Comparison of practices

• Use of water resources
• Use of land resources
• Environmental protection

Use of water resources

Country: Turkmenistan

Country: Tajikistan

Province: Districts of Republican Subordination

District: Rudaki

17,238 ha of barkhan (sand dune), takyr (dry-type playa) and solonchak (moist-type playa) sites of the Kara Kum Desert; deep ground water occurrence

• Located in the Varzob River Basin (right-bank tributary of the Kafirnigan (Kofarnihon) River);
• Valley section of the Kafirnigan River Basin (river catchment area);
• Deep (below 5 m) ground water occurrence;
• Other peculiarities: middle loamy soils.

Start date: 01.01.2012

End date: 31.12.2016

Start date: 01.04.2012

End date: 31.10.2013

Desertification and decreased productivity of desert pastures due to over-grazing around existing cattle watering sites

Surface irrigation is associated with considerable water losses, uneven root zone moistening, increasing irrigation-induced soil erosion, low labor productivity of irrigators, low irrigation system efficiency, etc.

Technology of building sardobas (stone-dome covered water collection and storage reservoirs) to enhance pasture water supply

Low-pressure impulse mist irrigation system

Main actions:

• mudflow and flood risk assessment and surveying local population regarding sardobas’ locations.

Actions:

• selection of takyrs to construct sardobas jointly with local cattle-farmers;
• construction of sardobas jointly with local cattle-farmers;
• cleaning takyr surfaces.

Results:

• pastures that were not previously utilized due to absence of water sources returned to pasture rotation;
• pastures destroyed due to over-grazing started to restore;
• increased herd productivity due to reduced passage distances and higher fodder value of pastures.

Actions:

- Construction of low-pressure impulse mist irrigation system (procurement of polyethylene piping, pumping unit, cassette filter);
- Installation of pumping equipment, settling pond, impulse mist sprinkling nozzles.

Results:

Financial and economic:

rational use of irrigation water; enhanced efficiency of water and land resources use; low cost ($4,164/ha) compared to the basic option ($4,326/ha).

Ecological:

no damage to atmosphere, water and soil and production of ecologically clean agricultural produce.

Technical:

the system operates under low pressure enough to ensure sufficient mist sprinkling irrigation (high-quality artificial rain) creating the necessary microclimate stimulating proper plant growth and development, ensuring even and highly uniform soil moistening; the system is easy to assemble and operate.

Social:

reduced irrigation costs on behalf of water users due to smaller volume of consumed irrigation water; increased profitability of farms due to higher crops productivity.

Lessons learnt:

Construction of sardobas in takyr areas allows enhancing pasture water supply, thus, leading to the restoration of over-grazed pastures.

Recommendations:

The practice requires long-term planning and an integrated response with the early-on engagement of desertification experts (designing a set of measures to protect takyrs from sand drifts), state agencies (technical assistance) and pasture users (observance of pasture rotation schemes, prevention of takyrs from contamination and pollution).

Lessons learnt:

Low-pressure impulse mist irrigation system allows improving the overall conditions in greenhouses and/or lemon tree nurseries – rain-like water distribution curbs irrigation-induced soil erosion and unproductive water losses in the course of irrigation.

Recommendations:

It is necessary to widely deploy low-pressure impulse mist sprinkling systems with the aim of irrigation automation and saving irrigation water.

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

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

1. Cost of implementation: Low

2. Approximate cost of investment per 1 ha: $1,000-5,000

3. O&M costs: Low

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: Responding to climate change risks for dekhan farming system of Turkmenistan on national and local levels.

Project duration: 2012-2016. 

Project goal and objectives: build the adaptation capacity to respond to climate change impacts, including variability on local and national levels. 

Project beneficiaries: Bori Settlement (over 1,100 people) and Bo-Kurdak Settlement (about 4,500 people).

Project implementer: Ministry of Nature Conservation and UNDP

Project title: Low-pressure impulse mist sprinkling system for greenhouses and/or lemon tree nurseries.

Project duration: Apr 2012-Oct 2013.

Project goal and objectives: development and deployment of new low-pressure impulse mist irrigation system for greenhouses and lemon tree nurseries in the context of acute water shortage to ensure even distribution of irrigation water, exclude irrigation-induced soil erosion and unproductive irrigation water losses, thus, leading to water and power saving.

Project beneficiaries: “Ziroatkor” Farm.

Project implementer: Sh. Shotemur Tajik Agrarian University

tm.undp.org

Report by Tajikistan Water Partnership, Dushanbe, 2012, 18 p.

SIC ICWC

SIC ICWC