"Monitoring and Study of Agricultural Land in the Kyzylorda Region: New Agro-Meteorological Stations along the Syrdarya River"

From July 10-15, 2023, employees of the Center for Sustainable Agriculture of KazNARU went on a business trip to the Kyzylorda region. The main objective of this field research expedition was to install agro-meteorological stations in the Zhanakorgan, Syrdarya, and Karmakshy districts of the Kyzylorda region. These stations are designed for long-term autonomous monitoring of meteorological parameters necessary for all types of agricultural research, as well as for creating a comprehensive database on climate, river flow, agricultural land, and temporal land cover series along the Syrdarya River.

During the business trip, we held scientific and partnership meetings with the staff of the Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Rice Production named after I. Zhakhaev and representatives of peasant farms. Our contacts were established with the support of Zhanuzak Baymanov, the Head of the Knowledge Dissemination Center "Kyzylorda" at KazNIIR, who introduced us to the farmers in the research areas.

In the Zhanakorgan district, we installed an agro-meteorological station in the agricultural fields of the head of the scientific-production peasant farm "Agrotechnology," Kerimkhan Egizbaev. Dr. Kerimkhan Egizbaev is one of the entrepreneurs who started their own business in the early years of independence. Currently, his son is actively involved in the business, engaging in the labor-intensive work of cultivating a crop rotation of rice-winter wheat-rice. They also manage 1,980 hectares of land and maintain 344 heads of cattle, including 150 Santa Gertrudis breed cows imported from the United States.

In the Syrdarya district, we installed an agro-meteorological station in the agricultural fields of the Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Rice Production named after I. Zhakhaev. This will enable the collection and analysis of data on meteorological conditions in this area and their use for agricultural research.

In the Karmakshy district, we installed an agro-meteorological station in the agricultural fields of the company "Aktobe and K." The director of this company, Nurlan Turganbekovich Izdibaev, was awarded the "Qurmet" Order in 2016 for the implementation of advanced technologies and achieving high yields. Nurlan Izdibaev started his career as an ordinary combine operator and today he is the director of the largest rice company in the Aral area region, "Aktobe and K," located in the village of Aktobe in the Karmakshy district of the Kyzylorda region.

During the installation of the agro-meteorological station, we ensured the connection to the necessary meteorological instruments, data collection systems, and remote visualization of the station's monitoring. Training sessions were also conducted with the farm staff regarding the operation and maintenance of the station.

The installed agro-meteorological stations will allow for the collection of continuous data on weather conditions, soil moisture, air temperature, and other parameters necessary for agricultural research. This data will be used for analysis and forecasting of climatic conditions, plant responses to the environment, and optimization of agricultural practices.

Scientific and partnership meetings with the staff of the Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Rice Production named after I. Zhakhaev and representatives of peasant farms contribute to the exchange of knowledge and experience, as well as the strengthening of cooperation in the agricultural field. This can lead to the development of more effective agricultural methods and increased crop yields in the region.

This field research trip to the Kyzylorda region was carried out within the framework of international grant funding No. ID-OAA-A-11-00012 dated April 1, 2021, concluded between the National Academy of Sciences of the United States (NAS) and the United States Agency for International

Development (USAID) under the PEER 9 cycle program on the topic: " The effects of excessive water use and agricultural intensification on Aral Sea shrinkage: socioeconomic-environmental systems (SES) dynamics within the Syr Darya River Basin".

The installed agro-meteorological stations will play an important role in collecting data on weather and climatic conditions necessary for agricultural research. In addition, meetings with scientific and partnership organizations contribute to the exchange of knowledge and experience in the agricultural field, which promotes the development of agriculture in the region and increases its productivity.

The Head of the Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Dr. Maira Kussainova