PRO-APT First Issue Newsletter January-March 2010

First issue Jan-March 2010

PRODUCTIVE AGRICULTURE PROJECT

PRODUCTIVE AGRICULTURE PROJECT USAID Launches New Agriculture Project in Tajikistan – Goal: Increase Farmers’ Incomes by 25%

Framework objectives: 1. USAID Launches New Agriculture Project in Tajikistan – Goal: Increase Farmers’ Incomes by 25% 2. Improving Agriculture and Farmers’ of Standard of Living in Tajikistan 3. “Building the Foundation”: Component Three of USAID’s Productive Agriculture Program 4. Demonstration Farms Underway Across Tajikistan 5. Team Building and Project Planning In Khoja Obi Garm 6. Farmers Trained in Managing Lemon Pests and Disea­ses Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan Murodaly Alimardon at the opening ceremony of the new USAID Productive Agriculture Project

Dushanbe. January 21, 2010. The Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy in Tajikistan Neica Quast, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan Murodaly Alimardon, and Regional Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Central Asia Andrew Sisson officially opened a new USAID Productive Agriculture project for Tajikistan. “In cooperation with USAID, we are implementing several projects aimed at social development, land reform, and increasing the productivity of agriculture. The USAID Productive Agriculture Project is designed to increase crop diversity, and by doing so, increase farmers’ income” said M. Alimardon.

The Productive Agriculture Project in Tajikistan is designed to assist farmers in Tajikistan increase the productivity of agricultural crops and facilitate growth in private sector agribusiness in Sughd and western Khatlon regions and the districts surrounding Dushanbe. The team will work through local organizations, associations and financial institutions to deliver services in a manner that builds sustainability and facilitates Project outreach to the farming and agribusiness communities. Project will assist dekhan farms and households to increase productivity and profitability of their non-cotton crop and livestock systems by supporting the expansion of existing value chains for apricot, watermelon, tomato, onion and lemons that increase farm income as well as profitability and competitiveness of agribusinesses.

PRODUCTIVE AGRICULTURE PROJECT The approach of the USAID Productive Agriculture Project is to introduce a new approach to business, where members of a value chain better understand their inter-dependence. We work to improve connections between producers and buyers, creating the collaboration that allows members of the value chain to work together to create greater stability for all involved and better serve the market. This collaboration reduces risk, increases access to finance, and enables growth of the entire industry.

Farmers’ Standard of Living in Tajikistan Will Bullock, Chief of Party, Productive Agriculture in Tajikistan The USAID Productive Agriculture Project is contributing to the establishment of a strong agriculture system in Tajikistan that delivers high quality products to consumers, enables the private sector to invest in intensive production, and ultimately will improve the standard of living of farmers in Tajikistan.

ACDI/VOCA, IFDC, and MEDA bring substantial experience developed in countries around the world, including in Central Asia, and Tajikistan, to the USAID Productive Agriculture Project.

IFDC has a proven model for the establishment of market-based input and technical support systems based on collaboration with input supply dealers. MEDA brings technical expertise in AgSME strengthening, establishment of local support services, and market linkage development. ACDI/VOCA is a development leader in the creation of sustainable agriculture finance systems, including the development of micro finance organizations, wholesale lending institutions, and agriculture finance apex organizations. Together, this consortium contributes unique technical expertise and Tajikistan experience to addressing the challenges of value chain development.

Very often in agriculture the relationship between producers and agribusiness is predatory. Each side views the other as an advisory and believes that the price of products sold by farmers and bought by agribusiness determines profit, when in fact this price is only one of the variables in determining profit. This adversarial relationship between farmers and buyers discourages development and decreases competitiveness for the agriculture sector as a whole.

Team Building and Project Planning In Khoja Obi Garm Davlatmo Yusufbekova, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, The USAID Productive Agriculture Project On February 28, 2009, the Dushanbe and Khojand offices of the new USAID Productive Agriculture Project gathered in Khoja Obi Garm to begin three days of team-building and communications exercises, and start fleshing out the program’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan, including the baseline survey. After a productive three days, staff emerged as a more cohesive unit and with a detailed M&E plan in hand.

good indicator, and then by using those criteria to determine if they could improve the indicators that had previously been drafted. Finally, team members discussed the baseline survey.

Participants worked on defining what questions would need to be asked, to whom they would need to be asked, and why.

As a result of the retreat, program staff developed a concrete plan for implementing the monitoring and evaluation component of the project, including the baseline survey. More broadly, team members have to gotten to know each other better, and now better understand what they can do to help realize the project’s goals.

The retreat kicked off with a series of team-building exercises.

Members of the project’s Khojand office joined their Dushanbebased counterparts, many of whom they had not met before, in learning who has what responsibility, and how team members can help each other to realize the project’s goal of increasing farmer income in Tajikistan. Additionally, project staff also discussed how the team can improve its internal communication, and its outreach to the public.

