[Completed] Developing climate resilience of farming communities

[Completed] Developing climate resilience of farming communities

Developing climate resilience of farming communities in the drought prone parts of Uzbekistan

Project summary:

The Aral Sea region has been heavily affected by severe climate change impacts, worsened by the degrading state of the Aral Sea. In Karakalpakstan, increased occurrence of droughts is placing serious strains on what little water is still available for irrigation. The main activities of the project, funded by the Adaptation Fund under the Kyoto Protocol of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), include: providing support to the central, regional, and local governments and to the vulnerable rural communities in order to increase their resilience towards climate change. This is in line with the Government Strategic Development Action Plan for 2017-2021, in particular for its third key direction “Priority development of national economy”.

Expected Results:

Build institutional capacity and mechanisms for drought risk management and early warning;
Establish climate resilient agricultural and pastoral production systems;
Apply landscape level approach to adaptation to climate change risks of increased aridity;
Spread knowledge and raise awareness on climate resilient agricultural and pastoral production systems.

Achievements:

In Karakalpakstan, the project’s whole observational meteorological network (10 meteo stations) is automatized and two water gage stations in Amydarya river are modernized; their staff and national experts are now trained in the operation and maintenance of the automated equipment;

- Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) has been adapted to the Amudarya downstream environment; national experts trained in DEWS’s operation, maintenance as well as the development of its products;

- 3 Extension Service Centers have been established with the project support consult farmers and dekhans on climate change adaptation activities;

- Land laser levelling technique demonstrated in the project pilot districts (at 460 ha) with the use of 7 sets of land laser levelling equipment provided by the project;

- In Kegeyli and Chimbay, agro conservation and water-saving technologies were tested at 22 ha of farmlands, and Landscape level adaptation activities implemented at over 80 ha;

- Two rural-community based associations bringing together 12,240 people in Kanlykul and Kegeyli project pilot districts established to implement restorations of degraded pastures and forestlands (780 ha);

- Project website (www.climatechange.uz) established and is operational to highlight key project activities and achievements;

- Thematic publications produced and published; they disseminated among 6000 representatives of the project targeted groups and beneficiaries;

- 47,979 project beneficiaries received information about the adaptation measures can be implemented at the landscape level, and increased their knowledge about the climate resilient farming through 25 trainings, seminars and conferences conducted by the project.