1. Managing salinity in Central Asia: licorice a tool in rehabilitating abandoned irrigated lands Dr Akmal Karimov, Dr Habibjon Kushiev IWMI Central Asia. Uniting Agriculture and Nature for Poverty Reduction

2. The Issue  34 million hectares (11%) of globally equipped irrigated area is abandoned or underperforming due to salinity  Represents an annual loss of $11 billion annual  In Central Asia 50% of irrigated area affected by degrees of salinization  Elevated water tables that mobilize salt in the profile  Drainage systems do not work effectively – lack of maintenance and investments

3. The Research Approach  Need an effective and inexpensive approach to address the problem  Dewatering the profile with deep rooted species endemic to Central Asia – Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra)  Tolerates salinity; market for root extracts: industrial uses; pharmaceuticals; food and beverages (Coca Cola)  Forage can be fed to livestock – protein content of 12%  Licorice is a perennial shrub; tolerates harsh winters -20C

4. The Research Results Forage/root production – income in the remediation process Dewatered profile Revert back to a wheat cotton rotation after 3-4 years

5. Outcomes of the Research Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) for amelioration of salt- affected soils and income generation, Uzbekistan Salt-affected soils in Syr Darya, Uzbekistan, 2005 Growing licorice on abandoned salt-affected:  Increases the price for cultivated licorice  Area of cultivated licorice increased from 4ha to 500ha  Factory establish to process 9 000 ton to extract roots  Assisting World Bank and the Uzbek government in an investment associated with rehabilitating 10,000 ha of salinized land  PIM undertaking assessment of markets and value chains for licorice