Farmers will now decide for themselves what crops to plant on their land and will independently input relevant information into the agricultural digital platform. This was announced at a meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on July 31, which focused on the use of space-based data and digitization in agriculture.
Plans were outlined to offer financial support for cultivating certain crops, implement contour-by-contour water accounting, purchase 100 agricultural drones, and introduce legal restrictions on burning crop residues such as straw.
Satellite data exposes gaps in land use reporting
Following the presidential decree issued on October 14, 2024, the Uzbekkosmos agency began introducing aerospace technologies across economic sectors, providing a clearer picture of the real state of agriculture and irrigation.
Over the past two years, more than 4 million hectares of farmland have undergone satellite monitoring. The findings revealed discrepancies between reported data and actual field conditions – in some cases, cotton was not planted where records claimed, and some crops were planted on reserve or unregistered plots.
As a result, a remote monitoring system will be established to track how concessional government loans are actually used.
Outdated water management systems hinder irrigation
Due to climate change and growing water scarcity, Uzbekistan is shifting to drought-tolerant crop varieties and modern agrotechnologies. However, current irrigation water quotas no longer meet real-life requirements. The existing hydromodule zoning system has become outdated, and over 3,000 farms located at the tail ends of irrigation canals are not receiving sufficient water.
To address this, the irrigation norms and hydromodule zoning will be fully updated in collaboration with agricultural and water management research institutes.
It was also noted that farmers still lack accurate measurement of the water they use. Authorities emphasized the need for full digitization of all stages of water usage and the introduction of contour-level water accounting.
Smart monitoring of water reservoirs to be expanded
