The UNDP, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, is introducing digital technologies for precision water management in the country’s agricultural sector. Based on the FAO’s CROPWAT 8.0 programme, experts have developed software adapted to the region’s climate and soil conditions, according to the Orient news agency.

The first pilot site was the Saparmyrat Turkmenbashi etrap in the Dashoguz velayat. Hydromodular zoning was carried out across an area of over 86,000 hectares: the programme, based on satellite and meteorological data, calculates precise irrigation rates for each crop, thereby preventing water wastage.

To put irrigation on a scientific footing across the country, the UNDP organised a workshop for hydraulic engineers, agronomists and lecturers at relevant universities. Digital algorithms for calculating fields’ water requirements will be incorporated into university curricula, and the method itself will form the basis for adapting agriculture to climate change.