IWMI Success Stories

How a simple tool is reducing conflict and preserving water in Uzbekistan

Smartsticks help farmers get a fair allocation of water while protecting land from aridity and strengthening farmers’ resilience in the face of climate change.

To be a successful farmer, you must have four key things: A crop, land, willing hands, and a reliable supply of water. Without water, land will lose its richness, crops won’t grow, and willing hands will leave. Water is vital.

Nowhere is water more precious than in an arid country such as Uzbekistan, where agriculture consumes some 90% of the water supply. But while scarce water resources must be distributed fairly, allocating water among individual farmers, agricultural regions, and households can prove to be a complicated undertaking.

One way of attempting to ensure fair distribution of water is through Water Consumer Associations (WCAs), which also operate and maintain on-farm irrigation networks. However, what happens if the allocation of scarce water resources is disputed, and farmers argue that they are being overcharged and underserved?

That’s where IWMI scientists, working together with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, may have hit upon a solution. Thanks to work conducted under both the EU programme “Sustainable management of water resources in rural areas in Uzbekistan” and the BMZ-funded project “Sustainability and value added in the cotton economy in Uzbekistan,” IWMI and GIZ believe a tool known as a smartstick could be utilized to address water scarcity challenges and help resolve disputes concerning water access.

Smartsticks monitor exactly how much water is discharged to farmers. As a result, significant improvements in water accounting have been made in Uzbekistan, while conflicts between WCAs have decreased and food production has increased.

The smartstick is the creation of Dr. Patrice Muller from the Swiss University of HE-Arc, and IWMI subsequently adapted his tool to suit local conditions. IWMI researchers understood the tremendous potential of the smartstick, given the tool’s ability to allow farmers to observe the precise amount of water flowing onto their land, since the device is used in tandem with mini-gauging stations that sit on the boundaries of farmers’ fields.

  • Testing of Smartstick operation in Kuva District, Ferghana Province, Uzbekistan

As farmers, currently we oversee the process of water delivery turn by turn: Every evening two people from each WCA brigade control the water flow irrigating our fields. The amount of water that is being supplied presents another issue….as the WCA does not measure the exact amount of water they deliver to each field. For example, we need 50 liters of water and the neighboring field needs the same amount. However, if they receive 100 liters, we will not get the needed 50 liters, because the water supplier did not measure the amount of water that is being supplied to the single farm. It is difficult to meter the water, as there are no proper water measurement devices or equipment for that.

Mr. Yangiev, farmer

IWMI’s Herath Manthrithilake and Oyture Anarbekov in Moynak District, Karakalpakistan, Republic of Uzbekistan (Aral Sea Region). Credit to Ms. Feruza Ganiyeva.
IWMI’s Herath Manthrithilake and Oyture Anarbekov in Moynak District, Karakalpakistan, Republic of Uzbekistan (Aral Sea Region). Credit to Ms. Feruza Ganiyeva.

An arid country on the frontlines of climate change

Located in Central Asia, Uzbekistan is an arid country that is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, including decreased rainfall, desertification, drought, and rising temperatures. With the flow of water in its two main rivers—the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya—projected to decrease by 15 percent by mid-century, it is clear that the country will have to maximize its water-use efficiency in order to ensure the vitality of its agriculture sector and remain water-secure well into the future. 

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, farmland in Uzbekistan has changed hands, shifting from giant state-owned cooperatives which needed enormous volumes of water to be productive to smaller plots that Uzbek farmers can cultivate. These smaller plots tend to be around 35 to 40 hectares in size, and each plot requires its own source of irrigation. WCAs were established to meet the individualized needs of farmers, but the introduction of these associations has not entirely solved the problem they were designed to alleviate.  

Understanding tensions between Uzbek farmers and local Water Consumer Associations

While WCAs were set up to help meet farmers’ needs, the associations have sometimes struggled to deliver sufficient water. In turn, farmers have sometimes refused to pay their irrigation service fees. This affects the quality of water delivery even further, and the problem persists.

