This publication contains 12 papers on the present use of irrigation systems for fisheries of the countries in the arid belt of Asia, covering areas in China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. Whilst some countries are well advanced in use of irrigation systems for fish production, others are experiencing major difficulties arising from recent political and economic changes.

This Fisheries Technical Paper is a companion to the Report of the FAO Expert Consultation on the Use of Irrigation Systems for Sustainable Fish Production in Arid Countries of Asia (FAO Fisheries Report No. 679). The consultation was held at Almaty, Kazakhstan, from 25 to 29 September 2001. The document brings together twelve papers that review the present use of irrigation systems for fisheries in the countries of the arid belt of Asia, from Turkey to China. The individual papers deal with the following countries and areas: Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (China), India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. While some countries in the arid belt are well advanced in the field of fish production from waterbodies of irrigation systems, others are experiencing major difficulties arising from recent changes in their political and economic systems, particularly Mongolia and the countries of Central Asia. Such countries require major assistance. The document includes a summary of recommendations and proposals for further action, as formulated by the expert consultation. Contents Chapter 1: Fish Stocks and Fisheries in Irrigation Systems in Arid Asia by T Petr; Chapter 2: The Use of Irrigation Systems for Sustainable Fish Production in Pakistan by Nasim Akhtar; Chapter 3: The Use of Irrigation Systems for Sustainable Fish Production in Turkey by R Celebi; Chapter 4: The Use of Irrigation Systems for Sustainable Fish Production in India by by B P Das; Chapter 5: Irrigation in India by P V Dehadrai; Chapter 6: The Use of Irrigation Systems for Fish Production in Kyrgyzstan by D Djancharov; Chapter 6: The Impact of Drought on Agriculture and Fisheries in Iran by M Foghi; Chapter 7: Irrigation and Fish Production in Mongolia by Dashdorj Ganbaatar; Chapter 8: Fisheries Development in Xinjiang, China by Guo Yan; The Use of Irrigation Systems for Sustainable Production of Agriculture and Fish Products in the Republic of Kazakhstan by Khismet Ismukhanov and Valiakhmet Mukhamedzhanov; Chapter 8: The Use of Irrigation Systems for Sustainable Fish Production: Uzbekistan by Bakhtiyar Kamilov; Chapter 9: Uzbekistan Irrigation Systems and their Management Potential for Fisheries in Regional Context by P Umarov.

This publication contains 12 papers on the present use of irrigation systems for fisheries of the countries in the arid belt of Asia, covering areas in China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. Whilst some countries are well advanced in use of irrigation systems for fish production, others are experiencing major difficulties arising from recent political and economic changes.

The book aims to initiate a sustainable use of land and water resources in Central Asia by the transfer of scientific methods. It deals with the most advanced methods worldwide for better monitoring and management of water and land resources. We offer an array of methods of measuring, assessing, forecasting, utilizing and controling processes in agricultural landscapes. These are laboratory and field measurement methods, methods of resource evaluation, functional mapping and risk assessment, and remote sensing methods for monitoring and modeling large areas. The book contains methods and results of data analysis and ecosystem modeling, of bioremediation of soil and water, field monitoring of soils, and methods and technologies for optimizing land use systems as well. The chapter authors are inventors and advocators of novel transferrable methods. The book starts with an analysis of the current state of water and land resources. Finally concrete proposals for the applicability of novel methods are given.

This technical document has been developed in recognition of the increasingly diverse demands for water from irrigation systems and the need to introduce more holistic land uses into conventional irrigation management. Despite historical precedents and efforts in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the potential for the integration of fish production (capture fisheries and aquaculture) and irrigation systems has yet to be fully realized. Capturing these underutilized opportunities for the integration of fisheries and aquaculture could significantly increase local economies, food security, household incomes and livelihood diversity within irrigated agriculture systems. To re-examine the potential of fisheries in irrigation systems, the concept of the extended command area (ECA) is used, expanding the conventional definition of an agriculture irrigation command area. The reason for this expanded definition is because all elements of an irrigation system, from upstream dam storage to downstream drainage areas, offer opportunities for increasing fish production. Many of these opportunities may be realized at no additional cost to the main irrigated crop. This document provides an introduction to the ways fisheries and aquaculture already co-exist with irrigation and explores the threats and opportunities that arise from this. A key concept for sustaining and enhancing inland capture fisheries is “connectivity”– a fundamental basis for ensuring adequate environmental conditions to allow fish to flourish within an aquatic ecosystem such as a river, lake, or wetland. Improving connectivity within an ECA can restore elements of ecological services that may have been compromised or degraded through irrigation, water management or through other rural infrastructure development such as road construction. Practical application of the integration of fisheries and irrigation systems is explored through the use of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) in the context of irrigation systems. The proposed process links the development of an EAF management plan for fisheries to irrigation system operation and is given the acronym EAFm-i. A key part of this linkage is an assessment of water resources in the system and the management of water for delivery to fisheries. Additional tools to support the EAFm-i process are also described. Although the experience and approach are drawn largely from irrigation systems and inland capture fisheries in Southeast Asia, the application of the ECA concept and approach will be relevant to any irrigation or water management system where there is potential for the closer integration and harmonization of fisheries and irrigation systems and where water users are interested in realizing this potential. This short paper is intended to encourage fisheries and irrigation specialists to engage in greater dialogue and cooperation over the integration of fisheries into irrigation planning and to support piloting of an EAFm-i process, which can be the basis for further development.

Being able to access fish and other aquatic resources in inland waters for nutrition and food security is essential for rural populations in many developing countries and inland fisheries contribute significantly to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security, and the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication, are tools allowing governments to strengthen governance and develop policies that secure equitable distribution of benefits and empower stakeholders. This document examines the tenure systems, rights and governance issues in the vast, diverse and complex inland fisheries of India. The objective is to highlight how inland fisheries have been changing and the associated challenges for governance and tenure. The legal and policy contexts, within which fishing in rivers, wetlands and estuaries takes place, are described as well as the diversity of fishing activities and practices in the different environments found in India, which include inland capture fisheries, culture-based fisheries and freshwater aquaculture systems. Multiple drivers of change that affect inland fisheries are discussed from within the fisheries sector and from wider social, economic and environmental contexts. The ways in which formal and informal institutional arrangements and customary access regimes interact with each other are highlighted. The potential outcomes of institutional change and emerging policies for ecological sustainability, economic equity and social justice are discussed, with a focus on capture fisheries within India’s inland fisheries.

This book presents the first comprehensive assessment of water resources in Pakistan including surface water resources and groundwater resources. It gives a detailed overview of issues and challenges related to water which have not been adequately addressed e.g. water resource vulnerability to climate change, groundwater depletion and contamination, and water governance etc. It includes a collection and compilation of unpublished and scattered data from the archives and repositories of various national institutions and organization. Given the literature dearth, this book will not only be a comprehensive assessment of water resources in Pakistan but can also can as outstanding textbook on water resource management in Pakistan. It will attract a great range of readership including water specialists, researchers, undergraduate and post graduate students and policy makers from Pakistan as well as from overseas.