Work Packages & Deliverables
The project will be divided into five main work packages (WP)
WP 1: Context analysis and stakeholder mapping
This WP will guide planning and execution of the project, by assessing the current situation for implementation of water- and energy-saving irrigation technologies in Uzbekistan, geared towards understanding how decisions about improved technology implementation has affected the rehabilitation and improvement of agricultural soils and long-term food production. Conditions influencing cooperation among cross-sectoral actors in WEF nexus management will be identified through fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), and stakeholder mapping will be used to pinpoint experts and resource users affected by ongoing technology implementation.
WP 2: Identification of pilot study areas
The study aims to select two lift-irrigated areas within the Amudarya river basin – the Amu-Bukhara Basin Irrigation Systems Authority (BISA) and Amu-Kashkadarya BISA – that receive water from the Amudarya river by lifting it over 100 m through cascades of pumping stations. A key reason for selecting these basins is that water lifting through pumps is very costly and energy-intensive.
WP 3: Assessment of the effectiveness of the technology, field studies
The effectiveness of water- and energy-saving technologies will be assessed by means of documenting and collecting field data. A new methodology for scientifically proved irrigation regimes and the implementation of the technology under different conditions will be developed and tested. The project will involve young professionals (PhD or Post-Doc) who will conduct field research and document about water quantity (inflow/outflow) and savings, water mineralization, soil health changes (e.g. salinity level), agricultural productivity, and energy use in the selected areas. GIS-based spatial and temporal maps of the selected regions will be developed using multi-spectral satellite images.
WP 4: Development of ex-ante scenarios
Using a rebound-effect framework, an ex-ante impact assessment will be conducted to identify possible rebound effects related to irrigated agriculture in the study areas. This framework identifies four types of economic mechanisms that may contribute to the occurrence of such effects: (a) increasing irrigation to meet (previously unsatisfied) crop requirements, (b) increasing irrigated area, (c) switching to more water-intensive crops or crop rotations, and (d) triggering economic growth. Experts and policy makers will be requested to contribute towards scenario development, and workshops will be organized in the selected study areas (one per area).
WP 5: Synthesis and recommendations
The other four work packages (WP 1–4) are closely interrelated and intended to feed into one another (Fig. 1). With regard to planned work flow, analysis of the current state of implementing water- and energy-saving irrigation technologies and stakeholder mapping (WP 1) as well as identification of potential pilot study areas for in depth case studies (WP 2) will be carried out in the first part of the first year of the project, with assessment of the effectiveness of identified water- and energy-saving technologies (WP 3) being investigated in the second part of the first year. Then, WP 4 will be devoted to participatory impact assessment for developing future alternative options and maintenance of soil health through stakeholder interaction. Finally, WP 5 will synthesize the results to identify key determinants that may be transferable to other cases.
Figure 1: Workflow and planned activities of project work packages.
Contribution to Work Packages
Cooperation partner: ZALF
- WP 1 (Context analysis and stakeholder mapping)
- WP 3 (Assessment of the effectiveness of the technology)
- WP 4 (Development of ex-ante scenarios) - Lead
- WP 5 (Synthesis and recommendations) - Lead
Cooperation partner: "TIIAME" NRU
- WP 1 (Context analysis and stakeholder mapping) - Lead
- WP 3 (Assessment of the effectiveness of the technology) - Lead
Cooperation partner: IWMI
- WP 2 (Identification of pilot study areas) - Lead
Cooperation partner: SMART InnoTech
- WP 3 (Assessment of the effectiveness of the technology)
- WP 5 (Synthesis and recommendations)