One of the biggest challenges WCAs have faced is not knowing exactly how much water has been delivered to each farmer. This can result in conflicts between WCAs and farmers, as accusations of unfair charges are frequently levied at the associations, and farmers can come to resent paying their fees, which in turn further restricts their access to water.

To that end, a 2017 paper by IWMI researchers in Central Asia surmised that “greater trust and communication within the WCAs would make an important contribution to effective collective action and to the long-term sustainability of local associations.”

Is there a solution?

As part of the ‘National Policy Framework for Water Management,’ IWMI completed research trials which identified clear improvements for addressing over-use of water and reducing water waste. The introduction of smartsticks, placed in mini-water gauging stations, was one proposed solution, as gauging stations are where water data is collected to understand how much run-off or discharge is present.

WCA Hydrotechnician Kuva Urta Buz Anori  measures water discharge with a Smartstick. Kuva District, Ferghana Province, Uzbekistan
WCA Hydrotechnician Kuva Urta Buz Anori measures water discharge with a Smartstick. Kuva District, Ferghana Province, Uzbekistan

Between 2017 and 2019, we worked with three Water Consumer Associations, serving about 500 farmers, and right now we are investigating how to replicate our approach in three additional provinces with selected agricultural cotton-textile clusters, so that we can test new electronic tools that enable them to automatically account for how much water has been delivered to which farmers. Central Asia is a dry and arid region, where accounting for each drop of water is vital. It’s especially important as climate conditions change and different sectors of the Uzbek economy increase their water demands. Water accounting is necessary not just to ensure irrigation fees are paid, but also to ensure farmers receive the right amount of water to irrigate their crops. Therefore, there is demand for low-cost technology at a local level.

Oyture Anarbekov, Researcher and Country Manager with IWMI’s Central Asia Office

Taking a closer look: What is a smartstick exactly?

A smartstick is an electronic handheld tool that is driven into the middle of a mini-gauging station, which is the concrete structure built on the narrow space at the boundary between a farmer’s plot and the canal through which the water comes to the field. Upon installation, the smartstick can accurately measure how much water has been delivered, and to whom. Once we know the water level in the mini-gauging station, we can quickly calculate the discharge flow in the channel.

The device works by taking a level measurement and comparing it to the discharge curve of the canal to determine how much water has been discharged. This is important because in order to accurately calculate water discharge flow in the channel, we need to know the profile of the gauging station as well as the water level depth. These two parameters provide exact water discharge flow, with the smartstick producing an electronic reading showing how much water the farmer has received. The tool also displays its depth in the ground in real-time.

Perhaps best of all? The smartstick has a long-life battery and is fully automatic, so the tool can also be used for monitoring water levels in small rivers, streams, and irrigation channels.

Mini gauging station

But what does the smartstick do in real terms?

The information the smartstick provides reassures the farmer that they are paying an accurate fee to their local WCA based on the amount of water received, since each farmer’s fee is based on the precise amount of water that is delivered. Furthermore, knowing exactly how much water is supplied to the farm means the farmer can more effectively adhere to crop water requirements.

Crucially, the smartstick ensures an accurate and transparent communication to the farmer, and consequently can help resolve and reduce conflicts related to water distribution. Since the tool allows farmers to see clearly how much water has been used, the smartsticks can also incentivize farmers to pay irrigation fees, which are vital for the long-term maintenance of channels and pumps.

Chart by Visualizer
Grape Farmer from WCA Kuva Urta Buz Anori, Kuva District, Ferghana Province, Uzbekistan
Grape Farmer from WCA Kuva Urta Buz Anori, Kuva District, Ferghana Province, Uzbekistan

Gauging the key successes of smartsticks in Uzbekistan

In addition to disputes over too little water, over-irrigation is also a contentious issue in Uzbekistan, making the regulation of water distribution all the more vital. IWMI’s pilot project reached 500 farmers in the country under the aforementioned EU programme, and yielded promising results: The introduction of smartsticks considerably reduced over-irrigation, encouraged farmers to pay their fees, and ensured more efficient distribution of water.

