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: Shahrinaw

Other settlement: Mirob” Water User Association (WUA)

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

Mirob WUA is located in the Kafirnigan and Varzob River Basins (river catchment areas); deep (below 3 m) ground water occurrence; middle loamy soils

Start date: 01.01.2012

End date: 31.12.2016

Start date: 01.01.2012

End date: 31.12.2013

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

Need to enhance water use planning and water consumption calculation techniques for agricultural crops with the account of climatic conditions and crop development phases based on decade water use planning hydro-modules proceeding from precipitation availability.

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

CROPWAT 8.0 Software

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:

• Analysis of existing methods of water resources use planning in dekhan farms of the Gissar Valley;
• Designing a water use planning technique with the account of irrigation patterns in dekhan farms.

Results:

Financial and economic:

effective use of irrigation water; reduced water consumption per harvest unit.

Ecological:

improved ecological and reclamation condition of irrigated land.

Technical:

executed decade hydro-modules based on precipitation availability allowing dekhan farms to plan their water consumption and draw up crop irrigation schedules depending on expected weather conditions in the Gissar Valley as well as to coordinate other technological and weather-dependent processes associated with crops cultivation.

Social:

prevention of conflicts, controversies and misunderstanding among water users related to irrigation water distribution.

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:

CROPWAT 8.0 Software allows enhancing the technology of water use planning via specification of irrigation modes depending on expected precipitation availability.

Recommendations:

It is necessary to widely apply CROPWAT 8.0 Software.

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

Foreign tools (transfer of foreign experience)

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: Improving water use planning technology based on CROPWAT 8.0 Software.

Project duration: 2012-2013.

Project goal and objectives: design a science-based water use planning technique using CROPWAT 8.0 Software to calculate water consumption for different crops with the account of climatic conditions and crops development phases based on decade water use planning hydro-modules proceeding from precipitation availability.

Project beneficiaries: water users of Mirob WUA.

Project implementer: Sh. Shotemur TAU.

tm.undp.org

Report by the Operation of Hydro and Reclamation Systems Chair of Sh. Shotemur TAU, Dushanbe, 2013, 46 p.

SIC ICWC

SC ICWC