Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report Project Number: 37743 October 2008 Regional: Ninth Agriculture and Natural Resources Research at International Agricultural Research Centers Financed by the ADB’s Technical Assistance Funding Program Prepared by International Water Management Institute Battaramulla, Sri Lanka For Asian Development Bank Agriculture Environment and Natural Resources Division, Central Asia Department This consultant’s report does not necessarily reflect the views of ADB or the Government concerned, and ADB and the Government cannot be held liable for its contents. (For project preparatory technical assistance: All the views expressed herein may not be incorporated into the proposed project’s design. FINAL REPORT Project Implementation Team IARC Center Project Staff IWMI Dr. Andrew Noble, Project Leader Dr. Asad Sarwar Qureshi Project Manager (April 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008) Dr. Iskandar Abdullaev Project Manager (August 1, 2005 to March 31, 2007) Dr. Akmal Karimov, Project Technical Coordinator Dr. Mehmood Ul-Hassan ( Socio-economist) Mr. Alexander Platonov, GIS specialist Mrs. Ikbal Yusupova, Project Assistant/Translator ICARDA Dr. Manzoor Qadir (Marginal Water Management Specialist) Dr. Theib Oweis (Irrigation Management Scientist) Dr. M. Suleimenov (Agronomist) Dr. Aden Aw-Hassan (Socio-economist) Mr. Tulkin Yuldashev (Irrigation Scientist) Mr. Ikrom Khudoibergenov (Soil Scientist) Mr. Alisher Mirzabaev (Socio-economist) ICBA Dr. Shoaib Ismail( Plant specialist) Dr. Kristina Toderich (Plant Specialist) National Teams National teams Project Staff Uzbekistan Dr. German Bezborodov, National Coordinator Dr. Toshbekov Uktam- soil scientist Dr. Kuliev Tajidin- agronomist Dr. Dusmatov Alisher-biologist Dr. Shurova Lyudmila- Irrigation specialist Dr. Koshekov Rashid -Irrigation specialist Dr. Mirhoshimov Rakhmankul- Irrigation Specialist Dr. Kushiev Habibjon– biologist Dr. Sadulla Avezbaev – Socio-economist Kazakhstan Dr. Sagit Ibatulin, National Coordinator Dr. Sergey Mogay, Soil Scientist Dr.Vishpolski F- Soil Scientist Dr. Mukhamedjanov V.N –Socio-economist Dr.Paramonov- A- Agronomist Dr.Kalashnikov A- Hydrotechnician Dr.Zhdanov G- Ameliorator Dr.Bekbaev R- Soil scientist Dr.Bekjanova- Chemist Turkmenistan Mr. Serdar Roziyev, National Coordinator Mr. Kadyrbek Redjepbaev, Soils scientist Mr. Durdybek Nurmedov, Agronomist 2 Project Partners International Partner Organizations International Water Management Institute (IWMI-Lead Organization) International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) National Partner Organizations Scientific Research Institute of Water Economy Ministry of Agriculture, Kazakhstan Department of Land Resources Ministry of Agriculture, Turkmenistan Cotton Research Institute Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, Uzbekistan 3 Table of content Page Executive summary 6 Introduction 12 1. Component 1: Identification, promotion and adoption of innovative practices that prevent further land and water degradation in the Aral Sea Basin. 1.1 Identification and analyzing selected Bright Spots in Kazakhstan, 14 Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. 1.2 National Roundtable Dialogues – expanding the project results to decision 38 makers. 1.3 dissemination of bright spots. 41 2. Component 2: Plant production on salt affected soils 53 2.1 Evaluation of salt-tolerant forages, field crops, medicinal and aromatic plants. 54 2.2 Management of salt-affected soils. 2.2.1 Evaluating the rate and time of phosphogypsum application on high- 87 magnesium soils for improved crop productivity. 2.2.2 Management of rice-wheat cropping system for saline soils. 104 2.2.3. Crop-based management of saline and waterlogged soils. 110 2.2.4 Management of rice-wheat cropping system for saline soil through different 114 tillage options. 2.2.5 Use of tree plantations as biological ameliorant the degraded lands. 129 2.3 Agricultural Management of Saline Water Resources 2.3.1 Evaluating the fertilizer use as a management option to mitigate the effects 141 of saline water irrigation 2.3.2 Productivity enhancement of fodder-based cropping systems through the 150 use of saline drainage water 2.3.3 Use of waters of different qualities and mulching of furrows to improve 164 crop productivity and reduce evaporation losses 2.3.4 Use of SWAP (Soil-Water-Atmosphere-Plant) model for improved 175 management of salt prone environments. 2.3.5. Spatial and Temporal Assessment of Soil Salinity using RS techniques in 197 the Syrdarya Basin. 