tools (outcomes of research by domestic R&D organizations)

Traditional tools transferred from generation to generation that proved their efficiency in modern conditions

1. Cost of implementation: High

2. Approximate cost of investment per 1 ha: $3,500/ha

3. O&M costs: High

4. Expert support: Needed at implementation stage

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: Drip irrigation of corn in Gissar District.

Project duration: early 2000-late 2003.

Project goal and objectives: introduction of drip irrigation systems for corn; observance of optimal irrigation mode(s) and techniques ensuring 100 dt/ha and above corn yields with minimal energy consumption in the conditions of the Gissar Valley.

Project beneficiaries: land and water users of Yu. Radzhabov Farm

Project implementer: NPO “TajikNIIGiM”.

Project title: Fall and early spring Irrigation of arable land and pastures as an adaptation mechanism of ra-tional water use in Southern Kazakhstan

Duration: May 1, 2008 – April 30, 2009

Project goal and objectives: reduce land degradation due to climate change by way of rational use of irriga-tion water. The project was implemented to prevent loss of cattle due to forage shortage during alternating droughty years.

Project beneficiaries: local population.

Project implementer: Kogal LLC

Research report by NPO “TajikNIIGiM”, Dushanbe, 2003, 46 p.

1) UNDP Compilation “Climate change adaptation: ex-amples from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan”, Tashkent 2012;
2) pandia.org

SIC ICWC

SIC ICWC