Book: Water and Food Security in Central Asia

Background

Central Asia is a vast, land locked region comprised of five independent countries: Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazahkstan. Due to the arid nature of the regional climate, irrigated agriculture is a necessary practice and the two major rivers, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, are heavily used for irrigation. Although most of the region has rates of food insecurity below 11%, in Tajikistan, the country with the lowest cultivated area, over 30% of the population is undernourished. Rapidly growing populations in rural areas coupled with shifting diets and an anticipated warmer climate will place increasing pressure on water resources for food production. Deteriorating water infrastructure and rising use of water for hydro power have reduced the reliability of water supply for farmers and low irrigation efficiencies have results in low yields per unit of water. Improved irrigation technology and crop management, integrated water management at the basin level to share water within an irrigated region and water governance to oversee water use of all sectors is critical to food security in the region. 

Knowledge Products

Central Asia Transboundary Water Management

Drainage in the Aral Sea Basin

A short season Canadian soybean cultivar double cropped after winter wheat in Uzbekistan with and without inoculation with Bradyrhizobium

Legume production and irrigation strategies in the Aral Sea basin

Legume Production in Semi-Arid Areas: Comparative Study of the Physiology of Drought Tolerance in Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and Mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek)

Water use efficiency of common bean and green gram grown using alternate furrow and deficit irrigation

Webber, H. 2008. Improving agriculture in the Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan. A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of doctor of philosophy. Department of Plant Science, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. 

Webber, H., C.A. Madramootoo, M. Bourgault, M. Horst, G. Stulina and D. Smith.  2006.  Addressing water scarcity and drought in Central Asia due to climate change.  Presented at the 59th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Water Resources Association, Toronto, Ontario, June 4-6, 2006.

Webber, H., C.A. Madramootoo, M. Bourgault,M.G. Horst, G. Stulina and D.L. Smith.  2006.  Improving irrigated agriculture under conditions of water scarcity in Central Asia.  Presented at the Northeast Agricultural and Biological Engineering Conference, Montreal, July 30 to August 02, 2006.

Madramootoo, C.A. 2003. The Aral Sea Basin: Canada - Central Asia Cooperation in Integrated Water Resources Management.   Presented at the 10th Annual International Conference on the St. Lawrence River Ecosystem, Cornwall, Ontario, May 13-15, 2003.