|
The Globalization of
Irrigation
by David Christiansen
"Turkmenistan is one place where American know-how is
welcome," said Michael Riley and David Christenson, both of
Las Cruces, New Mexico, about their recent trips to the Central
Asian country as irrigation technical advisors. They traveled to
Turkmenistan in January and again in April representing the United
States Agency for International Development through the
Farmer-to-Farmer Program.
Riley, the Elephant Butte Irrigation District's special
projects director, felt he had two major accomplishments. He
introduced the farmers to irrigation jack lever gates to replace
the slow, inefficient, and hard to operate Russian gate lift
mechanisms. He also constructed a diversion dam that eliminated 10
electric or diesel pumps adjacent to fields along a lateral
irrigation ditch.
Christenson, a USDA employee with the Natural Resources
Conservation Service, felt the demonstration farms he has begun in
two regions along the Amu Darya River will be able to teach
growers more holistic methods of surface water irrigation.
Irrigation scheduling will be done using Watermark soil moisture
sensors created by the Irrometer Company Inc. of Riverside, CA.
The Watermark readings reflect soil water tension and how hard the
plant root system has to work to extract nutrients in the soil
solution from the soil. These Turkmen farm managers will use soil
sample results for the first time to determine nutrient
requirements and water holding capacities. A quick application of
water through a High Flow Turnout will apply a 3-inch irrigation
to the field and help keep nutrients in the root zone of the
cotton plants. Delivery system bottlenecks were corrected and low
flow irrigations that literally took 5 days will now be completed
within 5 hours.
Turkmenistan, a former Soviet satellite country, was forced to
grow cotton at the expense of the Aral Sea in neighboring
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The February 1990 issue of National
Geographic describes the environmental disasters that are taking
place in the region as a result of the desertification of the Aral
Sea. The May 1999 issue featured the larger Caspian Region. The
Aral has been reduced to 1/3 its original size in just 44 years
due to irrigation practices 500 miles to the south. The greatest
diversion is the Kara Kum irrigation canal stretching 850 unlined
miles through the desert along the boundaries of Afghanistan and
Iran. Waters of the Amu Darya began to flow into the world's
longest canal in 1956 and cotton production has doubled since
then. (National Geographic 1990, 1999).
The cornerstone of the Turkmenistan economy is energy. With an
estimated 2.7 trillion cubic meters (TCM) in proven and probable
gas reserves and 1.1 billion tons of estimated oil reserves,
Turkmenistan is the 4th largest natural gas producer
in the world and the 4th largest oil producer in the
region. However, agriculture still predominates, accounting for
10% of GDP and 44% of employment, Turkmenistan is among the top 10
cotton producers worldwide (World Bank 1999).
Recognizing that years of inappropriate land irrigation,
salinization, and over- development have decreased agricultural
yields, the government of Turkmenistan has invested much to
improve and restore the irrigation of the land. Plans are underway
to upgrade irrigation facilities along both the Kara Kum and
Dashowuz Canals. Several US companies have brought machinery and
fertilizers to increase yields. Agriculture is fast becoming the
focal point of reform measures. On January 30 a new law was passed
to transfer government agricultural lands to the ownership of
citizens if they meet new levels of quality and production.
"Developing better land irrigation is key to the growth of
the agriculture industry" (US Embassy of Turkmenistan 1999).
The government of Turkmenistan intends to become
self-sufficient in wheat production. Although they produce
seasonal fruits, vegetables, rice, wheat and maize, the country
imports most of its foodstuffs. The food processing industry is
extremely underdeveloped and a shortage of modern storage
facilities aggravates existing procurement system problems. In
addition to reconstructing many of the canal facility reservoirs,
pumps, dams and dikes, the government is also planning to build
new water collectors and reservoirs. A MOU between the USDA and
the Ministry of Agriculture of Turkmenistan was signed in April
1998. The two countries have agreed to advance scientific and
technical cooperation in agriculture. "Opportunities for
investment in and sales of pumping equipment, irrigation systems
and services are widespread" (Country Commercial Guide 1999).
References
Country Commercial Guide FY 1999, Turkmenistan http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/business/com_guides/1999/europe/turkmen99.html
National Geographic 1990, A Soviet Sea Lies Dying, pg. 73, Vol. 177, No. 2 http://www.nationalgeographic.com
National Geographic 1999, Caspian Sea Region; Promise and Peril http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/9905/hilights.html#a
US Embassy of Turkmenistan 1999, Turkmenistan Agriculture http://www.usemb-ashgabat.usia.co.at/
The World Bank Group 1999, Countries: Turkmenistan and the World Bank, http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/offrep/eca/tm2.htm
|