Before I used to measure water by eye and I didn’t know the exact amount of water that was being delivered. With the help of this new low-cost, technologically advanced portable device I am able to accurately and quickly determine the amount and level of the water that we supply to the farmlands. By applying this technology, we no longer have disputes with farmers over the water delivery process. The data that we get from smartsticks we send to the computer and regulate the amount of water each farmer receives for his land.

Akramjon WCA Kuva Urta Buz Anori

Before I used to measure water by eye and I didn’t know the exact amount of water that was being delivered.

Akramjon WCA Kuva Urta Buz Anori

In real terms, the utilization of smartsticks has resulted in more reliable and successful crop production, including cotton and wheat. Farmers have also confirmed an increase of yields due to on-time delivery of a reliable water supply.

Meanwhile, since 2019, scientists have met with Uzbek policymakers to report on outcomes of the trials. The results were so successful that the implementation of smartsticks and mini-gauging stations was made a priority in the country’s 2020-2030 National Agricultural Development Strategy and its corresponding roadmap.

What’s next for the smartstick rollout?

Moving forward, smartsticks and mini-gauging stations can be easily scaled up to support Uzbekistan’s farmers and agricultural clusters, such as cotton-textile clusters.

In 2020, for example, there were a total of 454 agricultural clusters across the country. An agricultural cluster is an advanced type of agricultural industrialization unit, usually operated and managed by a limited liability company. Uzbekistan’s agricultural cluster system was introduced within the last two years in order to increase the competitiveness of the country’s agricultural production in both regional and world markets, and to accelerate the adoption of modern innovative water-saving technologies such as drip irrigation, sprinklers, and smartsticks. Uzbekistan’s 454 clusters—which are comprised of 114 cotton-textile clusters, 157 wheat clusters, 146 horticulture clusters, 29 rice clusters, and eight clusters for medical plants—cover an irrigated area of 2.2 million hectares, accounting for 59 percent of the total cultivated area. Of this, 0.3 million hectares (14 percent) are directly farmed by the clusters, while the remaining 1.9 million hectares are cultivated through contract farming, engaging a total of 72,501 farmers.

Thanks to government backing, deploying smartsticks to support farmers and agricultural clusters will be made significantly easier in the years ahead. With policy support behind the rollout, smartsticks are now well-positioned to help Uzbekistan manage water scarcity nationwide, improve food production, combat drought, and more effectively weather the many other impacts of creeping climate change across the region.

Additional Material

11a: Evidence: journal articles, reports, emails, media coverage etc. 

  1. Lex.uz. 2019. Presidential resolution #5853 on approval of the Strategy of Agriculture Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2020-2030, dated October 23, 2019 [in Uzbek]. Tashkent, Uzbekistan. https://lex.uz/docs/4567337
  2. Implementation of water metering at on-farm irrigation systems in Uzbekistan. Photobook prepared under the European Union Programme on Sustainable Management of Water Resources in Rural Areas in Uzbekistan [In Russian]. Tashkent, Uzbekistan: European Union and Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit. 
  3. Anarbekov, O.; Khodjaev, S.; Solieva, U. 2018. Smartstick: Innovative water accounting technology. Project report prepared under the European Union Programme on Sustainable Management of Water Resources in Rural Areas in Uzbekistan [In Russian]. Tashkent, Uzbekistan: European Union and Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit. 
  4. Anarbekov, O.; Khodjaev, S. 2018. Use of innovative technologies for improving water accounting and financial viability of water consumer associations. Abstract from Global Water Security Conference for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hyderabad, India, 2018. Michigan, USA: American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers; New Delhi, India: Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers. Pp. 115. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/100660
  5. Ministry of Water Resources. 2020. Annual Report of the Ministry of Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan for 2018-2019 and 2020 (partly reporting and plan) [in Uzbek]. https://www.water.gov.uz/public/files/1/5f48e327b7732.pdf
  6. Central Asia Regional Environmental Centre. 2020. Water route [in Uzbek]. Book published with support of the State Committee of the Environment and Natural Protection and the European Union Delegation in Uzbekistan. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1t-fDdgLSgg8-K7z3xqhQwXLMepgV848b
  7. Communication and visibility report under the EU Water Programme, Component 1 [in Russian and Uzbek]. 
  8. Kham, N. 2019. How to save water in the field conditions. Journal Lady, Uzbekistan 43(1067) [in Russian]. 

