102
however, according to the author’s perspective. For some, the main problem is how to
keep the existing irrigation system operating in order to maintain current modes of
intensive agricultural production, focussing on the collapse of effective irrigation
management on farms following de-collectivisation and engineering solutions to
improve water use effi ciency (Dukhovny et al. 2009 ; Karimov et al. 2012 ). For others, the main problem is the transnational dispute between the riparian states of the
Syrdarya River surrounding the allocation of water from the upstream reservoirs
which, after over 20 years of negotiation, has reached an impasse, prompting each
nation state to pursue its own, second-best option (Weinthal 2002 ; Megoran 2004 ;
Wegerich et al. 2012 ). For others still, the core issue is about strengthening the hand
of water users – i.e. farmers – in managing irrigation systems on the ground as a
means of improving water-use practices and challenging the authoritarian and bureaucratic procedures of current decision-making (Abdullaev et al. 2009 ; Gunchinmaa
and Yakubov 2010 ; Abdullaev et al. 2010 ; Dukhovny et al. 2013 ). A fourth group of
authors targets the dire ecological impacts of the existing irrigation system and its
management, notably the Aral Sea catastrophe, deploring the absence of environmental issues in debates on the future of the irrigation system in the region (Spoor 1998 ;
White 2013 ). This categorisation is by no means mutually exclusive or exhaustive.
Further problems confronting the Fergana Valley irrigation system include rapid population growth, negative impacts of climate change, land degradation, infrastructure
disrepair, increased crop competition, dependence on donor support, the emigration
of specialists and an authoritarian political regime (Dukhovny et al. 2009 ; Abdullaev
et al. 2009 ; Gunchinmaa and Yakubov 2010 ; Abdullaev and Atabaeva 2012 ).
None of these problems exists in isolation. They are each – to a greater or lesser
degree – connected with one another. Local decision-making on water allocation is,
for instance, powerfully shaped by crop production quotas set by central government. To take another example, the huge scale of the valley’s irrigation system has
a signifi cant bearing on its hierarchical governance structures. Any attempt to analyse the challenges confronting the management of this major water engineering
project (MWEP) must address the interdependency of the complex factors at play.
These cannot be limited to the technical or physical aspects of hydrological engineering or plant science but must consider also the social, economic, political and
cultural dimensions of the land-water-food nexus, as well as its environmental
aspects, notably biodiversity and ecosystem services. This is why the authors of this
book propose to conceive of such MWEPs as complex socio-technical, socialecological and political-economic systems or confi gurations. Identifying the interdependencies between the components of such systems and how they infl uence one
another is key, we believe, to revealing potential responses to the challenges posed.
This is particularly pertinent regarding the connectivity between the water
management regime, land reforms and agricultural production in Uzbekistan.
Attempting to resolve irrigation problems by focusing solely on water management
issues and relegating agricultural policy and practices to background factors misses
the point. Appreciating the interconnectivity of the multiple components constituting a MWEP such as the Fergana Valley irrigation system is, therefore, the fi rst core
position we take in this chapter.
T. Moss and P. Dobner
however, according to the author’s perspective. For some, the main problem is how to
keep the existing irrigation system operating in order to maintain current modes of
intensive agricultural production, focussing on the collapse of effective irrigation
management on farms following de-collectivisation and engineering solutions to
improve water use effi ciency (Dukhovny et al. 2009 ; Karimov et al. 2012 ). For others, the main problem is the transnational dispute between the riparian states of the
Syrdarya River surrounding the allocation of water from the upstream reservoirs
which, after over 20 years of negotiation, has reached an impasse, prompting each
nation state to pursue its own, second-best option (Weinthal 2002 ; Megoran 2004 ;
Wegerich et al. 2012 ). For others still, the core issue is about strengthening the hand
of water users – i.e. farmers – in managing irrigation systems on the ground as a
means of improving water-use practices and challenging the authoritarian and bureaucratic procedures of current decision-making (Abdullaev et al. 2009 ; Gunchinmaa
and Yakubov 2010 ; Abdullaev et al. 2010 ; Dukhovny et al. 2013 ). A fourth group of
authors targets the dire ecological impacts of the existing irrigation system and its
management, notably the Aral Sea catastrophe, deploring the absence of environmental issues in debates on the future of the irrigation system in the region (Spoor 1998 ;
White 2013 ). This categorisation is by no means mutually exclusive or exhaustive.
Further problems confronting the Fergana Valley irrigation system include rapid population growth, negative impacts of climate change, land degradation, infrastructure
disrepair, increased crop competition, dependence on donor support, the emigration
of specialists and an authoritarian political regime (Dukhovny et al. 2009 ; Abdullaev
et al. 2009 ; Gunchinmaa and Yakubov 2010 ; Abdullaev and Atabaeva 2012 ).
None of these problems exists in isolation. They are each – to a greater or lesser
degree – connected with one another. Local decision-making on water allocation is,
for instance, powerfully shaped by crop production quotas set by central government. To take another example, the huge scale of the valley’s irrigation system has
a signifi cant bearing on its hierarchical governance structures. Any attempt to analyse the challenges confronting the management of this major water engineering
project (MWEP) must address the interdependency of the complex factors at play.
These cannot be limited to the technical or physical aspects of hydrological engineering or plant science but must consider also the social, economic, political and
cultural dimensions of the land-water-food nexus, as well as its environmental
aspects, notably biodiversity and ecosystem services. This is why the authors of this
book propose to conceive of such MWEPs as complex socio-technical, socialecological and political-economic systems or confi gurations. Identifying the interdependencies between the components of such systems and how they infl uence one
another is key, we believe, to revealing potential responses to the challenges posed.
This is particularly pertinent regarding the connectivity between the water
management regime, land reforms and agricultural production in Uzbekistan.
Attempting to resolve irrigation problems by focusing solely on water management
issues and relegating agricultural policy and practices to background factors misses
the point. Appreciating the interconnectivity of the multiple components constituting a MWEP such as the Fergana Valley irrigation system is, therefore, the fi rst core
position we take in this chapter.
T. Moss and P. Dobner