Sustainable Irrigation in Central Asia: A Review of Historical Development, Water Governance, Climate Change, and Digital Transformation

Irrigated agriculture dominates water use in Central Asia, underpinning regional food security but facing challenges from ageing Soviet-era infrastructure, environmental degradation, and complex transboundary governance. Here we review historical irrigation development, water governance reforms, climate change impacts, and digital transformation by integrating policy analysis with Earth Observation datasets assessing vegetation dynamics, evapotranspiration, and water availability. Our findings reveal sustained high irrigation demand and intensified consumptive water use despite modernization efforts, compounded by climate-driven reductions in snow and glacier-derived water resources. Emerging technologies such as remote sensing and digital water management offer opportunities to improve irrigation efficiency and transparency. However, sustainable irrigation in Central Asia will require coupling technological innovation with stronger institutional reforms, basin-scale water accounting, and enhanced regional cooperation to address increasing water scarcity and climate variability. This integrated approach provides a pathway to support adaptive, evidence-based irrigation management and long-term water security in the region.