A Regional Training Center for Modern Irrigation Specialists to Be Established in Turkestan with EDB Support
Almaty, September 30, 2026
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) is supporting the establishment of a regional modern irrigation center — the “Water School” — in Turkestan. The center will serve as a practical platform for professional development of farmers and specialists, the adoption of modern irrigation technologies, and the dissemination of effective water resource management practices.
The school is being established at the Turkestan branch of the Republican State Enterprise “Kazvodkhoz” as part of the technical assistance project “Developing a Business Ecosystem for Sustainable Irrigation in Kazakhstan”, implemented with the support of the EDB in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The school is currently preparing its classrooms. The school’s programme will combine theoretical classes with practical training. Farmers and specialists will be able to study modern irrigation management methods, water-saving technologies, and approaches to improving the efficiency of water resource use directly in the context of farm conditions.
“For the EDB, sustainable irrigation is not only about modern technologies, but also about the knowledge to use them effectively. The ‘Water School’ will serve as a practical platform for training specialists and farmers, testing modern solutions, and subsequently scaling them across Central Asian countries,” said Arman Akhunbayev, Head of the EDB’s Sectoral Analysis Center.
The school will engage national and international experts, develop cooperation with universities in Kazakhstan, and facilitate the exchange of experience with Central Asian countries. The regional center is expected to become a platform for sharing knowledge, practical skills, and modern water-saving solutions.
About the Project
“Developing a Business Ecosystem for Sustainable Irrigation in Kazakhstan” is a technical assistance project for 2025–2029. Its budget amounts to approximately $5.3 million. The project is implemented with the support of the EDB in strategic partnership with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan and UNDP.
The project brings together the digitalization of water resource management, specialist training, the testing of modern irrigation technologies, multipurpose reservoir management, and the improvement of the regulatory framework.
Additional Information:
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) is a multilateral development bank investing in Eurasia. For 20 years, the Bank has worked to strengthen and expand economic ties and foster comprehensive development in its member countries. By the end of June 2026, the EDB’s cumulative portfolio comprised 348 projects with a total investment of US $22.1 billion. Its portfolio consists principally of projects with an integration effect in transport infrastructure, digital systems, green energy, agriculture, manufacturing and mechanical engineering. The Bank adheres to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and ESG principles in its operations.
The EDB is implementing three mega-projects as part of its 2022–2026 Strategy: the Eurasian Transport Network, the Eurasian Commodity Distribution Network and the Central Asian Water and Energy Complex.