DUSHANBE, February 15, 2016, Asia-Plus – The Minister of Finance of Tajikistan, Abdusalom Qurboniyon, and the World Bank Country Manager for Tajikistan, Patricia Veevers-Carter, on February 12 signed an agreement on the allocation of additional financing for the Tajikistan Environmental Land Management and Rural Livelihoods Project.
According to the World Bank Dushanbe Office, the additional financing of US$2.83 million was approved by the World Bank Board of Executive Directors in June 2015.
The Tajikistan Environmental Land Management and Rural Livelihoods Project launched in October 2013 is working with rural communities in six districts of Tajikistan’s Khatlon province and districts subordinate to the center to support sustainable management of natural resources and increased resilience to climate change risks. This is reportedly done by providing grants to villages and resource user groups for climate adaptation and sustainable land management measures, engaging civil society organizations to work with communities on these issues and supporting analytical and knowledge sharing activities.
To date, the project has reinforced Pasture User Groups in Jirgatol and Tavildara districts to implement pasture and livestock management plans that are supporting improvements in livestock management, pasture production, and pasture rehabilitation. In addition, Water User Associations in Farkhor and Kulob districts are implementing on-farm water management plans to address issues such as salinity, water logging, and soil erosion. Through the additional financing, the project will expand its geography and support to different climate vulnerable jamoats, supporting 6,500 additional households, bringing the total direct beneficiaries of the project to over 27,000 households or 162,000 people. It will further help expand farmers’ access to knowledge and skills on both sustainable land management and climate resilient practices.
The original project is being funded by a US$9.45 million grant from the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience of the Strategic Climate Fund (PPCR) and a US$5.4 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund. It is also supported by beneficiary contributions from local communities of around US$2.03 million. The Additional Financing provides grant resources of US$2.83 million from the International Development Association (US$0.83 million) and PPCR (US$2.0 million). It is implemented by the Committee for Environmental Protection of Tajikistan and will close in 2018.