2.4 Socio-economic aspects of saline environments 209 2.4.1 Assessment of the socio-economic aspects of farming communities 209 confrontED with saline environments (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) 2.4.1.1 Economic assessment of hay mulching under different salinity level 209 irrigation waters in Syrdarya province of Uzbekistan 2.4.1.2 The Potential Impact of Licorice for Remediation of Saline Soils: The Case 212 of Mirzachul Area in Uzbekistan 2.4.2 The impact of soil salinity on the livelihoods of farmers in Syrdarya 225 province in Uzbekistan 2.4.3 The impact of soil salinity on the livelihoods of farmers in Akdepe district 245 of Turkmenistan 2.4.4 The Impact of Phosphogypsum Use on Farm-level Income from 258 Magnesium-affected Soils in Kazakhstan 3. Component 3: Capacity building, knowledge sharing and dissemination. 263 3.1 Training and capacity building. 264 3.2 Postgraduate students 267 3.3 Knowledge sharing and dissemination 270 Appendix 1 4 Executive summary The viability of irrigated agriculture in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan is threatened by secondary soil salinization. This resource degradational issue is the consequence of a range of factors, including inadequate provision of surface and subsurface drainage, poor water management practices resulting in rising groundwater tables, insufficient surface water supplies and the use of poorl quality water for irrigation. The consequences of inappropriate irrigation and drainage management are endemic rural poverty, household food insecurity, and environmental degradation all of which threaten regional economic development. The overarching goal of the project is the management and rehabilitation of salt affected irrigated lands with the objective of enhancing the agronomic productivity of agricultural systems that have a positive impact on rural livelihoods through enhanced income generation. The specific activities of the project fall within three distinct but related components that include: 1) Identification, evaluate and promotion of local innovative practices and strategies that farmers have adopted to cope with prevailing biophysical and economic constraints. These have been termed “Bright” spots; 2) the selection of salt tolerant plant species and the assessment and development of innovative practices in managing or rehabilitating salt affected lands that includes the use of marginal irrigation waters; 3) the outcomes from the previous two components contribute to the third component that focuses on the dissemination of outcomes through a process of knowledge sharing, and capacity building amongst farmers and national partners. Despite limitations in access to resources, farmers have shown significant resilience in developing coping strategies that directly influence their farming operations. Many farmers living in degraded environments have developed tools, methods and management skills to maintain soil productivity and obtain adequate yields of agricultural crops. These limited numbers of farmers have been termed ‘Bright’ spots. Sharing the experiences of these farmers with their peers can help in improving on- farm productivity and increase incomes. These ‘Bright’ spots effectively represent tested approaches to enhancing the productivity of farming systems under local conditions and hence have direct applicability. Further there are crop and forage species that are well adapted to the prevailing edaphic conditions innovative management practices that would significantly improved the productivity of agricultural production systems in Central Asia that need to be evaluated. The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) together with International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) and International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) and national partners (NARS) from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan undertook a project with the objective of addressing endemic rural poverty amongst farmers in the target countries. The project was funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) over a three year period. Field activities were carried out in all three target countries with the collaboration of local NARS and associated international organizations. This report contains the major findings and outcomes of the project. A compendium to this report contains a comprehensive discussion of all studies and activities undertaken within the context of this project. 1. Identification, promotion and adoption of innovative practices 1.1 Identification of ‘Bright’ spots A key activity in the systematic identification of bright spots was to develop a methodology that effectively discriminated between better performing farmers from the norm. In Uzbekistan, the selection process focused on the identification of farmers/communities that, despite having similar biophysical constraints and operating under the same socio-economic and policy environment, were performing above average. The classification of individual bright spots was based