Advancing sustainable soil management in Turkmenistan: tackling salinity and erosion challenges through the Global Soil Doctors Programme
According to the law of Turkmenistan “On the State Land Cadastre,” the degree of soil salinity in Turkmenistan is determined by four indicators namely; non-saline, weakly saline, moderately saline and strongly saline.
According to the latest soil survey data, conducted from 2017 to 2021, by the government of Turkmenistan, 61 percent of the total irrigated land area in Turkmenistan consists of non-saline and weakly saline soils, 26 percent consists of moderately saline soils, and 13 percent consists of strongly saline soils. Additional problems such as water and wind erosion exacerbate the issues of salinity and as such threaten agricultural productivity. To address these challenges, the Ministry of Agriculture, the regional agrochemical laboratories, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Subregional Office for Central Asia (SEC) in collaboration with the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) launched the Global Soil Doctors Programme (GSDP) in Turkmenistan.
The programme commenced with a virtual training session in June 2024. This session focussed on identifying major threats to soil health, including salinity, organic matter depletion, and reduced fertility, all of which hinder water retention and nutrient availability. From 5 to 8 November2024, the programme entered its pilot phase in Dashoguz Velayat under the FAO/Global Environmental Facility (GEF) CACILM-2 project, titled integrated natural resource management in drought-prone and salt-affected areas. This in-person training of trainers aimed to build local capacity for managing saline soils sustainably.
The training involved 20 trainers (19 men and 1 women) from the Dashoguz region, staff from the regional agrochemical laboratories, and 40 Soil Doctors (28 men and 12 women). Participants engaged in practical field exercises and learned techniques for sustainable soil management, including understanding the causes of soil salinization and implementing effective mitigation strategies such as crop rotation, organic matter improvement, measuring and monitoring soil and water salinity.The programme targeted three priority soil threats critical to agricultural sustainability in Turkmenistan: combating soil salinization, mitigating soil compaction, and controlling wind and water erosion.
The initiative is designed to create a ripple effect, with trainers and Soil Doctors disseminating their knowledge to over 100 farmers (70 men and 30 women) in their communities. By promoting sustainable practices, the programme aims to improve soil health, enhance crop yields, preserve biodiversity, and foster resilience in rural communities. These efforts align with broader policy goals outlined in Turkmenistan’s National Programme of Socio-Economic Development, the National Strategy on Climate Change, and the National Forestry Programme, all of which emphasize sustainable land management to boost agricultural productivity.
Ultimately, the Global Soil Doctors Programme seeks to cultivate a new generation of agricultural leaders committed to sustainable soil management and build more productive and resilient agrifood systems, leaving no one behind.
Related links:
https://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/soil-doctors-programme/implementation-sites/europe/en/