More than 90 farmers participated in the workshops on spring farming practices on February 23-25, organized within the framework of the joint project of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the UNDP "Enhancing the adaptation and strengthening the resilience of farming to Climate Change Risks in Fergana Valley (ACCRF)", fundedby the Government of Russia. It is important to carry out farming activities timely as the weather is changing quickly.

Last week, the weather fluctuated between  +25°C and -20°C at some locations. The weather forecasters and the Ministry of emergency situations warned about the upcoming cold 10 days ahead. Unfortunately, not all were able to take the necessary measures. 

During the workshop, all participants were concerned about how to save the garden from the upcoming frosts and other phenomena unfavorable to the trees. An experienced agronomist Erkin Usmankhodjaev answered all the questions. "All farming activities are closely interrelated — you should begin preparation (pruning, digging, applying mineral fertilizers) in autumn so that the trees have a good immunity. After all, a tree is like a human being — it becomes vulnerable if undernourished or underprotected," he said in his speech.

As it turned out during the workshop, most farmers use fumigation and ample irrigation techniques to protect their trees, although these techniques also have their drawbacks. For example, fumigation is a labor-intensive process, and in the case of prolonged frosts, smoke-hillocks need to be collected and set on fire again, while they are the most effective at a temperature not lower than -4°C, and continuous irrigation is good when there is a sufficient water level.

The workshop provided many examples of how to protect the trees from frosts. In particular, whitewashing the trunks and processing them with Bordeaux mixture, which not only protect against diseases, pests and various damages, but also may delay the flowering of crops.

In addition to this topic, issues, such as the specifics of spring pruning, irrigation, soil tillage, plant nutrition, selection of seedlings, as well as the use of protective agents and fertilizers depending on the phenology of crop development, disease and pest prevention were discussed.

At the end of the workshop, participants received a gift — the guide on farming activities in the garden by Erkin Usmankhodjaev. This illustrated publication was developed and published as part of the UNDP project activity, following previous requests from seminar participants who noted the lack of such publications with explanations in Uzbek. The guide provides recommendations for garden management, from the selection of seedlings to post-harvest storage. It also provides specific tables and recommendations for garden management through the example of 11 fruit crops.