Kazakhstan is adopting new approaches in the
fight against desertification. For the first time, modern agro-drones are being
used to sow saxaul on the dried-up Aral Sea bed. The efficiency of aerial seed sowing
is quite high. This method does not require additional labor, which increases
productivity. This year, more than 10,000 hectares of land are planned to be
sown as part of a special program.
«It’s a program for cultivation and establishment
of phytomeliorative plantations on the drained Aral Sea bed through the sowing
of salt-tolerant columnar shrubs and subshrubs. As part of this scientific
research program, we are also testing the DJI AGRAS T50 agro-drone, which has a
lift capacity of up to 50 kg,» said Director of the Almaty branch of the Kazakh
Research Institute of Forestry and Agroforestry Ruslan Akhmetov.
«As part of our project, we plan to sow
120,000 hectares of land with halophytic plants. We have started planting
saxaul on 16,000 hectares. This project not only improves the environmental
situation in the region but also provides local residents with employment,» said
company representative Pascal Bastien.
To sow more than one million hectares of the
Aral Sea bed with drought-resistant plants over the next five years - this
directive was announced by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev back in 2021. Work
to improve the unfavorable natural conditions has now covered 780,000 hectares,
which is 71% of the total planned area.
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