Uzbekistan uses satellites to grow more food with less water
Uzbekistan is helping farmers grow more crops while using less water by using satellites to check how water is used on farms.
The satellite technology helps monitor how much water is going into farms and how much is being used by the crops.
This helps the government and farmers find better ways to save water and still increase their harvest.
The project is focused on three regions in Uzbekistan and covers more than five million hectares of land. About 1.6 million hectares of this is farmland. The system is being used to track ten major crops.
In the Fergana Valley, the entire water system has been digitised. This includes rivers, canals, and irrigation systems. Every field and crop can now be seen clearly on a digital map.
The system also tracks water pumps, wells, and how water flows through the land.
Officials say this technology helps show which farms use water wisely and which do not.
Some farms get high yields using less water, while others use a lot of water but get poor results. The government can now use this information to guide farmers on how to do better.
About 90 percent of Uzbekistan’s water is used in agriculture but almost half of it goes to waste.
Experts believe this new system will increase wheat yields by 30 to 40 percent, without using more water. This can help the country grow more food and protect its water at the same time.
“In Central Asia, climate change is making it harder to manage water. Using satellites, we can now see exactly how water is used and help farmers do more with less,” said Mukhiddin Ibragimov, Deputy Director of UzSpace.
