Crop Rotation Current Practice and Decision-Making-A Case Study of Kumkurgan District, Uzbekistan

Abstract

Increasing global demand for food is a major challenge for many developing countries, particularly those in arid and semi-arid regions. It is the government’s responsibility to address this significant issue locally. Sustainable use of irrigated agriculture plays a critical role in not only tackling local food security but also solving other related issues such as better water resource management, employment opportunities, livelihoods, climate change adaptation, and poverty reduction. However, land capable of being cultivated for crops is limited in Uzbekistan due to inappropriate use and management of natural resources, particularly land, water, and soil. Overuse or misuse of water in the past several decades has resulted in widespread land degradation across the country, exacerbating environmental problems such as the current water shortage, soil salinity, desertification etc. In this context, numerous potential measures should be carefully taken into account, such as implementing new approaches to current land use, agricultural land optimization for better allocation of available lands to crops or developing new methods for identifying potential areas for different crops. Therefore, the goal of this study is to investigate the current practice of crop rotation and to have a better understanding of crop allocation decision-making. Such analyses can serve as initial steps towards ultimately establishing a methodology for optimizing agricultural land allocation to specific crops.