On January 27, 2026, the first seminar on disseminating the results of the project “Adjustment of hydromodular zoning of the Syr Darya River basin using Earth remote sensing data and satellite mapping technologies to adjust water consumption and irrigation regimes for agricultural crops cultivated in the region” was held in Shymkent (Republic of Kazakhstan).
The seminar was organized by the IFAS Executive Committee as part of a project funded by the French Development Agency (AFD). This initiative is part of Project 1.11 “Implementation of Best Practices to Improve Crop Irrigation Regimes” of the 4th Aral Sea Basin Action Program (ASBP-4) .
The seminar was attended by representatives from the Ministries of Water Resources and Agriculture of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, local executive bodies of the Turkestan and Kyzylorda regions, the IFAS Executive Committee, research institutes, higher education institutions, as well as experts and representatives of large agricultural water users and members of the Basin Council. The event was held in a hybrid format.
The main objective of the Project Dissemination Workshop is to inform, demonstrate, and promote the obtained data and recommendations among key stakeholders, followed by the integration of the developed recommendations into national strategic and regulatory documents.
The seminar presented the project’s goals, objectives, and methodology, based on the integration of remote sensing data, geographic information systems, and ground-based observations. Particular attention was paid to the role of hydromodular zoning as a tool for rational water resource management and improving the efficiency of irrigated agriculture in the face of increasing water scarcity and climate change.
Alexander Dolidudko, representing the Scientific and Research Center of the Interstate Water Commission, participated in the seminar and presented the interim results of work on adjusting hydromodular zoning in pilot areas of the Fergana Valley for 2025.
During the first session, leading specialist Alexander Dolidudko presented three presentations on the following topics:
- “From standards to calculations: data preparation and methodological basis for hydromodular zoning of the Fergana Valley”, which included a review of standards, zoning methods, results of ground-based and space research, data collection and analysis, database creation, and calculations using the Sebal model;
- “Analysis of climate scenarios and data collection for compiling electronic maps of hydromodular regions of the Fergana Valley: intermediate results”, which included calculations of climate scenarios, collection of soil and hydrological (GWL) data and creation of electronic maps of soils and GWL;
- “On the progress of work on comparative analysis of remote sensing data and field surveys in test areas of the Fergana Valley,” which included the selection and description of test areas, the number of fields, crops, accounting for phenology (growth and development of agricultural crops), and the calculation of spectral indices (NDVI, SAVI).
The seminar is aimed at specialists and decision-makers developing policies and implementing practices in the areas of water resources, irrigation, and agriculture. The knowledge and recommendations gained can be used in developing and making management decisions, as well as in integrating new approaches into national strategies and regulations.
During the discussions, participants discussed the practical applicability of the obtained results, the possibility of updating irrigation standards and regimes, the implementation of water-saving technologies, and the prospects for integrating the developed recommendations into national strategies and regulations of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Following the seminar, participants’ suggestions and recommendations were collected and will be used in the project’s further implementation. A schedule for future seminars to disseminate the project’s results was also announced: in Kyzylorda in June and in Tashkent in November.
Google machine translated