11b: Promotional products: blogs, outreach materials 

Facebook News:

Acknowledgements

Project Lead:

Mr. Oyture Anarbekov – Country Manager/Researcher  – International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Regional Office for Central Asia. Email: o.anarbekov@cgiar.org

Writing:

Eleanor Ross – Strategic Communications Specialist

Russell Sticklor –  senior communications consultant

Graphic Design:

Pradeep Liyanage – Digital Graphics and Multimedia Specialist

Web Layout:

Dominique Perera – Manager, Web Communications

Contributions

The authors would like to thank Dr. Caroline Milow, Paluaniyaz Pirniyazov and Muzaffar Ernazarov from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH for their support and jointly implementing this innovation. 

The authors would like to thank administrations of Naryn-Karadarya Basin Irrigation System Authority (BISA), Syrdarya-Sukh BISA and Amu-Kashkadarya BISA for their assistance in demonstrating and running the technology.

The authors would like to thank administration of three WCAs where technology has been demonstrated: WCA Kuva Urta Buz Anori in Ferghana Province, WCA Lutfulla Bakhromov in Andijan Province and Muminobod Chashmasi in Kashkadarya Province.

The authors would like to thank Dr. Patrice Muller from HE-ARC who was instrumental in creating the technology as well as contributing to adapt it into Central Asian context

Last but not least, we would like to thank IWMI Staff and Consultants who was instrumental in designing, adopting and implementing the Smartstick technology.

Key funders

Key partners

  • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit [GIZ] GmbH
  • Ministry of Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan
  • Syrdarya-Sukh Basin Irrigation System Authority
  • Kuva-Urta Buz Anori Water Consumer Association
  • Lutfully Bakhromov Water Consumer Association
  • Muminobod Chashmasi Water Consumer Association
  • International Water Management Institute

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Economics and equity

At IWMI, researching underlying economic and social trends helps us understand why people migrate. They also explain the impact of remittances and loss of agricultural labor, as well as consequences of migration on gender roles and food and water security. For instance, communities with higher levels of income inequality, or relative deprivation, may experience greater levels of out-migration compared to consistently low-income communities. In addition, migration changes intra-household gender-labor composition, which can change the access of smallholders to water resources, affecting the functioning of community-based institutions and consequently household and local food security. IWMI also focuses on circular economy, a strategy to recover and reuse waste, to boost food security and understand how interventions can encourage refugee and host communities to retain scarce resources.

This focus area contributes to the following One CGIAR impact areas:

Nutrition, health and food security Poverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs Gender equality, youth and inclusion

Urban & rural transformation

As agricultural opportunities fluctuate in rural areas, migration, particularly to urban areas, is an adaptation technique to secure incomes and alternative livelihoods. Income generated by migrants is often sent back to family as remittances to support communities at home. At IWMI, we assess linkages between rural and urban areas, as well as the role of agricultural knowledge systems and food and water security. We recognize there are complex push and pull factors such as individual aspirations, economic opportunity, social norms, climate variability and government policies which drive migration and affect rural communities, particularly youth. Our work follows a ‘positive migration’ philosophy, framing migration as an adaptation technique and socio-economic choice (in many cases) rather than a problem to be solved, and focuses on establishing safer, more regular migration by supporting changes to migration governance in sending regions.

