Cartosemiotic Models of Irrigated Lands of Kyrgyzstan

Kamilya Kelgenbaeva (Kyrgyz Research Irrigation Institute, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) [BIO]

Email: kamila_kel@hotmail.com

ABSTRACT:

Agriculture is the most important sector of the Kyrgyz economy. In 2006, 58 % of the labour force was engaged in agriculture and irrigation is playing a major role in increasing food production. About 94 % of the country is covered by mountains which produce great variations in the geographical, topographical and natural appearance.

The paper discusses cartosemiotic models and other existing methods in evaluation of irrigation land suitability for agriculture. A rating is classified using five suitability classes according to the FAO classification. The role of thematic mapping using remote sensing and GIS is also shown.