Comparison of practices

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

• Use of water resources
• Use of land resources

Country: Turkmenistan

Country: Tajikistan

Province: Districts of Republican Subordination

District: Rudaki

Other settlement: Radzhabov Farm

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

Start date: 01.01.2012

End date: 31.12.2016

Start date: 01.01.2000

End date: 31.12.2003

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

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

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

Corn drip 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:

• 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.

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:

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.

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: $3,500/ha

3. O&M costs: High

4. Expert support: Needed at implementation stage

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: 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”.

tm.undp.org

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

SIC ICWC

SIC ICWC