The project "Contribution to Lake Urmia restoration via local community participation in sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation" as one of the Conservation of Iranian Wetlands Project (CIWP) with cooperation of Iran’s Department of Environment and Ministry of Jihad Agriculture and financial support of the Government of Japan has attempted to provide part of Lake Urmia’s water requirement through social responsibility promotion, local communities empowerment, training and participation of local farmers and establishment of sustainable agricultural techniques at farm level. While paying attention to preserving the interests and income of farmers, the project has attempted to reduce water consumption at farm level and increase water productivity through changes in common agricultural practices. Techniques such as change in tillage methods, plots size correction, application of winnowed seeds and seeds with a shorter growth period and modification of crop fertilizer management can be considered. In order to measure the effectiveness of the techniques and determine the most appropriate ones, selected farms were choosed in Urmia, Nazluchai, Salmas, Miandoab and Mahabad.
The book publication is supported by Conservation Iranian Wetlands Project based on the results of the joint activities by the Conservation Iranian Wetlands Project Office, Agricultural Engineering Research Institute, Irrigation and Drainage Department of Tarbiat Modarres University and Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of West Azerbaijan during 2014 -2015. We also would like to express gratitude to our colleagues in the Conservation Iranian Wetlands Project Office who provided insight and expertise that greatly assisted us.