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Non-conventional salt-tolerant crops can help to tackle salinity problem in Uzbekistan

• 07.09.2017
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Non-conventional salt-tolerant crops can help to tackle salinity problem in Uzbekistan, say officials and researchers

Marginal lands affected by salinity can be put to use if non-conventional salt-tolerant crops are introduced into agricultural production, scientists believe. Photo by Kristina Toderich. Sustainable management of salt-affected and marginal lands in Uzbekistan for agricultural purposes should be a priority and can help to find new avenues of agricultural production, researchers and policymakers believe. Scientists from local and international research organizations point to the urgent need to find ways of using salt-affected lands and low quality water resources by introducing non-conventional salt-tolerant crops into agricultural production, which could reduce significantly pressure on freshwater resources and optimize productivity of agricultural lands in the country. Some 60 participants including Members of Parliament of Uzbekistan (Oliy Majlis), scientists, journalists, and representatives of environmental and health NGOs, and international organizations gathered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 24 June 2013 at the seminar under the title 'Problems and achievements of biosaline agriculture in Uzbekistan', organized by the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan, the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). Officials and scientists discussed how to exploit the agricultural potential of salt-affected ecosystems and thus ensure sustainable use of natural resources. The meeting looked at what research projects have achieved so far and how sustainable development in dry areas can be ensured. The participants agreed that salt-affected areas present an opportunity for research and can help to find answers to issues ranging from decreasing salinity and preserving biodiversity to managing natural resources. What is necessary, though, is to show potential value of the vast salt-affected dry areas and saline low quality water for production of traditional and non-traditional fodder, technical and medicinal plants and crops. This would be very beneficial for the environment, sustainable ecosystems and facilitate economic growth. And research results should be transferred to local populations (farmers, livestock owners, households). Current scientific knowledge on existing salt-tolerant crops and domesticated halophytes and the need for new and/or alternative management systems suitable for agricultural purposes in saline environments can help to develop, agree on and distribute information about using innovative technologies of biological reclamation in degraded areas, the meeting heard. However, there is a serious lack of fundamental and applied research taking into account biological, physical, economic and social factors in the arid and semiarid salt-affected ecosystems. Officials and scientists agreed that an integrated approach to this problem should reflect the link between local and regional transboundary ecosystems and long-term sustainable agricultural development in salt-affected areas. Researchers pointed out that stimulating institutional policy is also required. And the participants also discussed what legislation is needed for promoting innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture in salt-affected and degraded areas. This event helped to increase participants' awareness about the problem of soil and water salinity in Uzbekistan and what they can do to support efforts to tackle and manage this phenomenon. What is more, researchers showed that salt-affected areas can be used for agricultural production of non-traditional crops. Some Members of Parliament have expressed a keen interest in pursuing the debate further. Source: http://cac-program.org/news/detail/366       A SOCIAL-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR UZBEKISTAN: IMPROVEMENT OF THE SALINED LANDS