MEASURES TO ADAPT WATER INFRASTRUCTURE TO THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Agriculture in the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the leading sectors in the country's economic development process and contributes about a quarter of GDP. Due to this, more than half of the population in rural areas is provided with employment. In achieving profitable agricultural production, irrigation plays a very important role and having a well-managed reliable and efficient irrigation infrastructure is a prerequisite and indicator for increasing agricultural productivity. Previously, on-farm infrastructure was maintained by state and collective farms, but became ownerless after the collapse of the USSR. Local authorities and established water user organizations did not have sufficient institutional, technical and financial resources for reliable operation and high-quality maintenance of on-farm irrigation infrastructure and repair work. As a result of such phenomena, many systems fell into disrepair, and water users experienced great difficulties due to insufficient and timely water supply and use. Such problems, of course, led to a reduction in agricultural production and the loss of some irrigated lands from crop rotation