Drip irrigation saves water for a Tajik farmer

Mr. Mallaev is a farmer who grows tomatoes in the south of Tajikistan, he decided to invest in a green house and a drip irrigation system.

Winters in Tajikistan are harsh and without a greenhouse the season for growing vegetables is short. This means that the consumer pays the price, whilst the farmers suffer from unstable income. Mr. Mallaev saw an opportunity and decided to invest in a greenhouse to secure a more stable income from winter sales. His second investment, a drip irrigation system aimed to reduce his water consumption.

Climadapt team performed the analysis of the green house and a drip irrigation system, its potential of energy savings, financial-technical parameters and profitability.

An investment of USD 4,300 helped Mr. Mallaev decrease annual water use to 432 m3 per year and also improve the crop yields by 5 kg of tomatoes from each plant. The modern technology helped to save not only water, but minerals, fertilizers and labour. He is planning to grow 25 tons of tomatoes this year from his greenhouse.

The Tajikistan Climate Resilience Financing Facility, CLIMADAPT is developed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and supported by the Climate Investment Funds’ Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (CIF PPCR), the United Kingdom and the EBRD Early Transition Countries (ETC) Fund.