More than 4,000 hectares of fields in Zhytomyr region will be able to receive irrigation in the service area of the Tesniv drainage and humidification system. Until 2022, irrigation wasn’t used within the system's service area. Everything changed with the entry into force of the Law on Water Users' Organizations. Thanks to private money, the first 50 hectares were already irrigated with Tesniv water last year, and as of May 2023, 258 hectares were already under irrigation.

The Tesnivka drainage and humidification system was built in Soviet times. The drainage area is 4197.3 hectares, of which 2905.1 hectares are covered by pottery drainage. This system includes 68 hydraulic structures. The length of the water management network channels is almost 110 km. However, no one has used this reclamation system in recent years, the canals are overgrown, and the equipment in the reclamation wells and at the locks has long been stolen. The reclamation system itself is unique because it has a dual control and combines the functions of drainage and irrigation.

Since 2006, the Adelaide farm has been operating on the lands of the Tesnivska drainage and humidification system. Grains and oilseeds are grown on 3,000 hectares, but the main production profile of the farm is potatoes. The farm grows seed, table and industrial potatoes. Famous global brands make delicious chips from Zhytomyr potatoes. However, this crop is very demanding on soil moisture content.

"Over the past few years, the climate has become increasingly dry. Irrigation has become increasingly important to us. We started to clean up, develop and invest in the reclamation system located next to our farm in Zhytomyr region. Firstly, we conducted an expert examination, then obtained a work permit, cleaned the canals and purchased equipment for efficient irrigation. At the same time, this entire system is on the balance sheet of state structures and it was supposed to be supervised and maintained in working order," said Olesia Rybalko, Chairman of “Lesyni Dzherela”, Deputy Chairman of Adelaide Farm.

The problem for the management of the agricultural company was that the money was de facto invested in the property of another owner, the state. Therefore, there was no guarantee that the new equipment and its operation would be properly maintained. The solution was the Law on Water Users' Organizations, which was signed by the President of Ukraine in May 2022. According to its provisions, farmers who operate within the service area of a certain state or municipal reclamation system can unite into WUOs and manage their own water supply to the field or its disposal. Such organizations can independently set water tariffs for the members of the WUC, invest and develop their own reclamation systems. This legislative initiative was also used by Adelaide Farm. The management has created the first WUO in the region - Lesyni Dzherela.

"We started the process of establishing a WUO as soon as the law came into force. At the first stages, local officials, registrars, and notaries did not know how to interpret these or other provisions of the law. This slowed down the registration process. Lawyers of the Ukrainian Agri Council came to the rescue, and with the support of the USAID AGRO Program, they conducted numerous webinars on the creation of WUOs. They also gave pieces of advice to farms at every stage. This helped us to pass the first stage before launching a WUO. The next stage is the inventory of land reclamation infrastructure and its transfer to us. We expect problems at this stage, but we will ask for legal assistance from the UAC and the USAID AGRO Program again" Olesia Rybalko said.

According to her, the potato harvest on the irrigated areas increased by 10 tons per hectare. The plans are to continue developing irrigation and updating the reclamation system.

"Irrigation is a very important component of growing seed potatoes. Another peculiarity is that due to strict phytosanitary standards, the area under seeds should be away from the planting areas of other potatoes. Therefore, we grow it away from settlements and other fields, which minimizes the impact of pests and diseases on the vegetable. We plan to supply water to such fields through pipes rather than canals. Such transportation is less polluting and the water hardly evaporates, unlike open water supply systems. We also plan to restore a nearby reservoir and develop a network of drainage systems to be able to control the moisture in the soil by 100%. After all, too much water on the field also affects the quality and yield," added Olesia Rybalko, Chairman of Lesyni Dzherela.

The fact that every penny of investment in irrigation will be used for development gives the farm confidence. The creation of the WUO gives them the opportunity to set their own staff and salaries. Therefore, the water tariff will become more transparent than the one offered by the state. Today, Lesyni Dzherela has only one member, Adelaide Farm, but the law allows any farmer to join it within the framework of this reclamation system.

As a reminder, with the support of the USAID Agricultural and Rural Development Program (AGRO), experts of the Ukrainian Agri Council developed and presented a manual on the establishment and operation of Water Users’ Organizations. It contains answers to all legal and practical questions, as well as algorithms for the formation and establishment of WUOs, tariff setting and payment for their services, taxation and property management, etc.

The manual can be downloaded here.