Pilot projects for artificial rainfall, or cloud seeding, will be deployed in Uzbekistan, based on the experience of France, China, and Saudi Arabia. This is envisaged by a decree of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the state program for 2026.

Precipitation is projected to increase by 10-20% compared to natural levels when the project is launched.

The project drafting will begin on March 1, with the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, the Academy of Sciences, and the Tashkent province governor office made in charge of it.

In 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture announced that an artificial rainfall device had been installed in Kanimekh district of Navoi province. The project was implemented in collaboration with the Kazakh company International Centre of Climate Change Technologies.

Meanwhile, 10,000 km of open drainage systems are planned to be converted to closed systems within three years. During the first stage, which begins on March 1, 3,000 km of drainage and collector networks in the Kashkadarya, Surkhandarya, Bukhara, and Khorezm provinces will be converted to a closed system.

Furthermore, a trial conversion of some irrigation canals to pressure pipelines is planned. By the end of 2026, at least 54.1 km of networks in Kashkadarya province will be converted to a fully closed system using fiberglass pipes.

Water-saving technologies are planned to be implemented on 504,000 hectares of land, which will help save 5 billion cubic meters of water. An additional 500 million cubic meters of water are projected to be saved annually by concreting the beds of 1,300 kilometers of canals, irrigation networks, and other irrigation facilities.

Specifically, drip irrigation will be implemented on 75,400 hectares, sprinkler irrigation on 97,000 hectares, and discrete irrigation on 26,200 hectares. Laser land leveling will be used on 203,000 hectares to ensure even water distribution.

As previously reported, water-saving technologies are planned for 80% of all irrigated land in Uzbekistan by 2028. This will save up to 3.5 billion cubic meters of water per year.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture Alisher Shukurov had announced that $744 million in funding from international financial institutions is planned for agricultural and water management projects by the end of 2026.