a) Farm productivity improvement subprojects. Farming households and groups of households involved in agricultural activities of their choice to invest in activities that increase the productive and immediate income.
Investments may include the following:
- Increased productivity of field and horticultural crops (fruit and nut trees, vineyard, vegetables, potatoes, wheat, and barley), medicinal plants, mulberry for sericulture, etc.
- Establishment of small processing plants and develop mechanisms for the distribution of products
- Increasing the productivity of livestock and animal husbandry
- Establishment of small items of agricultural equipment leasing.
- Creating non-banking finance institutions, in particular, credit institutions belonging to their members.
b) Land Resource Management: This subcomponent will allow local people to move to more sustainable use of fragile lands that are currently on the jurisdiction of the Jamoat, after three years, on condition that the results will be satisfactory they will be granted certificates of land use. The combination of investment in income-generating activities with the practice of soil conservation would contribute to soil organic content and will incentives for sustainable land management through greater attention to the interests of local people.
Organized group of at least nine or more households working on adjoining areas will be placed long-term investments in:
- Contour planting of trees, especially those bearing nuts, fruit, or other economic products, to protect rain-fed arable sloping land. Such activities could be coupled with appropriate soil and moisture conservation structures such as mini-terracing using natural hedges and basin and contour drainage channels.
- Joint funding from the Global Environment Facility (3.7 million U.S. dollars), will contribute to the effectiveness of investments to combat land degradation by restoring vegetation to four times greater than the level that can provide currently government.
c) Rural infrastructure: community groups will be provided investment in the rehabilitation of rural infrastructure. Typical investments in infrastructure will be made in addition to agricultural subprojects and subprojects for land using, will be small-scale (about $4800 USD) and may include the following:
- Providing drinking water or water systems.
- Some repair and restoration of access to transport roads to provide greater access to markets.
- Community-based mini-hydro power stations or wind power stations.
Requirements on contributions and budgetary limitations
Beneficiaries should contribute from their own resources in the form of labor, material and cash in amount not less than 20% of the total value of any investment. Investment proposals will be distributed in order of priority, based on defined fixed budget for each village based on the number of residents. Initial share per household for all nonrecurring grants will not exceed 290 USD. Investment of activities on improving of agricultural productivity in subsequent years will be carried out either through re-investment of retained earnings, either through loans or revolving funds. Investments in rural infrastructure will be limited to investments in increasing productivity, which can bring immediate benefits, and will include measures to finance the operation and maintenance of such infrastructures. Such investments would be made only in cases where alternative funding may not be provided through other donor programs, such as the National Social Investment Fund of Tajikistan.
Component II. Institutional support and human capacity-building (community and technical support)
Component III. Project Managementa) Supporting of research and their dissemination: This subcomponent will help to contribute to scientific institutions and line ministries to provide technical and other specialized services, including training for communities. This subcomponent includes support for production of seeds and seedlings, measures aimed at improving animal production, animal husbandry and animal health, analytical support for the market and development of entrepreneurship. Participating organizations include the Agricultural Research System of Tajikistan (to conduct research and consulting of farmers, including the conservation of species, in collaboration with the Consultative Group on Agricultural Research in Central Asia and the Caucasus, which operates in Tashkent), Farmers' Training Center, Ministry of Agriculture, as well as will be involved in subcomponent other ministries and state committees such as the State Statistical Service, and the State Committee on Land. Additional funding from the GEF (0.4 million U.S. dollars) will ensure the proper conservation of local varieties of crops and other species.
b) Community mobilization and preparation of investment plans: This subcomponent includes training for the Jamoat Development Committee, as well as members of households and common interests groups with the support of local facilitators (organizations) (hired through international NGOs). Subcomponent includes mobilization grants for activities to build confidence in each village, including information and exchange experiences. Funding from the GEF (0.3 million U.S. dollars) will allow for planning and information sharing in respect of additional investment in land management.
This subcomponent aims to coordinate the project, procurement, disbursement of funds, financial management, reporting, monitoring and evaluation of project activities, both at the national level and in all four watersheds covered by the project. Subcomponent built at the administrative capacity and management mechanisms that already exist in the ongoing Bank-financed projects.
This component also provides support services to the secretariat of the National Coordinating Committee (SCC), as well as support for watershed development committees. The component aims to support:
National Project Management Unit.
Project coordination unit in four regions, as well as
Evaluation of the project additional funding of the GEF (0, $ 1 million) will allow more detail to assess the trend of degradation of mountain ecosystems, as well as share their experiences, both domestically and abroad, which will extend the useful experience.
