Comparison of practices

Use of water resources

Country: Tajikistan

Province: Khatlon Region

District: Jilikul

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Province: Jalal-Abad Region

• Located in the valley part of the Vakhsh River Basin (river catchment area);
• Deep (below 3 meters) ground water occurrence;
• Middle loamy soils.

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: 01.04.2010

End date: 31.10.2011

Start date: 01.01.2009

End date: 31.12.2017

Uneven distribution of irrigation water, lack of water accounting means to ensure observance of recommended irrigation norms for cotton

Low water use efficiency on WUA and farm levels

Tubular water outlet flowmeter

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.

Actions:

- Construction of tubular water outlet flowmeter with removable nozzles (procurement of polyethylene piping to make tubular water outlets and matching nozzles);
- Installation of tubular water outlet flowmeter along temporary sprinklers. 

Results:

Financial and economic:

saving of irrigation water; low cost of irrigation system automation (total kit cost: $500/ha) with the service life of 5 years. 

Technical:

simple design allowing a more even distribution of irrigation water stream among furrows, thus, ensuring the prescribed water supply mode.

Social:

improved working conditions of irrigators; lower labor needs/costs; enhanced mutual trust among farmers and water users.

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:

Installation and deployment of tubular water outlet flowmeter allows to improve the uniformity of irrigation stream’s distribution among furrows and conduct irrigation water accounting.

Recommendations:

It is necessary to widely use the small-scale irrigation automation means like the tubular water outlet flowmeters which have simple design, are convenient to operate, are low-cost and mobile and ensure supply of the prescribed amount of irrigation water.

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)

• 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: Watering technology based on tubular water outlet flowmeters.

Project duration: Apr 2010-Oct 2011.

Project goal and objectives: development and deployment of a crop watering technology for dekhan farms of the Republic of Tajikistan allowing to significantly increase the efficiency of water use.

Project beneficiaries: members of “Istikol” WUA (Water User Association).

Project implementer: Institute of Water Issues, Hydropower and Ecology of the Academy of Sciences of the RTj

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

Report by the Innovation Technology Department of the IWIHE of the AS of the RTj, Dushanbe, 2012, 45 p.

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