Consumption in Uzbekistan is about 2000 cubic meters of water per person. This is almost three times higher than the world average water consumption. The world consumes about 700 cubic meters of water per person per year.
Climate change is collecting its “tax”: there is less and less water in the Central Asian river basin, and more and more water consumers. Neighboring countries are consuming more and more water resources. There is a growing demand for water resources not only in neighboring countries but also within the country. The level of available water will decrease every year due to changing climatic components. Currently, 100% of the water resources available to Uzbekistan are consumed. Increased consumption and growing deficits will definitely affect all areas of the country's economy.
The country's population is growing. More and more land is being used for agriculture. At the same time, irrigation technologies in agriculture remain at a low level: we still use irrigation technologies that were used by our ancestors thousands of years ago. Irrational use of water has already resulted in one of the worst environmental disasters in the world - the disappearance of the Aral Sea.
Agriculture is one of the key sectors of the economy of Uzbekistan, responsible not so much for the country’s economic progress as for its social stability. The majority of the republic's population lives in rural areas and their well-being is closely related to agriculture.
Taking into account the dynamics of agricultural development, the growing population of the country, and increasing water scarcity, the country's leadership has set the goal of widespread introduction of water-saving technologies in agriculture. The President of the country has adopted a strategy for introducing water-saving technologies at all levels. To support this initiative, this project was created - “Promotion of the program for the use of advanced irrigation methods among farmers of Uzbekistan.”
The overall goal of the President's strategy is to completely change the culture of irrigation in Uzbekistan. It is necessary to create all conditions for the widespread transition of irrigation to water-saving technologies. Farmers should forget about the very possibility of irrigation using old methods. The value of water must become real, where every drop must be used smartly, efficiently and productively.
This is exactly why this project was created.
At the same time, a reorganization of the entire water resources management system is necessary - a system of delivery, accounting, control over use, possible fees for use, as an effective mechanism for reducing consumption.
However, transferring the end user - farmers, to advanced irrigation methods (drip irrigation, sprinkling, subsoil irrigation) is the fastest and most effective way:
The project sets itself the following tasks:
Objective 1. Increase farmers’ awareness of the need to change the irrigation culture
This includes various work on mass marketing of new irrigation technologies: working with bloggers, creating and showing videos on television, publications in online publications, various means of communication on the topic, infographics, etc.
Objective 2: Technology training
It is important to create simple and understandable instructions on the use of various water-saving technologies for the most important popular crops
Objective 3. Work with target educational institutions on water conservation topics
Objective 4. Support the promotion of subsidies and government support among farmers
