The land use planning (LUP) Catalogue of Tajikistan (LUPC-TAJ)
The Land Use Planning Catalogue for Tajikistan (LUPC-TAJ) has been developed to provide “food for thought” for the local population in the form of easily and understandably presented options. The description of options is not exhaustive but should provide ideas on improving land use practice, promote thinking outside traditional ways, and stimulate innovative planning and testing. LUPC-TAJ is based on technologies and approaches documented in the WOCAT database. The selection of the options is tuned to conditions in Tajikistan, considering the prevailing soil and climate conditions, land use systems and related problems.It is primarily designed for facilitators and community mobilizers as a tool during community workshops on land use planning or other occasions.
LUPC-TAJ is structured in chapters dealing with forest management, pasture management, crop management, and saline and waterlogged land management.
Each land use option consists of a brief on purpose and technologies, a box on advantages and disadvantages, and questionnaires for a first self-assessment on whether or not necessary preconditions are met, hence whether the land use option is applicable under the prevailing condition and situation. The questionnaires should help to assess challenges of introducing the land use option, its financial implications, impact on ecology (including climate resilience), gender equality, and effects on the community as a socio-economic unit. In case of missing background information or doubt as to how to answer certain questions, a technical advisor should be contacted. A list of advisors is included.
Forest management technologies covered include (1) planting of nitrogen fixing trees, (2) planting of poplar trees for afforestation, (3) supplementary irrigation with plastic bottles, (4) fencing, including live fencing, and (5) plastic cover of plantlets.
The organization of pasture management is treated in sections on the organization of pasture users, pasture monitoring, and pasture management planning. Pasture rehabilitation techniques covered include (1) pasture rotation, (2) natural pasture resowing, (3) gully rehabilitation by barrier building shrubs, (4) planting of single trees or bushes on pasture, and (5) control of weeds by hand. Technologies for increasing fooder supply include (1) orchard based fodder production, (2) tree branches as fodder, and (3) small-scale dairy farming or zero grazing. Attention is also given to infrastructural aspects of pasture management, including (1) bridges, (2) drinking troughs, (3) shelters against predators, (4) live fencing on village pastures, and (5) hay cabling.
The chapter on cropland management technologies covers (1) organizational approach (water management, crop rotation, and orchard planting and maintenance), (2) improvement of soil fertility and moisture availability (field cleaning, drip irrigation, crop mulching, N-fixing plants), (3) reduction of erosion and crop protection (orchard planting on slopes, buffer strips on slopes, live fencing on croplands), and (4) improvement of kitchen gardens (compost preparation, ash and nutrititon management, rooftop rainwater harvesting, single tree mulching, supplemental irrigation by bottles).
The chapter on saline and waterlogged land presents technologies for managing saline and waterlogged land, salt-tolerant crops and varieties, cover crops in winter time for salinity management, river bank stabilization with gabions, and woodland belts.