1.2 Contact details of resource persons and institutions involved in the assessment and documentation of the Technology

Name of the institution(s) which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)

NCCR North-South (NCCR North-South) - Kyrgyzstan

Name of the institution(s) which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)

Tajik Soil Insitute (Tajik Soil Institute) - Tajikistan

Name of the institution(s) which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)

CDE Centre for Development and Environment (CDE Centre for Development and Environment) - Switzerland

1.3 Conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT

The compiler and key resource person(s) accept the conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT:

Yes

2.1 Short description of the Technology

Definition of the Technology:

Vegetative and structural technology for the rehabilitation of an expanded gully

2.2 Detailed description of the Technology

Description:

The extension of a deep incised gully, which borders a fertile orchard, is stopped and sediments are trapped by the help of vegetative and structural measures. The gully floor is vegetated with different trees inter alia willow, poplar, cherry, blackberry and walnut which are arranged in random groups. At the bottom of the gully where it intersects the road there is a stonewall, which collects the sediments that are washed down during heavy rainfalls mostly in spring. A dense bush line with Russian olives, apricots, cherries, walnuts, plums and buxus has been planted on the top of the side slopes of the gully, and roots of those bushes keep the soil stable and at the same time they prevent landslides and expansion of the gully. These tree lines are cut from time to time, otherwise they grow and become heavy and due to their weight the trees would possibly fall into the gully.

Purpose of the Technology: (1) The deep roots of willow trees on the bottom of the gully protect the soil and prevent it from being eroded during the heavy spring floods. Trees also help to collect sediment and to accumulate it in the gully. (2) The dense bush lines with its deep roots, on the top of the gully slope, stop the horizontal erosion, which endangers the fertile orchard close to the gully. (3) A stonewall at the lower end of the gully collects sediments which have been washed down. Once in a while a heightening of the stonewall has to be done. The technology with its three measures prevents from further gully expansion and supports its rehabilitation.

Establishment / maintenance activities and inputs: These three measures, the tree line, the bottom vegetation and the stonewall were developed and implemented by the farmer's own initiative. The farmer implemented the technology on his own and expands it every year. The entire technology doesn’t have to be established at once, which allows investing money and time whenever it is available. For maintenance new trees are planted both in the gully and in the tree line, which has to be cut and pruned from time to time. The technology is relatively affordable and facile to implement. At the beginning the farmer bought some seedlings. Meanwhile, the plants reproduce themselves and the farmer doesn't have to buy seedlings for further maintenance. The stones can be collected for free in the nearby riverbed. The work is done manually; no special tools are needed for the technology.

Natural / human environment: The farmer is proud of the outcome of his initiative. However he wishes that his neighbours would follow his lead, as for them it would be beneficial to implement the technology as well. He stated that usually people do not listen to a common farmer, but if the technology would be introduced by an official person it would spread out quickly.

2.3 Photos of the Technology

2.5 Country/ region/ locations where the Technology has been applied and which are covered by this assessment

2.6 Date of implementation

If precise year is not known, indicate approximate date:

• 10-50 years ago

2.7 Introduction of the Technology

Specify how the Technology was introduced:

• through land users' innovation

Comments (type of project, etc.):

The farmer implemented the technology during the civil war and teached other farmers to do it. But it is not so easy for the farmer to convince other people to follow his example.

3.1 Main purpose(s) of the Technology

• reduce, prevent, restore land degradation
• protect a watershed/ downstream areas – in combination with other Technologies

3.2 Current land use type(s) where the Technology is applied

Comments:

Major land use problems (compiler’s opinion): Highly erodible loess soil, and heavy rainfalls which causes a lot of surface runoff and erosion.

Major land use problems (land users’ perception): Lack of water for irrigation, too few rain, steep slopes, infertile soils which make the use of fertilizers essential.

