Researching Rainwater Harvesting in Kashkadarya, Uzbekistan

Authored by Ugonna Oboke, a Master’s student who carried out research with ICARDA under the ATSAF Junior Scientists Tandems (JST) scholarship, implemented in cooperation with GIZ.

Uzbekistan’s economy and the livelihoods of many rural communities depend on agriculture. However, farmers in many parts of the country are facing mounting pressure from water scarcity, land degradation, and soil salinization. In dryland regions, where rainfall is limited and water resources are overused, these challenges are becoming especially severe on land and ecosystems. Addressing them requires solutions that work at multiple levels, from national policies to practical field innovations that can be tested through pilot projects before wider adoption.

During a six-month research project, I had the opportunity to contribute to this effort. Supported by the ATSAF Junior Scientists Tandems (JST) scholarship in cooperation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), I worked with ICARDA on their joint project with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the Food Systems, Land Use, and Restoration (FOLUR) Impact Program in Uzbekistan. The program focuses on rainwater harvesting as a strategy to restore degraded landscapes and improve water management.

For me, the experience was particularly meaningful. Having followed ICARDA’s work on sustainable agriculture and ecosystem restoration, I was eager to learn from its scientists, who are advancing practical solutions for dryland environments worldwide.

My research applied the Social-Ecological Systems (SES) framework to rainwater harvesting. Rather than only measuring rainfall and runoff, this approach examines how people interact with ecosystems and how communities manage scarce natural resources.

This perspective helped me understand how local communities in dryland areas manage scarce water resources and what factors may support or hinder the wider adoption of rainwater harvesting practices.

Contour Terracing: Uzbekistan’s Drought Defense Engineered by ICARDA

The core of the fieldwork was conducted in the degraded, arid lands of the Kashkadarya region in Southern Uzbekistan. The research focused on implementing and evaluating contour terracing as a sustainable land management (SLM) technique to support afforestation efforts that rely entirely on natural rainfall.

Although contour terracing is an ancient water conservation practice, it remains one of the most effective landscape engineering approaches for dryland environments By reshaping slopes into terraces that follow the natural contours of the land, the system slows runoff and allows rainwater to infiltrate the soil instead of being lost as runoff. This significantly improves moisture retention, particularly on steep and degraded slopes. When combined with complementary practices such as mulching or soil sealing, contour terraces can create conditions that support vegetation growth even in extremely dry environments.

ICARDA’s work in Kashkadarya explores how this technique can be applied to establish economic tree species in degraded and saline areas that are otherwise difficult to cultivate. Although the project was already underway when I joined, the team ensured I could follow the entire development cycle, from remote sensing for site selection and soil sampling to stakeholder engagement and terrace engineering. This hands-on exposure to the full project cycle was one of the most valuable aspects of my research. Field surveys in the later stages of the project allowed us to observe how newly planted trees were responding to drought conditions.

Visiting the terrace sites in Kashkadarya for the first time was particularly striking. What appeared to be dry, degraded slopes had been carefully reshaped into contour terraces designed to capture and hold rainwater. Seeing how such a relatively simple landscape intervention could transform the conditions for tree growth made the impact of rainwater harvesting immediately tangible.

Initial observations from the field sites showed encouraging survival rates of newly planted trees, suggesting that contour terracing can significantly improve moisture retention in degraded dryland soils.

Connecting Field Data to Policy and Practice

Beyond fieldwork, I also had the opportunity to engage with institutions working on water and land management in Uzbekistan. Through interviews and consultations with development partners, research institutes, and national agencies, I explored how field-level findings could inform broader discussions on sustainable land management and climate resilience.

These interactions helped bridge the gap between field-level experimentation and the ongoing national and regional policies and programs needed to scale successful approaches across dryland regions.

Reflections for Young Researchers

This experience allowed me to connect academic research with real-world challenges faced by farmers and land managers in dryland regions. Working alongside scientists and field teams at ICARDA offered valuable insights into how practical approaches such as rainwater harvesting and contour terracing can support ecosystem restoration and climate resilience.

I am grateful to Humboldt University of Berlin, ICARDA, ATSAF, and GIZ for supporting this opportunity. Partnerships between universities, research organizations, and development partners play a vital role in enabling young researchers to contribute to practical solutions for sustainable agriculture and land restoration.