Irrigation – GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF TAJIKISTAN

GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF TAJIKISTAN

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22

Sep

Water & Rivers

GeoSociety

Irrigation Heritage: Qanats and Old Systems

Beneath the sun-baked fields of Tajikistan lie the traces of another geography—one built not of asphalt and canals, but of tunnels, shafts, and whispers of flowing water. These are the qanats, or karez, ancient irrigation systems that once sustained oases and villages long before Soviet concrete channels drew straight lines across the land. In places
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9

May

Land & Ecosystems

GeoSociety

Cotton’s Retreat: Land Use Change

For much of the twentieth century, Tajikistan’s lowlands were white in summer. Cotton—pakhta, the “white gold” of Central Asia—dominated every horizon from the Vakhsh Valley to Sughd. Its geometry defined the land: square fields, irrigation canals, and windbreaks in perfect Soviet symmetry. But step into those same valleys today, and the pattern has changed. Wheat,
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11

Oct

Land & Ecosystems

GeoSociety

The Vakhsh Valley: Agriculture and Risk

The Vakhsh Valley lies at the center of Tajikistan’s agricultural heartland—a long, sunlit corridor stretching south from the foothills near Danghara to the Afghan border. It is a place of abundance and unease. Here, the geography that makes farming possible also makes it precarious. Fertile alluvial soils spread across ancient river terraces; snowmelt from the
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5

Jul

Land & Ecosystems

GeoSociety

Soils of the Zeravshan Valley

The Zeravshan Valley winds westward from the icy spurs of the Pamir-Alay toward the plains of Sughd, its river slicing through layers of loess, marl, and glacial debris. To most travelers it looks like a simple thread of green cutting through ochre hills, but beneath that surface lies one of Central Asia’s most intricate soil
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16

Nov

Land & Ecosystems

GeoSociety

Changing Crops: Climate Shifts in Agriculture

In the irrigated plains and terraced valleys of Tajikistan, the geography of agriculture is rewriting itself. The rhythms of water, the timing of frost, and the length of the growing season—once steady anchors of rural life—are slipping out of alignment. Crops are shifting: wheat and barley are moving uphill; apricots and almonds bloom too early;
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24

Aug

Land & Ecosystems

GeoSociety

Salinization of Irrigated Soils

In the irrigated lowlands of Tajikistan, soil is not just ground—it is the country’s quiet infrastructure. It holds the water that feeds cotton, wheat, and vegetables; it anchors the livelihoods of millions who depend on the river-fed plains of Khatlon, Vakhsh, and Sughd. Yet these same fertile fields are turning saline. White crusts appear on
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2

Sep

Society & Culture

GeoSociety

Women and Water: Gendered Geographies of Labor

In many Tajik villages, the sound of water is inseparable from women’s daily lives. At dawn, before the heat rises, women walk to canals, springs, or village taps with buckets and plastic containers, chatting softly as they queue. Later, they return to wash clothes at stream edges, irrigate kitchen gardens, or clean tools. These scenes
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14

Jul

Water & Rivers

GeoSociety

Riverine Fisheries: Decline and Adaptation

On the lower reaches of Tajikistan’s rivers, as spring runoff gives way to summer flows, fishermen gather at dawn along the banks with nets, handlines, and aging wooden boats. Their activity is both timeless and newly fragile. Riverine fisheries, which once was an abundant, integral part of local livelihoods and riparian ecosystems have been steadily
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4

Feb

Land & Ecosystems

GeoSociety

Cotton Landscapes: Water, Monoculture, and Soil

In the lowland plains of Tajikistan, cotton fields stretch in orderly rows toward the horizon, green leaves shimmering against pale loess soils under an unforgiving sun. These landscapes are both entirely human-made and deeply geographical. Cotton here depends on a massive redirection of water, the reshaping of soils, and a social-ecological system built around monoculture.
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9

Dec

Land & Ecosystems

GeoSociety

Agroforestry Practices: Between Tradition and Modernity

Across Tajikistan’s valleys and foothills, trees grow not only in forests but also in fields, canalsides, and village gardens. This blending of trees with crops and pastures is part of a long agroforestry tradition that shapes both landscapes and livelihoods. In recent decades, changing climate patterns, land-use reforms, and development programs have introduced new methods,
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