Tajikistan : Enhancing Climate Resilience in the Pyanj River Basin

Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / Agricultural policy, institutional and capacity development - Agricultural production - Water-based natural resources management

Strong, but volatile sector growth. Since 2010, the agriculture sector experienced volatile but strong average growth rates of about 6% each year. The sector continues to play an important role in the county's overall economy as it accounts for more than half of the country's total employment, and contributes around 22% to the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019. Around 73% (over 5 million) of the Tajik population live in rural areas where small-scale household farming is the major source of income. Cotton and wheat are the primary crops that are planted on nearly three quarters of the entire cultivated area.

Persistent rural poverty. The proportion of population living below the national poverty line decreased from around 34% in 2013 to 26% in 2019, with a wide urban-rural divide. While urban poverty declined from 22% to 18%, rural poverty remained at very high levels of 30% between 2018 and 2019. There are also considerable regional differences. The urban center of Dushanbe and the Sughd Region experienced a poverty rate of 19% and 15% in 2019, respectively, while the Khatlon Region and the Districts of Republican Subordination experienced rates of around 30%. Average national-wide progress is also under serious threat due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic as poverty reduction rates are expected to decelerate, disappropriately affecting rural communities.

Remaining food security and nutrition challenges. The country is highly vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition. Already before COVID-19, the prevalence of moderate to severe food insecurity stood at around 30% in 2019, almost double the 16% average for Central Asia. At the peak of the pandemic in 2020, around two in five people reported a reduction in their food consumption, far above the rates of prior years. On average, households spend more than half of their income on food, making them highly susceptible to any food price changes. In addition, the country's landlocked location, long winters, high exposure to climate change impacts, natural shocks and seasonality in food production further limit its access (nutritious) food.

Feminization of agriculture. Tajikistan ranks 123rd out of 148 countries on the global gender gap index, scoring low on women's economic participation and political empowerment. The high level of male outmigration has led to a substantial increase in women's responsibilities in agriculture. The proportion of women in the agricultural labor force has increased from 54% in 1999 to more than 60% in 2019. Yet, women do not have equal access to knowledge and inputs for improved agricultural productivity.