DUSHANBE, July 10, 2008, Asia-Plus — International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has launched a new initiative to help farmers in southern Tajikistan improve land measuring practices.
According to the IFC Dushanbe Office, by using a global positioning satellite technology system, farmers will be able to determine the exact size of their land plots, including length and width; the latitude, longitude, evenness of field, and precise location as well as land altitudes and/or elevation.
Press release issued by IFC on July 8 said that the agricultural sector, particularly cotton production, is the largest employer in southern Tajikistan and critical to the local economy. Ongoing land reforms aimed at decentralizing agriculture have helped create some 30,000 privatized farms covering about 75 percent of arable land. However, limited agricultural knowledge and weak management skills restrict farmers in making make efficient use of their land. Also, as there is no system in place for measuring land, and a precise land size is required by banks in making loans, farmers are limited in obtaining financing.
The GPS technology is easy to implement. Farmers will now be able to stake out the corners of a field, transmit data, and receive the precise size and layout of the field. Armed with this new tool, they will be able to improve the implementation of agro techniques. Having the precise size of land in hectares will allow farmers to use their funds more efficiently to purchase inputs, including seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. The new technology will also help improve water supply and field irrigation.
This technology was introduced and tested in May 2008 by the IFC Southern Tajikistan Cotton Lending Project, which is funded by the Canadian International Agency for Development. The project works in collaboration with two banks, Tojiksoridotbonk (TSB) and The First MicroFinance Bank (FMFB), to expand access to finance for cotton farmers in Southern Tajikistan. The results of this technology will be measured after the cotton harvest in the fall.
