From Upscaling to Rescaling: Transforming the Fergana Basin from Tsarist Irrigation to Water Management for an Independent Uzbekistan

Abstract

The Fergana Valley is regarded as one of the most fertile irrigated oases in Asia. The genesis of these highly productive agricultural lands is the result of a lengthy process that originated long before the Kokand Khanate controlled most of the valley. Major transformations occurred during Tsarist Russian rule when the upscaling of this irrigated land commenced and when Fergana was integrated into long-distance exchange networks. Major water works were planned, but only implemented in a massive fashion during Soviet rule with its major campaigns for modernisation and planning on a large scale. Cross-border management was established in the highly integrated water scheme at the same time. Rescaling is a challenge of contemporary times with the pressures of globalisation, independent Uzbekistan's dependence on water supplies from its neighbours who share the Fergana Valley's hydraulic resources and the conditions governing the cotton world market.

Defining Suitability in Mixed Agropastoral Societies: A Case Study from Bactria in Northern Afghanistan

“…River channels and valleys appear green while the steppe, desert, and mountainous areas appear as varying shades of red. The distinction between these microenvironments is clearer on the north side of the Amu Darya river, where the ongoing effects of Soviet irrigation projects clearly differentiate the historical legacies on both sides of the border (Kreutzmann 2016;Pravilova 2009). We therefore employ NDVI as a measure of agricultural suitability due to the effectiveness with which it highlights these environmental differences and because of its clear association with areas that are today agriculturally productive.…”

A wireless rainwater collecting, filtering, and storing system using a cell-phone

“…Perry's study [8] also indicated that 20 % of total cropland (irrigated agriculture) produces more than 40 % of the world's total agricultural output. Therefore, expansion of irrigated agricultural areas is essential in nation-building processes [9]. Attempts to reuse domestic wastewater for diverse purposes, such as for agricultural irrigation, have proven to be successful in many parts of the world already [10].…”