Turkmenistan embraces advanced remote sensing technology for enhanced crop monitoring

Although agriculture in Turkmenistan has a modest share of the gross domestic product (GDP), the sector holds strategic importance, as a significant portion of the population lives in rural areas and over 40 percent of the workforce is employed in agriculture. 

One of the gaps in the transformation process after 1991 is the lack of a modern crop monitoring system that provides reliable and timely crop information for informed decision-making, and thus contributes to sustainable land management and enhanced productivity in crop production. 

To address this need, collaboration has begun between Turkmenistan and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to introduce cutting-edge technology and skills in land use monitoring and remote sensing. This approach aims to facilitate timely and efficient decision-making at both national and farm levels. Optimizing and redesigning processes related to crop monitoring, forecasting, and statistical reporting, as well as field testing of the newly developed procedures will also be part of a newly launched FAO Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) project, that will run through to late 2026.

The project was officially signed by Viorel Gutu, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, and Charyyar Chetiyev, Minister of Agriculture of Turkmenistan on 7 January 2025.

“Remote sensing offers innovative ways for data collection and analysis that can be useful for various sectors such as agriculture, water resources management, disasters management and others. In the agricultural sector, it can be an efficient source of near-real-time information on areas sown, vegetation dynamics and estimated yields, water stress and irrigation planning, or even pests and deceases,” highlighted Maxim Gorgan, FAO Lead Technical Officer of the Project.

To start with, a comprehensive analysis of existing regulations and the institutional framework related to crop monitoring and remote sensing will be conducted, and recommendations for changes and improvements provided. The new crop monitoring methodology will combine the leading technology with traditional statistical approaches, sampling, and data collection.

FAO will also develop and deliver a tailored training programme for relevant personnel of the Ministry and the Land Resources Service on the new methodology and how to operate the remote sensing-based crop monitoring system. Additionally, it will map the potential for incorporating remote sensing into higher education curricula.

Going beyond policy and theory, the project will set up demonstration plots with different crops and agroclimatic conditions to test crop monitoring activities using remote sensing technology. The pilot area is expected to provide relevant data for refining the methodology and developing a concept note for scaling up the approach.

“For farmers, the new technology can help better understand the specific needs of different areas within a field, enabling them to apply water, fertilizers, and other inputs more efficiently and achieve better yields,” Gorgan added.

During the implementation of these activities, FAO will adhere to its regional and global guidelines, including those promoting gender equality and good governance of tenure. 

FAO Technical Cooperation Programme projects enable the Organization to make its know-how and technical expertise available to Members upon request, while catalysing results towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.