Following the team-building, staff began to lay the groundwork for proper monitoring and evaluation of the program. To that end, participants analyzed who the stakeholders of the project are, and how best to work with them. They then reviewed the program indicators, first by discussing what makes a

Team building in Khoja Obi Garm

PRODUCTIVE AGRICULTURE PROJECT “Building the Foundation”: Component Three of USAID’s Productive Agriculture Program Bradley J. Beeler. Deputy Chief of Party, The USAID Productive Agriculture in Tajikistan The USAID Productive Agriculture Project is divided into three components in order to provide targeted programs designed to facilitate reaching the project’s goal of increasing producer income by 25%. Component Three is focused on increasing private sector capacity by enhancing marketing opportunities through identification of high value markets, improved product quality, and better post-harvest handling. To build a strong foundation from which the project can launch its activities, Component Three team members are actively researching the AgSME community and its needs. Team members have prepared an updated list of AgSMEs including 74 fruit and vegetable processors, 110 agricultural input suppliers and 30 agricultural consultants, and are also visiting AgSMEs to collect information on production, marketing, and financing. Thus far, AgSMEs have shown a strong willingness to participate in the project, recognizing its long-term commitment to providing much needed assistance to Tajikistan’s agricultural sector. Preliminary results from field visits indicate a strong need for help in marketing, both domestically and internationally. For example, a processor in Istaravshan has recognized the importance of packaging in marketing and is looking for project assistance in marketing a new, aseptic package which is lower in cost and higher in quality. Similarly, a major processor in Khojand has seen its sales decline over 40% in the past 2 years and feels that assistance with improved packaging will help reverse this trend. AgSMEs have also identified credit as another area of

Demonstration Farms Underway Across Tajikistan Rahmon Shukurov, Senior Specialist , USAID Productive Agriculture Project USAID’s Productive Agriculture Project in Tajikistan has begun establishing demonstration farms in order to teach farmers best practices in raising the project’s six targeted crops: tomatoes, onions, apricots, lemons, watermelon and beef. The end goal of these demonstration farms, and of the project itself, is to help increase famers’ income and profitability.

The project has established a demonstration farm in the greenhouse of Talabshoh Sherov, chairman of a dehkhan farm located in Pobeda village in Khatlon oblast’s Kumsangir district, to demonstrate techniques in lemon tree pruning. In the same village, another demonstration farm has been established to show best practices in pest management.

In Shahrinau and Gissar districts, both located in the Dushanberegion oblast, the project has created demonstration plots on the farms of Mr. Bobokalon Zokirov and Mr. Rajabali Shomahmadov to compare several tomato hybrids, with the aim of increasing the profitability of this valuable product.

In addition to the demonstrations already underway, the project will also establish plots in Shahritus district, Khatlon oblast, on the land of Mr. Faiziddin Akkuziev in order to compare four varieties of water-melon and also to demonstrate the use of black plastic in retaining moisture and decreasing weeds.

need. Many have obsolete infrastructure, requiring significant financial infusions to modernize and compete in a world market. AgSMEs also recognize the need for training on how to prepare business, marketing, and financial plans that clearly outline the firm’s objectives. Accurate and detailed plans will help achieve access to much needed credit. The Component Three team is also leading the USAID Productive Agriculture Project’s efforts to research market conditions and potential opportunities. A study is underway, led by Market Development Specialist Bakhtiyor Abduvokhidov, to identify existing and potential major domestic and international markets for apricots, lemons, watermelons, tomatoes, onions and beef produced in Tajikistan. Identifying current and potential markets will establish the basis for building strong market linkages along the targeted value chains. Completion of the current information gathering process will provide Component Three, and all components of the project, with the tools necessary to develop targeted assistance programs that meet the needs of producers, processors, marketers, and consumers and help provide high quality products that return a higher income to the producer.

Finally, onion, apricot and beef demonstration farms are being established in Soghd oblast. In Spitamen district, a plot for comparing four onion hybrids in three different levels of fertilizer will be set up in collaboration with SughdAgroServ. The use of phosphate and potash fertilizers on apricots (on the land of Mr.Surob Kodirov, in Bulok village, Asht district) and improving feed ration for fattening bulls (on the farm of Mr. Rustamjon Muhidinov, in B.Gafurov district) will also demonstrated.

The project’s activities are not just limited to establishing demonstration farms, though: project staff will organize trainings and conduct open field days with farmers on all of the demonstration plots.

PRODUCTIVE AGRICULTURE PROJECT Successful Training Session on Lemon Pruning Husniddin Kuziboev, Training Specialist, The USAID Productive Agriculture Project.

In January 2010, the USAID Productive Agriculture Project conducted training on “Lemon pruning” in Kumsangir district.

Farmer reading handouts provided by the USAID Productive Agriculture Project

Field demostration in process

Farmers Trained in Managing Lemon Pests and Diseases In January, the USAID Productive Agriculture Project conducted a training on “Lemon Pest Management” in Telman jamoat,

Lemon Pest Management Training

The training was conducted by Dr. Qutbiddin Ruknitdinov, head of the Biology Department of the Pedagogical Institute in Khatlon oblast. In total, nineteen farmers who grow lemons in greenhouses participated. Dr. Ruknidinov trained the farmers in lemon pruning techniques and answered farmers’ questions on the subject. Participants were satisfied and very much appreciated the level of the training and the handouts that were prepared by project staff.

The process of pruning

Kumsangir district for 32 owners of greenhouses. Training was conducted by the project’s specialists, Husniddin Kuziboev and Rahmon Shukurov. In addition to giving general practical training on controlling lemon pests and diseases, Mr. Kuziboev and Dr. Shukurov taught participants proper techniques in applying crop protection products, and also provided written materials.

Lemon spraying demonstration

The participants received written materials from Project staff

Best wishes on “Navruz”!

66, Lev Tolstoy Street, Dushanbe, Tel.: (992 37) 224-66-32 E-mail: rano@proapt.tj 33, Qori Niyozi Street, Khujand, Tel.: (992 834) 222-33-23 E-mail: bbeeler@proapt.tj This Newsletter is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The contents are the sole responsibility of the Productive Agriculture Project and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.