Environmental policy and administrative management

Bostandyk settlement is located in Talas area. Over 1500 people live there, 104 farming companies work there. The settlement is located in semi-desert zone. The main problem for inhabitants of the village is lack of water for irrigation. The sowing grounds round the village are degraded, the sown area doesn t yield harvest because of its strong salinity. Besides, uncontrolled cattle grazing aggravates the situation. The project is aimed at raising pastures productivity through water supply of these sites. Sowing of alfalfa and barley will promote enrichment of the soils. As people will get forage for the cattle, cattle grazing will reduce on the degraded territories. And thus the pressure on pastures will also reduce. It s also planned that Akimat will make a decision on the seasonal scheme of pastures use in summer and winter time. The project tasks are: (i) improvement of irrigational syste to supply the pastures with water, (through mobilization of population on construction of the canal for 3,7 km, (ii) Decrease of the soils salination by sowing of forage crops (alfalfa and barley) , (iii) Carrying out of information campaign among local population. Expected results are: -Pastures around the village and private farmlands are irrigated by means of place the new canal in operation Pastures productivity is raised The soils salinity on 15 hectares of pastures and 8 hectares of the private farmlands is decreased through sowing alfalfa and barley Local Akimat (local authorities) defines and approves pastures for grazing the cattle during winter and summer seasons The processes of land degradation are reduced

Kazakhstan