Irrigation and land degradation: implications for agriculture in Turkmenistan, central Asia

Agriculture in Turkmenistan is almost entirely dependent on irrigation. Expansion of the irrigation network, particularly since the late 1950s, has significantly increased the countryʹs agricultural output, especially of cotton. While problems of waterlogging and salinisation of Turkmenistanʹs irrigation systems have been reported in the past, detailed information has only recently been readily available to western researchers. Data from the mid-1980s onwards indicates that there has been a significant increase in the area of land where the water table is less than 2 m below the surface and more and more land is becoming saline. Declining soils and water quality has significant implication for future agricultural development and could thwart Turkmenistanʹs plans to diversify its agricultural base from one almost entirely dependent on cotton to one that will enable the countryʹs food requirements to be met.