Tajikistan’s economy is largely dependent on agriculture, accounting for half of total employment. Lack of productive land, limited access to quality agricultural inputs and capital, low nutritional and agricultural knowledge, and unavailability of productive infrastructure leads to food insecurity and threatens livelihoods. As of 2018, 24% of households in the country were food insecure, contributing high levels of child stunting. Food security is expected to worsen in light rising food prices, limited access to agricultural inputs, and remittance decreases resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges will be compounded further by climate change, affecting high-altitude communities in particular.
Through its Mountain Societies Development Support Programme (MSDSP), the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) aims to ensure tangible food security, agricultural development, and natural resource management, with special emphasis on the needs of rural communities in mountainous and resource-poor areas. By supporting sustainable, locally adapted interventions, AKF and MSDSP are contributing to better household nutrition and food security, while supporting 300,000 farmers to adapt to climate change, realise greater economic opportunities, and mitigate risks in disaster-prone areas. Recognising that investments in household food security do not always translate into adequate dietary diversity and intake for women and children, AKF integrates activities nutritional interventions to address maternal and child malnutrition.
AKF and MSDSP continue to catalyse investments in community-prioritised local and cross-border rural infrastructure, including bridges, roads, irrigation systems, and storage facilities.
AKF and MSDSP work to increase crop diversity, yields, quality, and nutritional value; promote effective agroforestry, water, and livestock management; and bring technologies and best practices to public institutions, private service providers, and rural communities.
AKF adapts farming systems to the changing climate with a focus on new techniques and inputs, including identifying appropriate seed varieties and water management innovations. University of Central Asia’s Mountain Societies Research Institute complements these interventions with research and analysis to determine the most resilient, climate smart techniques and technologies appropriate for different contexts.
