DUSHANBE, November 1, 2013, Asia-Plus -- Davlatali Saidov, Chairman of the State Committee on Investments and State-owned Property Management (GosKomInvest) met here this week with Fritz Jepsen, Chief Project Manager (CPM) for Central Asia, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

According to the GosKomInvest press center, state of Tajikistan’s agrarian sector was a major topic of the meeting.  The sides reportedly discussed bilateral cooperation and ways to enhance Tajikistan’s agrarian sector.  Saidov and Jepsen expressed hope for further fruitful cooperation.

A special attention was given to implementation of two IFAD-sponsored projects in Tajikistan: Khatlon Livelihoods Support Project and Tajikistan -- Livestock and Pasture Development Project.

The Khatlon Livelihoods Support Project promotes community development to reduce poverty, increase incomes and improve the lives of farmers in its target zone.  Development priorities are determined by project participants at the village level, and the project has been carefully designed to build upon lessons learned from previous community-led projects in Tajikistan.

The Tajikistan: Livestock and Pasture Development Project seeks to boost the nutritional and economic status of poor rural households by sustainably enhancing the productivity of their livestock enterprises.  Livestock is a crucial sector because it is the primary source of income for people in poor, mountainous areas with little arable land.  This sector is likely to play a central role in IFAD’s future investments to scale up its work in Tajikistan – notably in the field of animal health and disease control, which can require substantial initial investments.

Since approving an initial grant in Tajikistan in 2008, IFAD has reportedly invested US$26.9 million in funding for two abovementioned projects in the country.  Valued at a total of US$30.7 million, these projects benefit more than 41,000 households.   IFAD’s overarching objective in Tajikistan is to improve the livelihoods of poor rural people by strengthening their local institutions and grassroots organizations, and expanding their access to productive technologies and resources.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries.  It was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference.  Seventy-five per cent of the world''s poor live in rural areas in developing countries, yet only 4% of official development assistance goes to agriculture.

The strategic policy of IFAD is detailed in Strategic Framework for IFAD 2011–2015: Enabling the Rural Poor to Overcome Poverty. Its headquarters is in Rome, Italy and is a member of the United Nations Development Group.