Planting different annual crops in a particular order over several years on the same field, also known as crop rotation helps to ensure long-term soil sustainability as the crops have different requirements in terms of nutrients. This prevents the accumulation and propagation of soil-borne diseases and pests. In Tajikistan, many farmers prefer cultivating the same cash crops, e.g. cereals in rain-fed areas, instead of applying crop rotation as in short-term this produces more income. In order to avoid the long-term negative effects, oil crops (flax, sunflower, and safflower) and pulses (chickpeas, green peas, and lentils) can be used to promote crop rotation and diversification. Pulses fix nitrogen and thus improve soil fertility. Crop rotation can be combined with the no-tillage practice for having an even better effect.  

An example of a three-year rotation could be:

-  Year 1. Cereal crop, e.g. winter wheat

-  Year 2. Legumes, e.g. lentil, chickpea

-  Year 3. Oil crop, e.g. safflower 

Rotation of annual crops with perennial fodder plants as alfalfa or esparcet may also be considered, as these have a very positive effect on soil fertility.

The traditional technique of soil cultivation in Tajikistan using a plough or a disc for breaking and turning the soil's surface leads to a loss of fertility by the destruction of organic matter, reduced capacity for water retention and soil erosion, especially on slope areas. Therefore, soil cultivation within fields of rainfed annual crops should be limited to a minimum. In order to prevent the negative effects of the traditional cultivation methods, farmers are encouraged to apply the no-tillage or low tillage techniques. When applying the no-tillage technique, the soil is not disturbed as only a small slot is opened for collocating seeds and eventually fertilizer. When applying the low-tillage technique, the soil is cultivated superficially with discs but not turned at all as it occurs by ploughing. Both techniques can be applied by using a single axle (two-wheel hillside) tractors which are promoted by the project. No-tillage or low tillage must be carried out along contour lines on slope areas.

Rills develop easily on degraded, steep sites during heavy rains and eventually enlarge to become gullies. Often times the area for planting rainfed annual crops is crossed by gullies. The construction of check dams is necessary to control erosion and capture nutrients, silt and moisture. Either living or dead material can be used for the construction of check dams. Further, check dams should be reinforced by planting bushes and trees alongside the gullies. As the gullies normally originate above the planned plot, this area has to be considered as well. For living material, it is recommended to plant fruit trees and bushes. Investing in gully plugging and check dams is rewarding since it can generate some yield and income in the future. However, living material also attracts livestock; hence the area might need to be fenced.

Intercropping is a planting technique that involves cultivating two or more crops at the same time on the same field. Intercropping will result in increased yields as the plants use the available space and nutrients more efficiently and help each other to develop. The associated crops should belong to different plant families, in order not to share the same pests and diseases and to have different requirements on soil fertility and nutrients and extracting them from different horizons of the soil. Intercropping creates biodiversity, which attracts beneficial and predatory insects. As flowering increases, intercropping also favors pollinating insects and thus beekeeping.

There are three basic classifications for intercropping: a) mixed cropping, which involves planting a variety of compatible plants together without any definite arrangement (eg. maize planted together with beans); b) row cropping or alley cropping, in which different crops are planted alongside each other in rows (eg. alternating rows of carrots and onions); c) temporal intercropping, in which a slow-growing crop is planted together with a faster growing one, which is harvested earlier, allowing the slow-growing crop to subsequently occupy the entire planting area (eg. potatoes and pumpkins). 

Irrigation by gravity (furrow or surface irrigation) is the main irrigation technique used in Tajikistan for annual crops. In order to avoid erosion the irrigation should be made by furrows which are following slightly inclined contour lines. The water influx should be slow, so as to increase water infiltration into the soil and reduce the risk of erosion along the irrigation furrow. Furthermore, measures should be implemented to make irrigation by gravity more effective, e.g. by lining irrigation channels with plastic foil for reducing water loss through infiltration or by distributing the water to the furrows by plastic pipes for achieving a homogeneous allocation.

