Reliable water, better harvests : why irrigation research matters.
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2026
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Busitema University Library
Abstract
In Uzbekistan’s Ferghana Valley, the return of reliable irrigation has changed what some families can grow and earn from their land. Fields that had struggled because water could not reach them are producing again. In Usmonobod village, a family growing raspberries has moved from barely one harvest a year to two, with better-quality fruit now reaching the local market. Nearby, an orchard that had been dry is back in production.
Behind those changes is a much larger effort to repair an irrigation system that had become increasingly inefficient. The Ferghana Valley is home to about 10 million people and is one of Uzbekistan’s most important agricultural regions. Yet ageing infrastructure, water losses and the effects of climate change were putting growing pressure on farming. At the furthest points of the canal network, water supply could fall about 30 per cent below demand, particularly between April and June when crops needed it most. More than one billion cubic metres of water were being lost each year.
Description
Article
Keywords
Citation
Kalamya, A. (2026). Reliable water, better harvests : why irrigation research matters. Busitema University Library.