Gender and Development

Uzbekistan

Loan 2017-UZB: Grain Productivity Improvement Project - 2003¹

Background:

In Uzbekistan, agriculture accounts for about 28% of GDP, 44% of employment, and 60% of export revenues. Agricultural sector output by value comprises 60% crops and 40% livestock with cotton and wheat as two major crop commodities. Under the former Soviet Union, Uzbekistan was designated a producer of cotton with 80% of total irrigated land devoted to that crop. Although wheat accounted for 85% of staple food consumption, Uzbekistan produced less than 20% of the wheat it consumed. After independence in 1991, Uzbekistan's access to wheat became less secure because of the abolition of subsidies and of the centrally administered barter system and because of the instabilities of regional economies. As a landlocked country with limited access to international markets, food security became a major concern.

Uzbekistan needs to rationalize its wheat production to support increases in farm income and to ensure food security. Efforts must be made to reduce wheat cultivation where high value crops can be grown. Increases in wheat yields need to be stabilized especially in less irrigable and rainfed lands. Farm access to agrochemicals and machinery should be improved to enhance wheat quality and to enhance farm profitability.

The Grain Productivity Improvement Project (GPIP) to be implemented by the Rural Restructuring Agency is designed to address some of these challenges. It is considered a pro-poor growth loan (not classified) with private sector development as a thematic priority.

Top

Objectives and Scope:

The goal is to increase rural incomes by promoting wheat production in an economic and sustainable manner. The project will contribute to poverty reduction in Samarkand, Tashkent and Djizzak oblasts by improving the wheat yields of the poor through improved access to wheat varieties, extension services, and agricultural inputs. Direct beneficiaries of the project will be about 232,000 farm households, 35% of which will be poor.

The project is based on the following components:

1. Varietal Development and Seed Production: Capacities of wheat-breeding and seed quality control institutes will be strengthened to identify suitable varieties for local growing conditions
2. Enhanced Farm Management: Adoption of low tillage techniques will be promoted to conserve soil moisture, reduce machinery costs, and allow early planting and maturity of wheat which decreases yield losses from high summer temperatures
3. Enterprise Development: The formation and operation of privately owned agricultural service centers (ASCs) will be supported to provide diversified services to farmers such as machinery rental, input retailing, agro-processing, marketing, and transportation
4. Project Management: Administrative and technical support will be provided for the project management office (PMO) in Tashkent and three project site offices (PSOs) in the focus areas
5. Complimentary Technical Assistance: Complimentary assistance will support further reforms in agriculture with an emphasis on (i) facilitating private sector entry into the seed production and marketing business, and (ii) supporting Government review of domestic wheat production and marketing policies

Top

Framework for GAD Activities:

Nation-wide reform in the agricultural sector has reduced public sector employment in farm enterprises. Women have a harder time finding formal employment than men in Uzbekistan as demonstrated by their 62% unemployment rate. Women also face wage disparities reaching up to 30% for comparable jobs done by men. According to a family budget survey, the labor force participation rate among men is 60%, while for women it is 31%. Cultural factors and high fertility rates are important reasons for lower female participation. Women usually perform multiple roles doing household work, rearing children, tending garden plots, fetching water, and earning income by spending 50% of their time in weeding and harvesting activities. The most significant gender impact under GPIP is expected to be in the creation of employment for weeding wheat in rainfed areas and harvesting cotton in irrigated areas, tasks usually performed by women and children. Based on this context, the framework for gender and development activities under GPIP is:

• Raise awareness on gender and development issues in the agriculture sector within the project agencies, research institutes, and among beneficiaries. Emphasize women's roles not only as beneficiairies or users of grain but as potential managers and contributors to grain productivity efforts
• Address gender disparities in access to agricultural services including training and employment opportunities
• Identify project interventions to increase women's access to food and income and to empower them to participate in community groups and water users associations (WUAs)
• Emphasize the number of women at all levels as beneficiaries, participants, and managers; use capacity building to improve the quality of women's participation; and create a supportive environment for increasing women's productivity in the agricultural sector

Top

Gender Inclusive Design:

The URM gender specialist participated in the loan appraisal mission addressing gender and social development issues. She developed a gender strategy and an action plan that were included in the summary poverty reduction and social strategy (SPRSS) of the report and recommendation to the President . Firm targets will be added to the gender action plan during project implementation as the gender implementation plan is developed.

1. Varietal Development and Seed Production: Gender interventions will focus on (i) raising awareness among female staff of project research institutes (AGCLBI and PGI) and regulatory agencies (SCVT and SCSQCC) regarding project objectives and activities; (ii) increasing the participation of female staff of project executing agencies in project-sponsored staff training; (iii) identifying opportunities for female staff of the institutes and agencies to work on project activities; and (iv) conducting gender sensitivity training workshops for main counterparts including senior project management staff
2. Enhanced Farm Management: Gender interventions will ensure (i) female farmers will have access to training and demonstrations of new farming practices provided by RBACs on soil fertility management and crop husbandry; (ii) female farmers will participate in WUAs and farmers' associations in project areas; (iii) female staff of project research institutes will participate in project-sponsored training and activities
3. Project Management: A gender focal point will be appointed to work in the PMO to ( i) monitor gender issues and performance indicators as identified in the gender action plan; (ii) ensure equal opportunity and compensation for women in project recruitment; and (iii) conduct gender sensitivity training workshops for the PMO staff
4. Assurances: The gender action plan is covenanted

Top

Guidance on GAD Activities:

The URM gender specialist participated in the GPIP loan appraisal mission to identify gender issues in the agricultural sector. She provided additional data and information on gender and social development for the SPRSS. Meetings with top-level officials at the Ministry of Agriculture and the Rural Restructuring Agency (the EA) were helpful in emphasizing the importance of addressing gender issues in the agricultural sector given the national platform for improving the status of women in Uzbekistan, ADB's gender policy, and other international policy mandates such as the Convention to Eliminate Discrimination Against Women. To maximize project impact on women, the URM gender specialist developed a strategy and an action plan that were included in the SPRSS and the RRP. The URM gender specialist noted the limited capacity to incorporate gender issues in the project and recommended that the presence of a gender focal point from the initial stages would be important for gender sensitive project planning, monitoring, and implementation. She also recommended a special study on women and agriculture in Uzbekistan to gather much needed data disaggregated by gender and information in the sector.

A gender focal point will be appointed by the EA during project implementation to address gender issues under GPIP. The URM gender specialist will assist the project's gender focal point in developing and monitoring the gender implementation plan with specific activities and targets for each project component.