Implementation of anti-drought measures in Braviceni, Moldova
This 3 years project funded by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic was implemented in Braviceni, Moldova in years 2008 – 2010 by the Czech based organizations Ircon ltd. and Mendelu Agricultural University. The overall objective of the project was to contribute to the ability of the Moldovan farmers to prevent the losses of their production due to the repetitive droughts by introducing the new methods and methodology for the agricultural techniques, selection of the most suitable variety of crops and introduction of alternative sources of water for the irrigation.
During the last decades non-adequate approaches in soil processing and application of fertilizers along with application of non-adequate crops and overall low level of know-how of proper water management significantly influenced Moldovan agriculture and its ability to keep the level of agricultural production mainly in the years of extreme weather conditions especially a low rain falls.
The aim of the project was the transfer the most up-to-day knowledge (based on the local conditions) in the sectors of soil processing methodology (minimalisation methods), variety of crops and their ideal combination (intercropping) and utilization of all available suitable sources of irrigation water. The efficiency of this know-how should have been demonstrated during the 2 years field experiment and the verified results should have been presented to the local farmers’ community as well as to the important institutions and opinion leaders on the central level.
The following activities were implemented:
- Detailed analysis of the local conditions (including paedological analysis, weather analysis, crops analysis, water sources analysis etc.).
- Establishment of 5 hectare demonstration area within the agricultural cooperative of Braviceni and 2 years field experiment combining different crops (pea, maize, sunflower, wheat) with different methods of the soil processing and irrigation.
- Establishment of alternative water sources for irrigation in Braviceni, including the rain water harvesting system and waste water treatment plants. New irrigation system using combination of different water sources was created.
- Educational program for local farmers composing of the seminars with presentation of the project results and available know-how in the above mentioned sectors.
- Awareness rising program at schools focused on the water (water management, prevention of the water pollution etc.). Program included students´ competitions and interactive seminars.
- Presentation of the results at the seminar organized by the Science Academy in Chisinau with presence of the representatives of relevant governmental institutions including Ministry of Agriculture, University of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment and many others. Thanks to the inclusion of the above mentioned institutions it was assured that the results of the project will be applied in the prepared strategy “Utilization of the agricultural land in Republic of Moldova” that has been now in progress by the Ministry of Agriculture, Republic of Moldova.