Project overview:

Agriculture accounts for approximately 90 percent of total water withdrawals in the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the geographical location of the country makes its agricultural production highly dependent on water resources from upstream neighbouring countries. About 80 percent of water resources used in Uzbekistan originate in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan; therefore, the water policies of these countries have direct implications for the amount and timing of water entering Uzbek territory. Current water policy in these two upstream countries gives priority to hydro-electric use of the reservoirs (for power generation) during the winter months, and results in reduced water availability for irrigated agriculture in Uzbekistan during the summer. The situation is particularly difficult for farmers located downstream of small transboundary river basins, such as the Podshaota small river basin (north of the Fergana Valley), where irrigation water shortages are frequent. In addition, there is no irrigation extension service in the region, hampering any attempt to implement water-saving policies. As a result, farmers have limited knowledge of the available options to cope with water scarcity, including effective use of irrigation water-saving technologies such as improved furrow irrigation, and drip and sprinkler irrigation technologies.

The project aimed to create the necessary conditions for water users to cope with water scarcity in small transboundary river water basins through capacity development for effective planning and management of water resources. It contributed to enhancing farmers’ adoption of efficient and cost-effective irrigation water-saving technologies for the production of crops for export through field demonstrations.

Key results of the project:

• An assessment of the Podshaota river flow was conducted to analyse water resources availability, requirements and management strategies.
• Irrigation water-saving technologies for furrow irrigation were demonstrated at the “Isakov Okiljon” pilot farm in “Iskavot obi khayot” Water Consumer Association (WCA). Soil samples taken from the field in the pilot farm were further analysed in order to determine the mechanical structure of the soils and to access soil productivity, etc.
• A catalogue of water-saving irrigation technologies, including water-saving irrigation methods, was prepared. This was followed by a series of training sessions to enhance capacities on the effective use of water-saving technologies for profitable crop production systems.