Constraints of wastelands / deserts / glaciers / swamps

Number of growing seasons per year:

1

Specify:

Longest growing period in days: 210Longest growing period from month to month: March to August

3.5 SLM group to which the Technology belongs

• cross-slope measure
• surface water management (spring, river, lakes, sea)

3.6 SLM measures comprising the Technology

Comments:

Main measures: vegetative measures

Secondary measures: structural measures

Type of vegetative measures: aligned: -along boundary, scattered / dispersed

3.7 Main types of land degradation addressed by the Technology

Comments:

Main type of degradation addressed: Wg: gully erosion / gullying

Secondary types of degradation addressed: Wm: mass movements / landslides, Wr: riverbank erosion

Main causes of degradation: soil management (lack of knowledge for soil treatement, e.g. people dig hollows which support gully formation, agronoms from soviet times are missing), over-exploitation of vegetation for domestic use (Trees were cut for domestic use), overgrazing, disturbance of water cycle (infiltration / runoff), Heavy / extreme rainfall (intensity/amounts), land tenure (land is not private property), poverty / wealth (no money for tractors, fertilizers, education, etc.,), education, access to knowledge and support services, war and conflicts (during the civil war the land was not cultivated sustainably), governance / institutional (land use rights)

Secondary causes of degradation: deforestation / removal of natural vegetation (incl. forest fires), change in temperature (too hot and too cold temperatures dry out the soil, plants cannot survive), change of seasonal rainfall, population pressure, inputs and infrastructure: (roads, markets, distribution of water points, other, …) (lack of machinery to treat the field properly)

3.8 Prevention, reduction, or restoration of land degradation

Specify the goal of the Technology with regard to land degradation:

• prevent land degradation
• restore/ rehabilitate severely degraded land

Comments:

Main goals: prevention of land degradation, rehabilitation / reclamation of denuded land

4.1 Technical drawing of the Technology

4.2 General information regarding the calculation of inputs and costs

other/ national currency (specify):

Tajik Somoni

If relevant, indicate exchange rate from USD to local currency (e.g. 1 USD = 79.9 Brazilian Real): 1 USD =:

4.7

4.3 Establishment activities

	Activity	Timing (season)
1.	plant trees in the gully	whole year
2.	plant tree line	whole year
3.	build wall

4.4 Costs and inputs needed for establishment

	Specify input	Unit	Quantity	Costs per Unit	Total costs per input	% of costs borne by land users
Labour	Build wall	wall	1.0	125.0	125.0	100.0
Labour	Planting trees	Persons/day	3.0	12.0	36.0	100.0
Plant material	Tree seedlings		1.0	166.0	166.0
Total costs for establishment of the Technology					327.0
Total costs for establishment of the Technology in USD					69.57

4.5 Maintenance/ recurrent activities

	Activity	Timing/ frequency
1.	add trees in the gully	spring
2.	add trees in the tree line	spring
3.	increase the height of the stonewall	once a while

4.6 Costs and inputs needed for maintenance/ recurrent activities (per year)

	Specify input	Unit	Quantity	Costs per Unit	Total costs per input	% of costs borne by land users
Labour	Add trees	Persons/day	1.0	12.0	12.0	100.0
Labour	Increase the hight of the wall	-
Total costs for maintenance of the Technology					12.0
Total costs for maintenance of the Technology in USD					2.55

Comments:

The fact that the inputs for the technology are not evenly distributed throughout the area, the costs were calculated for the whole technology area.

4.7 Most important factors affecting the costs

Describe the most determinate factors affecting the costs:

The material is relatively affordable. Money intensive factor are the seedlings during establishment phase. Following years the trees reproduce themselves. The establishment of the technology, the planting of the trees and the building of the stonewall require a lot of labour input in the initial phase. As the whole technology does not have to be implemented at once, the work can be split-up over years.

5.1 Climate

5.2 Topography

5.3 Soils

If available, attach full soil description or specify the available information, e.g. soil type, soil PH/ acidity, Cation Exchange Capacity, nitrogen, salinity etc.

Soil depth on average: No soil in the gully

Soil fertility is medium for the treeline on top of the slopes of the gully (close to the orchard). but in the gully its very low because the soil was washed away.

Topsoil organic matter is medium at the treeline on top of the gully slope.

Soil drainage / infiltration is medium and in the orchard, gully works as drainage

Soil water storage capacity is very low

5.4 Water availability and quality

5.5 Biodiversity

5.6 Characteristics of land users applying the Technology

Indicate other relevant characteristics of the land users:

Land users applying the Technology are mainly common / average land users

Difference in the involvement of women and men: The technology was directed by the farmer and implemented by the farmer's son. Only men were involved in the technology. In Tajikistan usually work for men and women is strictly divided. Women work in the household, take care for children and work on the field. The gully rehabilitation project was men's work.

