Spain, 15 July – 19 July 2019: The European Union funded Project “Support to Further Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Turkmenistan (SARD III)” held a study visit to Spain for specialists of the State Committee on Water Resources Management and other relevant agencies of the water sector in Turkmenistan. The study tour was organized jointly with the UNDP Project “Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for Sustainable Water Management in Turkmenistan” funded by the Global Environment Facility.
The visit was hosted by the University of Cordoba, which offers world-class education and training in agricultural engineering. The key themes discussed during the study visit were on effective use of irrigation water.
“The aim of the study tour was to familiarize specialists from Turkmenistan with the agricultural practices in Spain with the focus on sustainable agriculture, planning and efficient use of water resources. Special attention was paid to rational distribution and use of irrigation water in the hottest province of the country Andalusia, which has a similar climate to Turkmenistan,” explains SARD III Project expert Farhat Orunov.
During the study tour, experts from Turkmenistan were introduced to modern methods of measuring or estimating crop water consumption status for irrigation, the system of water distribution between farmers, regulation of water supply for irrigation of crops, as well as to activities undertaken by the water users associations in this region. Furthermore, specialists from Turkmenistan were familiarized with the work of experimental farms, where the entire process of energy supply of irrigation systems and irrigation of crops is based on the use of solar energy.
The programme of visit also included meetings with representatives of the Spanish companies Lama, Irritek Iberia, Valmont – manufacturers of irrigation equipment, SBH Company involved in construction of innovative irrigation systems. The guests from Turkmenistan engaged in close discussions with the senior technical personnel of the above organizations and were familiarized with the most up-to-date in-house developments of irrigation equipment for drip irrigation and sprinkling, filtration systems for irrigation water, devices and sensors for irrigation control and water distribution systems.
The study tour was part of SARD III activities aimed at supporting the Government of Turkmenistan in increasing productivity and competitiveness of the agro-food sector through activities that improve production, processing and marketing, as well as strengthening the capacity of supporting public sector agriculture institutions.
More information on SARD III activities is available at www.sard3tm.org .
For more information, please contact:
Viktoriya Frolova
Public Relations Specialist E-mail: [email protected]
