Within the framework of the Memorandum of Cooperation with the Dutch company “Dutch Fruit Solutions Kazakhstan”, in the spring of this year, a demonstration plot of fruit and berry crops was created on an area of 1.5 hectares at the “Agrouniversity”  Educational and Experimental Farm in the Talgar district of the Almaty region.

On May 22, 2020, the Demonstration site was visited by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Andre Carstens, who, together with the rector of the Kazakh state agrarian university T.I. Yespolov participated in the process of laying the garden. The Kazakh National Agrarian University is a subsidiary organization of the “National agrarian science and educational center” JSC.

The garden was laid with certified planting stock of promising varieties of apple, pear, plum, sweet cherry, strawberry, red currant, a new culture of blueberry and asparagus for Kazakhstan from the famous Dutch nurseries, which sell their seedlings all over the world. The planted seedlings, despite the pandemic and late planting, showed good survival rate, growth and development. The latest varieties of fruit and berry crops are grown here according to Dutch advanced technologies using drip irrigation.

A container with field laboratories is installed at the demonstration site, including a fertigation unit, a control unit with the possibility of distance learning.

The garden uses drip irrigation with combined fertilization through an automatic irrigation system - fertigation, which allows to apply the required amount of water and fertilizers. Fertilized water is supplied to the plants through drip irrigation, which constantly maintains optimal soil moisture in the root zone. Installed software that allows you to configure any programs for the management of irrigation, fertigation. Management is carried out from a smartphone or computer via the Internet.

A weather station is installed in the garden, which allows to receive weather data on the phone or computer without going out into the field. It has a solar panel and a battery for autonomous operation all year round, and its information is received via the mobile Internet. The weather station collects data on air temperature, soil, relative air humidity, soil moisture, precipitation, moisture on leaves, wind direction and speed. Also, the weather station processes the parameters from the predictive model for many diseases and pests, the development of which depends on the ambient temperature, control limits can be determined by monitoring.

A trellis-type support system has been installed, which allows giving the branches the correct shape, ensuring the fruiting of the garden for many years at high wind loads. A fencing and anti-hail mesh will also be installed. The intensive garden uses specialized gardening techniques.

This garden will bear fruit next year and yield more than 50 tons / ha of fruit crops. On the basis of the Demonstration Site, during the year, together with Dutch specialists, seminars, webinars and international trainings will be held for agricultural producers in the country in 7 directions in gardening.

Each seminar or training will give a lot of new knowledge to farmers on innovative technologies for growing fruit and berry crops. At these seminars and trainings, Kazakhstani specialists - fruit growers, together with their Dutch colleagues, will transfer their knowledge and practical skills to the listeners.

The transfer and adaptation of about 40 promising varieties of fruit and berry crops, innovative technologies for their cultivation is carried out. The technology of growing orchard and berry plantings is accompanied by the use of adapted foreign systems for the care and formation of plants, their protection from pests and diseases, and drip irrigation.

Knowledge exchange will be carried out by introducing modern knowledge into curricula and practical exercises. Educational and advisory services in the field of fruit growing will allow local farmers and investors to freely learn how to manage and care for orchards using Dutch technology.

The intensive garden serves as a platform for demonstrating scientific achievements in the field of fruit growing, the implementation of educational programs and strengthening the educational and experimental base of the University for the preparation of highly qualified specialists.

Using our Demonstration Site as an example, University scientists will demonstarte their colleagues that horticulture, with the right approach and the use of advanced technologies, is a highly profitable branch of agriculture.

The demonstration site will show gardeners that by investing in new technologies, they can get high yields of fruits and berries.