Kyrgyzstan

Boosting Water Efficiency and Farming Productivity in Kyrgyzstan Through New Irrigation Laws

The Turning Irrigation Reforms into Practice project helps local, regional, and national stakeholders in Kyrgyzstan implement new water laws for farming. This support aims to help them take full advantage of these laws, improve teamwork of involved stakeholders, and manage water and farm services better. As a result, farmers will have better access to irrigation water use, increase their crop yields, enhance their living standards, and strengthen their resilience to challenges.

  • Project Name
    Turning Irrigation Reforms Into Practice
  • Project Phase
    2023 to 2025
  • Funding
    This project is funded by donations.
  • Thematic focus
    Voice, Inclusion & Cohesion

Background

The Kyrgyz Republic is a landlocked independent country in Central Asia with a territory of 199 900 sq.km. and a population of 6,9 million. Kyrgyzstan is located on the ancient Silk Road trade route and surrounded by the Tien-Shan and Pamir-Alay mountains system. Only 5-7% of the country territory is in the valley with a land suitable for agriculture. The agricultural land is about 1 032 000 ha, out of it 736 000 ha is irrigated land. Irrigation water is supplied to the farmers first through the so called off-farm canals managed by the State and further by the on-farm irrigation canals managed by the Water Users Associations (WUA). 

With the new legal framework, the Local-Self Governance bodies (LSG) assume new role for on-farm irrigation. LSG bodies take over from WUAs ownership and responsibility for on-farm irrigation canals and irrigation water delivery to the farming households. The overall project development  goal: contribute to the reduction of multi-dimensional poverty of farming families in Osh, Jalalabad and Issyk Kul region who depend on irrigation services. By supporting relevant system actors at local (Local Self-Governments, Water User Associations, farmers), regional and national levels (Unions, Departments, Agencies, Ministries, Committees and Parliamentarians) in the implementation of the new legal framework regarding on-farm irrigation, these actors will be able to make best use of the new opportunities, improve their collaboration and contribute to a more effective and efficient organisation of on-farm irrigation and related services, thus leading to increased water efficiency and agricultural productivity, improved livelihoods and increased resilience of farming households in rural Kyrgyzstan.

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Voice, Inclusion & Cohesion

In many countries where we work, men and women are unable to claim their rights and participate actively in decision-making processes.