Smart farming project transforms greenhouse production in Uzbekistan's Fergana Valley
Source: HD.com
By optimizing and modernizing 60 small growers' greenhouses covering a total area of 18,900 square meters, the project supports local growers in increasing productivity, improving vegetable quality, and strengthening market connections. The project modernizes greenhouses through reinforced structures, high-quality covering materials, and water-efficient technologies across the Fergana, Andijan, and Namangan regions.
Small growers receive high-quality seedlings, advanced technical equipment, and essential tools to improve greenhouse cultivation. To manage pests and diseases, the project introduced a range of protective measures, including high-quality covering materials, insect netting, insect traps, double-door systems, and disinfectant mats at greenhouse entrances.
Ten capacity-building modules were developed under the project, covering greenhouse management, vegetable production, irrigation, fertilization, seedling production, and pest and disease control. More than 300 participants, including small growers, rural community members, young people, government bodies, and private sector representatives, attended 20 in-person training sessions, where they gained core knowledge and skills in greenhouse management, good agricultural practices, and integrated pest management techniques.
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