This focus area contributes to the following One CGIAR impact areas:

Nutrition, health and food security Poverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs Gender equality, youth and inclusion Climate adaptation and mitigation

Covid-19 disruption & adaptation

Covid-19 has caused a rupture in migration logistics and exposed inequities in the migration system, yet drivers of movement remain. Government lockdowns and closed borders due to the pandemic curtailed movement for migrants, posing complex problems for migrant hosting and origin countries. There have been significant economic shocks, with a sharp decline in unemployment for migrants and an inability to send money home through remittances to support family. Some migrants face social stigma for returning home without an income, particularly if families relied on loans to support their journeys. Consequences have been severe for informal migrants who lack government protection in their host countries. Migrants, particularly those living in crowded, lower-income neighborhoods, have been experiencing stigmatization related to the spread of Covid-19. We look at the impacts of Covid-19 on migration governance and rural areas across seven countries, development planning in Ghana, migration challenges in Southeast Asia, and community-based disaster management and resilience building in South Africa.

This focus area contributes to the following One CGIAR impact areas:

Nutrition, health and food security Poverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs Gender equality, youth and inclusion

Water, climate change and agrarian stress

Migration, water and climate stress are inextricably linked to rural development. Water stress and climate variability can act as a driver of fragility, intensifying pre-existing political, social, economic and environmental challenges. Initiatives designed to address migration-related challenges must tackle inequalities and the exclusion of women, youth and marginalized groups; governance opportunities to better manage water and natural resources and technology and innovations to help communities escape socio-ecological precarity and thrive despite climate challenges. IWMI intends to build climate resilience by implementing projects which tackle gender-power inequalities in the face of dynamic, economic-social-ecological challenges. Our work brings together affected communities, institutional stakeholders and social actors to manage water in response to climate variability and agrarian stress, striving to address complex physical and social variables.

This focus area contributes to the following One CGIAR impact areas:

Nutrition, health and food security Poverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs Gender equality, youth and inclusion Climate adaptation and mitigation

Gender, intersectionality and social inclusion

It is critical to center gender and intersectional identities when unpacking migration phenomena. Gender as a social construct guides social norms and relations, including the decision-making processes and mechanisms leading to migration. We recognize that the intersections between race, age, class, sex, caste and region shape the migrant experience.

IWMI strives to offer transformative approaches and solutions for women, youth and marginalized groups, regarding them as equal partners in our work rather than passive end-users.  For example, within communities that experience male out migration, socio-political systems are restructured to make women, youth and other groups active agents in their own agri-food transformation. Migration patterns contribute to the feminization of agriculture, and women may experience a greater burden of responsibility coupled with an increased ability to access and control resources and policies to build sustainable livelihoods. Acknowledging social complexities helps researchers and communities understand migration trends and address structural power imbalances to build a more equitable world.

This focus area contributes to the following One CGIAR impact areas:

Nutrition, health and food security Poverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs Gender equality, youth and inclusion

Innovation bundles

Farmer-led irrigation development is about much more than installing a pump in a field. It requires access to financing, labor, energy, and input and output markets, so that investments in irrigation translate into sustainable returns. IWMI uses a systemic approach to understand the farming system as well as the factors in the enabling environment that prevent women, men and youth from engaging in and benefitting equitably from farmer-led irrigation. We partner with farmers and the public and private sectors to test contextually relevant innovation bundles that combine irrigation technology such as solar pumps with financing mechanisms like pay-as-you-own or pay-as-you-go, agricultural inputs and agronomic techniques. We also look at ways to improve on-farm water management and nutrient use efficiency and reduce evapotranspiration through digital advances and agricultural extension. We integrate the scaling of innovation bundles into agricultural value chains to enhance the impacts on farmers’ irrigation investments, incomes and livelihoods.

This focus area contributes to the following One CGIAR impact areas:

Nutrition, health and food security Poverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs Gender equality, youth and inclusion Environmental health and biodiversity Climate adaptation and mitigation

Gender and social inclusion

The barriers facing women and men in accessing irrigation technologies are not the same. Neither are the benefits. Social, cultural and religious norms influence inter- and intra-household power relations. These, in turn, affect access to resources such as land, credit, information and training. IWMI carries out cross-dimensional analysis of gender and social inclusion in policy, financing, livelihood assets and access, institutional approaches and interventions as well as gender-based technology preferences. For example, we work with farmers, financial institutions and the private sector to address gender-based constraints in credit scoring and enhance women’s purchasing power. But benefitting from farmer-led irrigation does not stop at accessing and adopting technologies; enabling women and resource-poor farmers to participate in input and output markets is equally important to ensure that investments in irrigation result in improved nutrition and economic empowerment. Other ways we enhance gender and social inclusion include tackling agency issues around financial management and literacy, livelihood diversity and social capital as well as access to infrastructure, extension services and market linkages.

