Agroforestry and Soil Salinity Management in the Aral Sea Basin, Uzbekistan
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Land degradation caused by salinity is common in arid and semi-arid regions across the globe, where agriculture is difficult to sustain without a proper irrigation. On the other hand, secondary salinization, which is also caused by poor agricultural management, impacts enormous lands with varying degrees of soil salinity. In the Aral Sea Basin, increased soil salinity has resulted in widespread land damage. In general, Uzbekistan is one of the nations with a high proportion of salinized soil. Although the quantity of saline land varies, areas in the lower parts of the Amudarya river are the most salinized, accounting for more than 90% of all irrigated land. This discrepancy is attributed to the hydrogeological characteristics of downstream parts of the
Amudarya river, particularly in Khorezm and Karakalpakstan, which are situated in low accumulative plains with poorly drained alluvial lowlands, making these places prone to salinization. Agroforestry is commonly a financially viable land-use option for the environmental rehabilitation of salinized cropping fields in irrigated drylands, but farm-level afforestation programs face a number of socio-political constraints. The results highlighted in the paper show that the importance of farmer risk perceptions in making choices regarding alternative land use adoption varies. Overall, the study enables the identification of policy incentives for afforestation that may have a direct influence on the decision-making of prospective stakeholders. It is clear from the review that there is an urgent need for better land-use flexibility, improved land tenure and tree plantation ownership security, more agroforestry knowledge and training, and increased institutional assistance especially in marginal environments.
Keywords: salinity, agroforestry, Aral Sea, land use options, marginal environment
ID: 3623974