OREANDA-NEWS. October 11, 2013. The Government of Tajikistan and the World Bank launched a project valued at USD 16.88 million that aims to support sustainable management of natural resources in Tajikistan and increase the resilience of communities to climate change impacts. 

The Tajikistan Environmental Land Management and Rural Livelihoods Project will directly benefit 21,000 rural households or 126,000 people in selected project sites, of which at least 40 percent are expected to be women. The project builds on the achievements of the Community Agriculture and Watershed Management Project, where villages reaped tangible benefits, including increased income, from project-supported rural production and land management investments.

“Tajikistan is prone to natural disasters and it is assessed as the most vulnerable country to the impacts of climate change in the Europe and Central Asia region. The project will help communities better understand how climate change may affect their land, water supply, livestock and crops. By using sustainable natural resource management practices that are suited for Tajikistan, communities will have greater food security now and for the years to come,” said Marsha Olive, World Bank Country Manager for Tajikistan.

The agriculture sector is important for Tajikistan, as it accounts for 21 percent of GDP and 64 percent of employment. The project aims to benefit rural households by helping them carry out more effective and sustainable production and land management practices, and thereby help build their resilience to climate change and improve their livelihoods. This will be done by providing small grants to villages for climate adaptation measures and sustainable land management, engaging civil society organizations to work with communities on these issues and supporting analytical work and capacity-building in areas related to climate change risks and adaptation, integrated land, water and grazing management, and incentive-based approaches for sustainable land management. The Project will be implemented in Farkhor, Kulob, Khovaling, Baljuvan, Tavildara, and Jirgatol.

The Tajikistan Environmental Land Management and Rural Livelihoods Project is being financed through a USD 9.45 million grant from the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience of the Strategic Climate Fund (PPCR) and a USD 5.4 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund.  Tajikistan is one of 18 countries participating in the PPCR supported by Multilateral Development Banks. In Tajikistan, the participating Banks are the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Asian Development Bank.

The active portfolio of the World Bank in Tajikistan currently consists of 12 projects with a net commitment of around USD 205.9 million. The largest share of the portfolio is in agriculture and rural development (27 percent), followed by energy (24 percent), water and sanitation (18 percent), human development – education, health, and social protection (24 percent), the private sector (4 percent), and the public sector (2 percent).