This focus area contributes to the following One CGIAR impact areas:

Poverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs Gender equality, youth and inclusion

Environmental sustainability

Population pressure and increasing water competition in a changing climate require us to take stock of the availability and use of water across scales. Water availability not only influences farmers’ commercial prospects but also irrigation-related enterprises and agri-businesses. Greater water scarcity could jeopardize irrigation and agricultural markets while excessive water use can lead to declining ecosystems, water quality and soil health. IWMI advises development partners and the public and private sectors on all aspects of water resource availability and use through a variety of advanced modeling and remote-sensing products and tools, including Water Accounting+solar irrigation mapping and internet of things. These are complemented by multi-criteria analysis to evaluate the potential of irrigation expansion, taking into consideration environmental flows. With our private sector partners, we are leveraging converging technologies, such as sensors on solar pumps that capture usage data, to encourage better resource management and governance.

This focus area contributes to the following One CGIAR impact areas:

Environmental health and biodiversity Climate adaptation and mitigation

Adaptive scaling and partnerships

The ability of farmers to engage in or expand irrigation depends on the prevailing socioeconomic, ecological and political contexts, which are often complex, non-linear and changeable. Overcoming systemic barriers to farmer-led irrigation development while taking advantage of existing opportunities requires scaling processes to be adaptive. This means diverse actors feed off, adapt to, support, cooperate, compete and interact with each other, forming different multi-actor networks and engaging in collective action to undertake various functions in the scaling ecosystem. IWMI works with farmers and public and private sector partners to co-design and pilot contextually relevant innovation bundles and their scaling pathways or strategies, influence policies and accelerate the transition to scale of innovations with demonstrated early impact.

This focus area contributes to the following One CGIAR impact areas:

Nutrition, health and food security Poverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs Gender equality, youth and inclusion Environmental health and biodiversity Climate adaptation and mitigation

Financing ecosystem

A lack of affordable credit, particularly for women and resource-poor farmers, is one of the main barriers to expanding farmer-led irrigation in low- and middle-income countries. But credit alone is not enough. Financing for irrigation equipment must be embedded in a wider financing ecosystem that bundles credit with inputs and services, market information and access, and technology such as digital payment. In several countries, irrigation equipment suppliers are stepping in to provide financing directly to farmers. In doing so, they increase their own risk. To address this issue, IWMI works with farmers, private companies, finance institutions and development partners such as the World Bank Group to analyze whether credit-scoring tools are inclusive. We also help to identify gaps in the financing ecosystem and de-risk the private sector from testing innovative end-user financing mechanisms that take into account farming system typologies, financial and social capital and crop seasonality.

This focus area contributes to the following One CGIAR impact areas:

Poverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs Gender equality, youth and inclusion

Human capacity development and knowledge exchange

Scaling farmer-led irrigation requires strengthening human capacity and knowledge exchange among all actors and stakeholders involved. IWMI takes an action research approach, working with national and international research institutions, governments, extension agents and public and private organizations to co-develop the scaling ecosystem and strengthen capacity to drive scaling networks and collective action. We support the development of or reinforce national multi-stakeholder dialogues with the aim of sharing scaling experiences and realizing win-win collaboration, interactive learning and capacity development. Other modalities for capacity development include hackathons, innovation research grants for bachelor’s and master’s students, private sector scaling grants and innovation internships with private companies. These all serve to stimulate local and contextually relevant innovation, close the research-private sector divide and enhance job readiness among young professionals.

This focus area contributes to the following One CGIAR impact areas:

Nutrition, health and food security Poverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs Gender equality, youth and inclusion Environmental health and biodiversity Climate adaptation and mitigation

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