Uzbekistan project: Open house at Yangibazaar

On April 12, the ZEF/UNESCO project in Urgench held an open day at the experimental site of Yangibazar. This site is part of the BMBF funded interdisciplinary project on “Economic and ecological restructuring in Khorezm, Uzbekistan”. The project is run since 2001.

The aim of the open-day activities was to show and demonstrate research equipment to people working in the fields of agriculture and water management. PhD students and staff involved in the project showed how to make use of equipment such as Electro-Conductivity (EC) meters, soil moisture meters, ground water level sensors, and sensors to manage crop nitrogen (e.g. the green seeker and a portable chlorophyll meter). In addition, the usefulness of a hydrogel application in water scarcity areas was shown. Also, the advantages and benefits of an alternative crop such as indigo, was discussed. The cultivation of indigo crops is being experimented with in the project. Staff of the GIS lab demonstrated how to do precise mapping of fields and areas – in particular for the administrative representatives present.

The farmers and representatives of the local administration were especially interested in the laser leveling equipment operated by the ZEF/UNESCO project. The participants even had the opportunity to assist with the leveling of one part of a field with the laser leveling machine. The following discussion focused on the recognition that laser leveling is not only a fine and accurate piece of equipment, but it in particular allows saving irrigation water, which is anticipated by the government. The open day proofed to be a successful way of information exchange between the project staff, farmers, and local administration. Therefore, it will certainly be repeated in the upcoming phase of the project.

Description of photos:

openday 1 (1st page) – Explanations of the research equipment for potential use by farmers

openday 5 (this page) – Demonstration of the laser transmitter and laser receiver