"The Project for Development of Innovative Climate Resilient Technologies for Monitoring and Controlling of Water Use Efficiency and Impact of Salinization on Crop Productivity and Livelihood in Aral Sea region"
The purpose of this study is to explore the resource value of halophytes that can grow in saline environment around the Aral Sea, which has shrunk due to the large amount of water intake by irrigation agriculture such as cotton for many years, and to develop the technology and business model as “Circular Halophytes Mixed Farming (CHMF)” which is sustainable even in small villages in marginal areas. Through water cycle analysis using long-term climate data and earth observation satellite information, the amount of available water resources, evapotranspiration, and crop growth in the target area are estimated, and those information are utilized in daily agricultural production management practices. In doing so, the adaptation capacity to future climate changes will be improved. In addition, optimum combination of crop species is proposed from the viewpoints of resistance to salinity and drought, salt removal ability, and water use efficiency to realize productive and sustainable agriculture through better irrigation and drainage management preventing salt damage progress, saline land reclamation by active cultivation of halophytes, and utilization of halophytes. In this way, a research and education base for saline agriculture will be established locally to systematically train and educate climate change adaptation measures and farmland salinity management.
Objectives
- Assist transition to the sustainable agriculture and improve resilience in the river deltas of Uzbekistan （Water / Energy / Food / food security, increased income, climate change）
- Provide scientific support to IICAS in establishing a education and training system to combat climate change and manage salinity of agricultural lands.
- Propose a model of agricultural systems suited for agro-forestry, aquaculture; cattle breeding, bio-energy, etc.
Countermeasures for Salinization
Physical removal
mulching, leaching, scraping, capillary barrier
Chemical removal
ameliorant (gypsum, gypsum phosphate, sublimed sulfur, sulfuric acid, etc.)
Biological removal（phytoremediation）
Improving soil quality using plants. Saline lands environmental restoration using halophytes which can grow on saline soils and uptake salts from soil.
Integration of hydrology, meteorology and biosaline agriculture
Core members
Kenji Tanaka
Kyoto University
Hydrology, hydrometeorology, water resources engineering
Observation and modeling of the water cycle process in various climatic and vegetation zones
Monitoring the land surface state and assessing the impact of climate change on water resources
Kristina Toderich
Tottori University
Physiology and ecology of halophytes
More than 35 years of experience in the field of desert-pasture fodder production and animal husbandry, saline agriculture
Atsushi Higuchi
Chiba University
Satellite climatology, hydrology
analysis of environmental dynamics using various data from earth observation satellites, especially geostationary meteorological satellites.
Takanori Nagano
Kobe University
Irrigation and Drainage, Regional Planning, Remote Sensing
Salinity Damage management for Large Irrigated Lands
Land use and crop diagnostics using time series satellite imageries
Naoko Matsuo
Mie University
Forest Hydrology, Plant Physiology and Ecology, water use and salt tolerance of plant
Clarification of the plant survival strategies in arid and saline conditions.
Clarification of the characteristics of water use, photosynthesis and transpiration of tropical trees.
Hidenari Yasui
The University of Kitakyushu
Environmental Engineering, Biological Wastewater Treatment, Organic Waste Treatment and its Recycle
Over 20 years of business experience on environmental researches and developments including commercialization.
Implementation of various kinds of environmental technologies over developing countries.