CAREC participated in the international workshop on water use for food security
On December 11-13 CAREC participated in the international workshop entitled “Innovations in Marginal Water Resources Use for Resilient Agriculture and Food Security”. The workshop gathered experts and academia from Afghanistan, India, Japan, Pakistan, Poland, Ukraine, UAE, USA, and Uzbekistan.
The event was organized by the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources (MAWR) and the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), CAREC, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the International Center for Agriculture Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers (TIIAME) and others.
The opening remarks were given by the Vice President of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan Mr. Sirojiddin Mirzaev, the U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Ms. Pamela L. Spratlen, the Head of the department of water resources balance and development of water saving technologies Mr. Sharifjon Kuchkarov, the Team Leader and GIZ Programme Director Dr. Caroline Milow, the representative of the Government of Uzbekistan Ms. Dilorom Fayzieva, the Director of CAREC Branch in Uzbekistan Ms. Shakhnoza Umarova, representatives of TIIAME and other international organizations and agencies.
During this workshop, CAREC specialists shared their expertise presenting two projects. For example, talking about the Smart Waters project, funded by USAID, the main goal is to form the cooperation system between water managers and specialists, a partnership with the academia, as well as to demonstrate the capacity of basin approach of water resources management. Since it is aimed to establish the connection between production, education, science and the future generation of young specialists, the project has proposed to cooperate with another USAID initiative “Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research” (PEER). This scientific initiative is supported by such organizations as the Scientific-Information Center of the Interstate Coordination Water Commission (SIC ICWC), ICBA, IWMI, and CAREC. This conference also provides an opportunity for partner organizations to present their results and exchange the ideas.
Furthermore, CAREC within PEER initiative presents “Provision of science-based evidence on climate-induced water quality challenges in Amu Darya basin” project, funded by USAID and implemented jointly with University of West Virginia and U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS). This project is aimed to raise the awareness about impacts of climate change on the quality of surface waters of the Amu Darya River with different scenarios of climate change and irrigation practices.
During three-day workshop participants discussed the experience of their countries on integrated water resources management and energy-saving technologies for sustainable agriculture in the arid climate, the use of marginal water resources and the related impact of climate change. The issues of innovative technologies of desalination and disinfection of water and soil, water and food security and other topics of land, water, and bio-resources will be covered during discussions.
