IAEA, Uzbekistan Launch Groundbreaking Project to Combat Soil Salinity

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in partnership with Uzbekistan’s Soil Composition, Repository, and Quality Analysis Center under the Ministry of Agriculture, has initiated a five-year collaborative research project aimed at advancing sustainable agriculture and addressing soil salinity issues.

The project will conduct field experiments utilizing a cotton-wheat-corn crop rotation system enriched with polyhalite, a natural fertilizer containing essential nutrients such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. This approach is expected to improve soil fertility, increase crop yields, and provide practical recommendations to local farmers, The Caspian Post reports via Uzbek media.

Officials describe the initiative as a significant step in strengthening scientific cooperation between Uzbekistan and the IAEA, while tackling one of the country’s most urgent environmental problems - land salinization.

The expansion of this cooperation was highlighted during a meeting in December 2024 between Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in Tashkent.