10%

A desert, a mountain, and an oasis

Promoting climate-resilient farming in Turkmenistan

August 26^th, 2015

Residents of three Turkmen communities – the desert community of Karakum, Nohur village in the Kopet Dag mountains, and the Sakarchaga oasis - are working to increase their resilience to climate change by implementing water efficiency and irrigation measures, and developing water user associations benefiting over 30,000 farmers.

“[I]ncreasing scarcity of water resources due to processes of climate change, is forcing local communities to become more active. We need to become more active in order to enhance our capacity to adapt. We need to develop effective strategies to address the challenges of climate change, and we need to start using alternative methods for a more sustainable use of local water resources.” Seyitnurov Gichgeldy, local farmer in Nohur.

Head of Sakarchaga farmers’ brigade observing field irrigation

What climate change means for Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is comprised of two main agro-ecological zones, with roughly 80% of the country consisting of desert rangeland, running from the Caspian Sea in the west to the stunning mountainous range in the east.

The remaining 20% of Turkmenistan is populated with oases and their surrounding irrigated fields. Turkmenistan is naturally arid, and dependent on agriculture for sustenance and commerce, rendering water an especially valuable resource. Regionally, water scarcity issues contribute to trans-boundary tensions.

Climate change is expected to diminish water supplies, increase temperature, further aridification and desertification, and exacerbate regional competition for water.

Drip irrigation systems in Nohur pilot region for fruit and vegetables on the territory of 20 hectares.

How Turkmenistan is adapting

With funding from the Adaptation Fund and championed by the Government of Turkmenistan, UNDP and the Ministry of Nature Protection of Turkmenistan are working together to implement the Addressing climate change risks to farming systems in Turkmenistan at the national and community level project.

Preserving and restoring ecosystems, with the ultimate purpose of ensuring the well-being of communities, is a primary priority for the Government of Turkmenistan. To achieve this, the project is working to strengthen water management practices at both local and national levels in response to climate change-induced water scarcity.

In the Desert

Desert ecosystems are particularly fragile, with plant and animal species dependent on scarce water resources. In a country where summer temperatures can exceed 45°C/113°F, climate change has begun to disrupt the delicate balance between oasis and desert - between sustainable ecosystem and desertified wasteland.

These impacts extend to farming systems, and local farming communities are beginning to take action. To enhance climate-resilient farming practices the project held workshops introducing new methods for maintaining soil moisture, and new types of fertilizers such as bio-humus and compost to increase efficiency of water irrigation, soil fertility, and crop productivity.

In these workshops “[w]e covered very important issues related to climate change adaptation. Not only we learned local needs assessment techniques but also identified the most relevant, environmentally and economically sound adaptation measures that can be implemented in our region,” said Velmurat Akkoshekov, a shepherd from the Karakum region.

Sustainable grazing of animals requires restoration of traditional technologies for collection & storage of desert water

Reconstruction and cleaning of on-farm collector

In the Mountains

In the southwest of Turkmenistan, in the mountainous village of Nohur, juniper is making a comeback.

In the past, native juniper forests were cut down for fuel. At the time, little thought was given to the serious consequences of deforestation and with the absence of juniper trees, erosion increased substantially and water availability decreased.

Traditionally, the villagers collected run-off from the mountain slopes and gorges in specially built reservoirs. In years with good rains, the reservoirs stored sufficient water to irrigate the surrounding fields, but during the last 5-6 years, the reservoirs have been left unfilled due to insufficient precipitation as a result of deforestation. These water shortages caused subsequent difficulties in farming, and the locals began to focus exclusively on livestock breeding. The consequent overgrazing caused further erosion of the hill slopes.

With project support designed to preserve and restore the local ecosystems, and improve the lives of local communities, the residents of Nohur came together to plant 1,250 juniper trees. These trees are working to counteract soil erosion, water scarcity, and degraded vegetation.

Planting of Turkmen archa (juniperus tree) in Nohur

Planting of Turkmen archa (juniperus tree) in Nohur together with local community members

Building NURSERIES and IMPROVING IRRIGATION

Now the community is establishing nurseries for growing seedlings of indigenous species. The project provided fencing materials, tools, and equipment for nurseries, and conducted a series of training courses to enhance methods of seed harvesting, processing, and planting. These activities are helping to sustain and promote re-forestation efforts.

“Improvement of irrigation techniques and promotion of new innovative technologies should be continued in areas such as Nohur, where farmers mostly depend on water mudflows, temporary and permanent springs and streams and water pumped from the ground wells, some of which need reconstruction”, said Abdylvahyp Halimberdiev, a farmer in the Nohur region.

“For example, tenants in our region need to practice more drip irrigation. This practice allows us to save more than 40% of irrigation water and improve the productivity of vegetable and fruit crops.”

Watermelon harvest from the fields processed by laser land levelling equipment

Traditional irrigation methods by furrows

Dam with water reservoir in Norhur project region

The Adaptation Fund

The Adaptation Fund was established to finance concrete adaptation projects and programmes in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Since 2010 the Adaptation Fund has committed US$318 million to finance climate-resilient activities in 50 countries.

Turkmenistan is the first Post-Soviet state to receive AF funding. Project activities are working to bolster farming practices - for ecological, and also economic, social, and health benefits for the community.

For more information on the project, please visit the UNDP CCA Project Profile.

Footnotes

Text by UNDP Turkmenistan, David Angelson and Andrea Egan / Photos: UNDP Turkmenistan

Button Label

FootNotes

Text by UNDP Turkmenistan, David Angelson and Andrea Egan / Photos: UNDP Turkmenistan

À la recherche d’un équilibre

Start publishing stories like this

A desert, a mountain, and an oasis

Promoting climate-resilient farming in Turkmenistan

FootNotes

Trois communautés côtières mexicaines œuvrent en faveur d’un tourisme durable et communautaire

Un recorrido por tres costas mexicanas que avanzan hacia un turismo sostenible y comunitario

Tour three Mexican coastal communities working towards sustainable, community-based tourism

Tras casi tres años de guerra, el pueblo del Sudán sigue con la esperanza de reconstruir su vida

À bientôt 3 ans de guerre, le peuple soudanais a hâte de se reconstruire

As the war approaches the 3-year mark, Sudan's people can't wait to rebuild their lives