Tajikistan : Resilient Livelihoods and Empowerment of Rural Women Project

Project Name

Resilient Livelihoods and Empowerment of Rural Women Project

Project Number

54111-008

Country / Economy

• Tajikistan

Project Status

Approved

Project Type / Modality of Assistance

• Grant

Source of Funding / Amount

Grant 0958-TAJ: Resilient Livelihoods and Empowerment of Rural Women Project

Source	Amount
Asian Development Fund	US$ 17.50 million

Operational Priorities

• OP1: Addressing remaining poverty and reducing inequalities
• OP2: Accelerating progress in gender equality
• OP3: Tackling climate change, building climate and disaster resilience, and enhancing environmental sustainability
• OP5: Promoting rural development and food security
• OP6: Strengthening governance and institutional capacity
• OP7: Fostering regional cooperation and integration

Sector / Subsector

• Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / Agricultural policy, institutional and capacity development - Agricultural production - Agro-industry, marketing, and trade - Rural market infrastructure

Gender

Gender equity theme

Description

The project will address the vulnerabilities, and improve the livelihoods of rural women in the Khatlon province by strengthening their employability, agriculture productivity, and response to gender-based violence. The focus will be on women farmers with household gardens (less than 1.3 hectares of land), with many of them also engaged as mardikors. The project will (i) improve women's agricultural skills for improved production, (ii) promote women's role in the agriculture value chain through social entrepreneurship, and (iii) enhance employment readiness of women agricultural workers to improve household incomes and reduce food insecurity. This will lead to an economic empowerment of women farmers and female youths for resilient, climate adaptive, and sustainable livelihoods.

Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has adversely affected Tajikistan's economy as the 7.5% growth reported in 2019 dropped to 4.5% in 2020. Since 2010, Tajikistan's agriculture sector experienced volatile but strong average growth rates of about 6% each year. It accounts for more than half of the country's total employment and contributed around 22% to the gross domestic product in 2020. About 70% (over 6.5 million) of the Tajik population (9.5 million) live in rural areas where small-scale household farming is the major source of household income. Improving the country's agricultural productivity is critical to advancing overall economic growth, reducing poverty, and improving food security.

Tajikistan's exposure to climate change impacts is one of the highest in Central Asia. Droughts, in combination with heat stress and the increased water demand for key crops, will further reduce agricultural yields. Rural women will be disappropriately affected by climate change impacts as their main source of income and livelihood stems from agriculture activities.

Tajikistan faces high levels of food insecurity. In 2021, about 21% of the total population was food insecure. Undernourishment rates are high (30% in 2017), with a disproportionately high percentage of undernourished women. There is a well-established link between food insecurity, sexual violence, exploitation, abuse, and child marriage. When scarcity over food and water increases, community conflicts tend to rise as well, with women and girls being at much higher risk of violation of their rights. Food insecurity is expected to even further increase because of the limited capacity to respond to climate-induced shocks that will adversely affect agricultural production. Women also often bear the brunt of coping mechanisms in food insecure households, by skipping meals altogether, eating less nutritious food or smaller portions. According to the latest data from the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, 14% of women aged 15-49 years reported that they had been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former partner within a year in Tajikistan. Between January to September 2022, more than 6,000 cases of domestic abuse were reported to one crisis center in Bokhtar, Khatlon province.

The country's agriculture-based economy is highly dependent on female labor. High rural male outmigration of around 40% has resulted in increased women participation in various facets of agriculture. Two-thirds of women in Tajikistan are engaged in the agriculture sector but many work in precarious conditions as informal agricultural workers.

Impact

Food security and people's access to good quality nutrition increased; and access and quality of services provided to women and girls affected by violence ensured

Project Outcome

Description of Outcome

Rural women's income and resilience to economic shocks and exploitation strengthened

Progress Toward Outcome

Implementation Progress

Description of Project Outputs

Improved productivity of farms led by women and women laborers supported

Value chain engagement and processing of women producers and entrepreneurs strengthened

Vulnerable women's access to livelihood and gender-based violence response services enhanced

Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues)

Geographical Location

Viloyati Khatlon

Safeguard Categories

Environment

B

Involuntary Resettlement

C

Indigenous Peoples

C

Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects

Environmental Aspects

Involuntary Resettlement

Indigenous Peoples

Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation

During Project Design

During Project Implementation

Contact

Responsible ADB Officer

Leitner, Matthias

Responsible ADB Department

Sectors Group

Responsible ADB Division

Agriculture, Food, Nature, and Rural Development Sector Office (SG-AFNR)

Executing Agencies

Ministry of Agriculture

Timetable

Concept Clearance

23 Dec 2022

Fact Finding

12 Feb 2024 to 16 Feb 2024

MRM

29 May 2024

Approval

20 Aug 2024

Last Review Mission

-

Last PDS Update

20 Aug 2024