Comparison of practices

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

Country: Turkmenistan

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Province: Jalal-Abad Region

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

Water User Associations (WUAs) are located to the northwest of Jalal-Abad (region’s capital) on the border of Namangan and Andizhan Regions of Uzbekistan (Kugart River Valley, 1,200 m ASL, northern tail of the Fergana Valley).

Start date: 01.01.2012

End date: 31.12.2016

Start date: 01.01.2009

End date: 31.12.2017

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

Low water use efficiency on WUA and farm levels

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

Technical tools:

Effective water use technologies, modern technologies of irrigation water management.

Cognitive tools:

Consultations by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and local experts, capacity-building training seminars.

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:

Capacity building:

• farmers in pilot areas underwent trainings on advanced methods of effective water use;
• the Project was implemented within WUAs and agriculture servicing organizations;
• in 2011, 1,694 farmers (including 488 women) underwent community-level trainings on effective management of water resources; training and awareness-raising materials (manuals, modules, newsletters, etc.) were designed, published and disseminated among partners; also, Guidelines on Effective Community-Level Use of Water Resources and Advanced Irrigation Methods were developed and disseminated.

Partnership building:

• trainings-of-trainers for partner organizations on 10 aspects of effective irrigation water use were held;
• irrigation specialists visited all partners for consultations (30 visits);
• partners received spillways to measure water consumption;
• farmers exchanged their experiences in the course of exchange visits.

Results:

The practice promoted building of WUA capacities, increasing the efficiency of irrigation water use on farm level as well as building farmer capacities on water resources management.

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:

Water shortage and inefficient water use (field/farm level) pose obstacles to farmers receiving high yields and incomes from agricultural production. Excessive irrigation in upper-stream areas and water shortage in lower-stream areas, although a paradox, occur simultaneously as farmers lack knowledge on actual crop water requirements and water-efficient irrigation.

Recommendations:

The practice should be scaled-up across the country.  It is also necessary to conduct regular trainings to raise awareness among farmers and build their capacities on applying advanced irrigation methods providing them with an opportunity to manage scarce water resources more effectively.

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

• Domestic tools (outcomes of research by domestic R&D organizations)
• 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: Effective Water Use (SEP) (Kyrg. “Suunu effektivduu paidalanuu”)

Project duration: 2009-2017 (9 years).

Project goal and objectives: enhance water resources management frameworks and capacities in terms of rendering services to farmers with the aim of increasing their incomes, food security and capabilities to adapt to social, economic and climate risks; improve farmers knowledge and their abilities to apply advanced field-level irrigation and water collection methods providing them with an opportunity to manage scarce water resources more effectively.

Project beneficiaries: water users (farmers) and WUAs.

Project implementer: Department of Water Management and Reclamation of the MoAFIR of Kyrgyzstan

tm.undp.org

1. Assessment report on water user associations performance in southern regions of the Kyrgyz Republic, 2010;
2. Presentation “Review of adaptation projects in the Kyrgyz Republic: preliminary outcomes”; 
3. SEP: Effective Water Use, Kyrgyzstan, 2011 Annual Report, HELVETAS ;
4. "Suunu Effektivduu Paidalanuu” (SEP) Leaflet, Intra-Farm Water Resources Management Project.

SIC ICWC

SIC ICWC