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Managing salinity in Central Asia: licorice a tool in rehabilitating abandoned irrigated lands. Dr Akmal Karimov , Dr Habibjon Kushiev IWMI Central Asia. Uniting Agriculture and Nature for Poverty Reduction. The I ssue.
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Managing salinity in Central Asia: licorice a tool in rehabilitating abandoned irrigated lands DrAkmalKarimov, DrHabibjonKushiev IWMI Central Asia. Uniting Agriculture and Nature for Poverty Reduction
The Issue • 34 million hectares (11%) of globally equipped irrigated area is abandoned or underperforming due to salinity • Represents an annual loss of $11 billion annual • In Central Asia 50% of irrigated area affected by degrees of salinization • Elevated water tables that mobilize salt in the profile • Drainage systems do not work effectively – lack of maintenance and investments
The Research Approach • Need an effective and inexpensive approach to address the problem • Dewatering the profile with deep rooted species endemic to Central Asia – Licorice (Glycyrrhizaglabra) • Tolerates salinity; market for root extracts: industrial uses; pharmaceuticals; food and beverages (Coca Cola) • Forage can be fed to livestock – protein content of 12% • Licorice is a perennial shrub; tolerates harsh winters -20C
The Research Results Forage/root production – income in the remediation process Dewatered profile Revert back to a wheat cotton rotation after 3-4 years
Outcomes of the Research Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) for amelioration of salt-affected soils and income generation, Uzbekistan Salt-affected soils in Syr Darya, Uzbekistan, 2005 • Growing licorice on abandoned salt-affected: • Increases the price for cultivated licorice • Area of cultivated licorice increased from 4ha to 500ha • Factory establish to process 9 000 ton to extract roots • Assisting World Bank and the Uzbek government in an investment associated with rehabilitating 10,000 ha of salinized land • PIM undertaking assessment of markets and value chains for licorice