Special attention should be paid to avoid too much watering; excessive water should be evacuated properly as it can cause soil erosion, the formation of gullies or attract pests.

In a gravity irrigation system, it is crucial to break the soil surface between the furrows in order to destroy capillaries and thus preserve humidity.

More sophisticated and efficient irrigation techniques as drip and sprinkler irrigation are economically not viable in most cases in annual irrigated crops.

Contour ploughing should be used on steep slope areas. The land is ploughed perpendicular to the slope, alongside contour lines that curve around the arable land. Contour lines favor infiltration of rainwater as water run-off is stopped. So the risk of soil erosion and the formation of gullies is reduced and the availability of water for the annual crops is increased. The soil conserving effect of contour lines can be augmented by planting grass strips, bushes or hedgerows alongside them.

Due to large flocks of livestock, fencing often becomes necessary for annual crops, especially if the cultivated fields are located close to roads, or livestock corridors. There are several forms of fencing practised in Tajikistan. Fencing with mesh wire is effective but expensive. Unlike natural fences, mesh wire fences will not create additional income through fruit yields or timber.

Whenever it is possible, natural, local materials (e.g. branches, brushwood, stones, wooden sticks etc.) should be used for fencing. These materials are cheaper than mesh wire or concrete and offer habitats for beneficial insects and other pollinators. Living fences established from local trees and bushes, preferably with spines (hawthorn, cherry plum and barberry) are even more suitable as they contribute to biodiversity and provide firewood and wild fruits.  They, however, may require protection and watering in the first years of establishment.

If stones are available on-site, fencing with stone walls may be considered as well. Natural stone walls are not only durable but also create habitats for pollinators, other insects and small mammalians.

Due to rising demand for hybrid varieties, seeds of local varieties of vegetables and annual crops and have become increasingly unavailable at local markets. The advantage of local varieties is that they stem from open pollination, i.e. their seeds can be reproduced at the village level. However, conserving the purity of the varieties requires constant control. Plants that do not demonstrate the characteristics of the variety should be sorted out.

It is recommended to conserve seeds of local varieties by storing them in local seeds banks. If no seed bank is in place, the establishment of a new one should be supported to ensure the long-term availability of genetic material on site. 

Adequate harvest and post-harvest management are especially important for the production of fruits, berries, vegetables and herbs. These should be stored in a dry and cool, but frost-protected storage space, which should be disinfected in advance. Especially, mice are a common threat to the most storage facilities, contaminating the products and hence rendering future sales impossible. The use of pesticides should be avoided for controlling pests as these contaminate food products. Instead, various types of traps should be used.

When storing fresh fruits like apples, harvesting should be handled cautiously, in order to minimize the risk of putrefaction.

Storing apples and potatoes together should be avoided as apples produce ethylene, which can cause potatoes to sprout ahead of time.  

Fruits also can be preserved after-harvest by making compote, jam or by drying. 

Like fruits, many vegetables can be preserved in jars, while others, such as tomatoes, can be dried. The easiest and cheapest method for storing root vegetables like carrots, beetroot, radish etc. is to keep them in clamps covered by straw and earth to ensure protection from frost. The clamps should be controlled regularly to prevent infestation by pests, especially mice.

Crop rotation means planting different annual crops in a particular order over several years on the same field. Crop rotation helps to ensure long-term soil fertility as crops from different families have different requirements in terms of nutrients and rooting depth. Moreover, it prevents the accumulation and propagation of soil-borne diseases and pests. In Tajikistan, cultivating the same cash crops, e.g. potatoes in irrigated lands, is generally preferred over crop rotation.

A concept of thorough crop rotation includes cultivating legume fodder plants as alfalfa or esparcet for several years, which substantially improve soil quality. Moreover, pulses (chickpeas, green peas, lentils) can be used to promote crop rotation and crop diversification. These can also be planted as a second crop. Simultaneously, pulses fix nitrogen and thus improve soil fertility. Most of these crops besides attract pollinators and provide suitable habitats for bees.