Population density: 100-200 persons/km2

Annual population growth: 2% - 3%

10% of the land users are rich (trader which buy and sell products from the farmers).
60% of the land users are average wealthy and own 80% of the land.
30% of the land users are poor and own 20% of the land.

Off-farm income specification: beneath the technology the farmer has an orchard with intercropping, a flax and a wheat plot.

5.7 Average area of land used by land users applying the Technology

5.8 Land ownership, land use rights, and water use rights

Land ownership:

• state

Land use rights:

• open access (unorganized)

Water use rights:

• communal (organized)

5.9 Access to services and infrastructure

6.1 On-site impacts the Technology has shown

Socio-economic impacts

Production

Income and costs

Socio-cultural impacts

Ecological impacts

Water cycle/ runoff

Soil

Biodiversity: vegetation, animals

Climate and disaster risk reduction

6.2 Off-site impacts the Technology has shown

6.3 Exposure and sensitivity of the Technology to gradual climate change and climate-related extremes/ disasters (as perceived by land users)

Gradual climate change

Gradual climate change

	Season	increase or decrease	How does the Technology cope with it?
annual temperature		increase	not known

Climate-related extremes (disasters)

Meteorological disasters

	How does the Technology cope with it?
local rainstorm	not well
local windstorm	well

Climatological disasters

	How does the Technology cope with it?
drought	not well

Other climate-related consequences

Other climate-related consequences

	How does the Technology cope with it?
reduced growing period	not well

Comments:

On the bottom of the gully willow trees should be planted which have strong roots to resist floods, especially if the gully is already deep. At the slopes Russian olives and wild cherries can be planted. The higher amount of trees makes gully even more stable.

6.4 Cost-benefit analysis

How do the benefits compare with the establishment costs (from land users’ perspective)?

How do the benefits compare with the maintenance/ recurrent costs (from land users' perspective)?

Comments:

Much more extra work comes up for the establishment, but for the farmer work is not a disadvantage.

6.5 Adoption of the Technology

Comments:

There is a little trend towards spontaneous adoption of the Technology

6.7 Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities of the Technology

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the land user’s view
Stopping the expansion (prevention) of the gully and filling up the gully (rehabilitation). How can they be sustained / enhanced? Maintain the vegetative measures, plant more seedlings and let them reproduce themselves.
Firewood and construction material production. How can they be sustained / enhanced? Increase the vegetation with wood of good quality and use it in a sustainable manner (cut only as much as will be reproduced).

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
Extensive use of the area and a relatively rich diversity of local vegetation. The maintained gully provides new habitat for natural flora and fauna. How can they be sustained / enhanced? Keep and promote the diversity of plants in the gully.
Cheap and relatively less labor intensive work. Relatively little knowledge and no special tools are required. How can they be sustained / enhanced? Make the technology public.
The entire technology doesn’t have to be established at once, which allows investing money and time whenever it is available.

6.8 Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks of the Technology and ways of overcoming them

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the land user’s view	How can they be overcome?
The trees stop the water, sediments, branches etc. too effectively and this creates problems with too much water in the gully, which is washing out the sides of the gully.

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view	How can they be overcome?
A disadvantage is the extra work the farmer have to spend on a little productive area.	In the land users view work is not a disadvantage, it is his job. Considering the fact that it is not that much extra work, it is not a big disadvantage.
For the establishment a first investment for the seedlings is required.	An establishment of the technology during a longer period allows to grow own seedlings from the plants which do not cost anything.

7.1 Methods/ sources of information

7.2 References to available publications

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Integrated spatial assessment for Sustainable Land Management „SLM-planning“ in the loess hill of central Tajikistan using WOCAT mapping tools (working title), Selina Studer, 2013, Master Thesis, University of Bern, Bern.

Available from where? Costs?

University of Bern

7.3 Links to relevant online information

Title/ description:

WOCAT technology movie: Orchard-Based Agroforestry

URL:

wocat@cde.ch