The UNDP’s project “Livelihood Promotion in Tajik Afghan Cross-border Areas” (LITACA III) is a four-year initiative, financed by the Government of Japan through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and implemented by UNDP Tajikistan and Afghanistan. LITACA III is aimed to support start-ups by providing equipment and supporting marketing, labelling, design, and export. The beneficiaries are small and medium farmers, agro-processors, and handicraft workshops, both individuals, cooperatives, and traders (wholesalers, retailers, small- and medium-sized enterprises) in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The focus is on vulnerable women, unemployed youth, and people with disabilities through its “No One Left Behind” initiative.

The One Village One Product (OVOP) approach is in the heart of the project and used for strengthening capacity of local producers. The One Village One Product (OVOP) movement is a unique approach to local development which was first introduced and adopted by Japan, Oita Prefecture in 1979. Later this concept was adapted for implementation in the Republic of Tajikistan under the project “Livelihoods Improvement in Tajik Afghan Cross-Border Areas” (LITACA). The OVOP movement involves selling a particular product or products that best represent the locale, thereby generating income in the villages and improving the local economy. The OVOP movement encourages the mobilization of local human, material, and cultural resources to create value-added products/services for domestic and external markets. The Initiative aims to mobilize the rural community for bettering their lives by empowering themselves to establish and run their joint businesses by exploiting the natural resources that are accessible in their communities and ensuring high-quality products.

Based on the results of a needs assessment for local farmers, small producers and traders, the project provided training on vocational training development, entrepreneurship opportunities, rural income generation, business management and planning of rural production/services, taxation, marketing, networking, packaging, logistics, labeling and sales to over 400 beneficiaries from 10 districts of Khatlon region. As a result of the 5-days training sessions, participants were able to turn their business ideas into reality.

Out of 400 beneficiaries, only 25 presented their business plans with their business ideas and were supported by the UNDP project. As a result of this initiative, 25 families were provided with permanent jobs and more than 40 residents of the region were provided with seasonal jobs. They are mainly engaged in agricultural  production, services, provision of the products and nutrition food, and activities in other areas.

 

The One Village One Product (OVOP) approach is unique approach to community development

1.Nabiev Orzu is a resident of Shamsiddin Shohin district, Khatlon region. He is married, has 3 children. He lives with his parents. The main occupation of him and his family is growing fruit trees (mainly apples) and growing agriculture crops, as well as partially livestock holding. In the past, he traveled to Russian Federation for labor migration. Currently, his entry into that country is restricted. Before the start of the UNDP project, he did not have a specific job. The family's income was only enough to meet basic needs. They lived in poor conditions.

When UNDP’s “Livelihood Promotion in Tajik Afghan Cross-border Areas” (LITACA III) project started to implement in their village, Nabiev Orzu participated in the project’s training, increased his knowledge and entrepreneurial skills, and applied to the project to improve the efficiency of his orchards through a business plan to recive agricultural equipment. His business plan was supported by the grant evaluation committee, and he received requested equipment.

“Now my life is getting better,” says Orzu. I am regularly weeding my orchards and carrying out timely on agrotechnical work on the trees. This season, I hope that the productivity of my trees will increase. Also, due to the timely collection of garden weeds, I am able to feed and hold my livestock well and make a good profit. I am happy with the cooperation with the UNDP project and express my gratitude to their staff”.

 

Better -quality animal feed is a factor to contribute for improving livestock sector and it’s productivity

2. Boboev Abdurahim is a resident of Dusti district, Khatlon region. He is married and has 4 children. He lives with his parents and brother. Total family members is 9 person. The main occupation of his family is livestock breeding and crop production. No one from his family is a labor migrant. The income that the family earns is hardly enough for their livelihood. In recent years, due to lack of better qulaity animal feed, livestock’s productivity has ben decreased, and the arable land has become less productive due to untimely cultivation. Before starting the UNDP project, Abdurahim does not have a specific job. They lived in poor conditions.

When UNDP’s “Livelihood Promotion in Tajik Afghan Cross-border Areas” (LITACA III) project started it’s  implementation in their village, Boboev Abdurahim participated in the project’s training seesions, increased his necessary knowledge and skills for entrepreneurship, and applied to the project for increasing   animal feed’s quality through a business plan for receiving an agricultural equipment. After review and and comprehensive analysis, his business plan approved by the grant evaluation committee, and he received requested equipments. He is now cultivating and planting crops to his own land on time. In his spare time, he also earns an income by providing services with cultivating lands of his neighbors.

“I have a steady job,” says Abdurahim. The project has been kind to me and supported me. I have been able to cultivate my land on time and grow necessary crops, such as corn and alfalfa, to feed my livestock. Also, during the planting season, I am cultivating lands of my neighbors aiming to have a good income. I spent earned  income to purchase food for my children. My family is very happy. Thanks to  the UNDP project.”

 

Produce of the agricultural products and provision to the people of Bokhtar

3. Nosirov Jurabek, is a resident of Bokhtar city, Khatlon region. He lives with his parents. His father is a farmer, and his mother is a housewife. Total members of their family is 6 person. The main occupation of their family is crop production. They mainly offer fresh vegetables to the residents and guests of the city. No one from their family is a labor migrant. Currently, income that family earns is almost not enough for their livelihood. Because, in recent years, due to lack of timely cultivation, their arable land has become less productive, and income they receive barely covers their expenses. Before starting the UNDP project, Jurabek does not have a specific job. Their economic conditions are difficult.

With launching the UNDP project “Livelihood Promotion in Tajik Afghan Cross-border Areas” (LITACA III) in their village, Nosirov Jurabek participated in the project’s training sessions, increased  his knowledge and skills in entrepreneurship, and applied to the project for increase the agricultural crops productivity and receiving an agricultural equipment. After a comprehencive analysis, his business plan was approved by the grant evaluation committee, and he received agricultural equipment (a motoblock). Now he is cultivating his land on time and planting crops. He is also cultivating the lands of his neighbors and earning a good income.

“Now Nosirov Jurabek has a permanent job. He cultivates his land in his spare time and grows necessary crops, mainly several types of the vegetables. In his free time, he also cultivates neighbors  land aiming to have a good income. His family's conditions are improving. His family is very happy. They are grateful for the UNDP project.”

 

My favorite profession

4. Alieva Firuza is a resident of Hamadoni district, Khatlon region. She lives at home with her parents. Her mother is a housewife, her father is engaged in seasonal labor and agriculture productions. Since her income from agriculture production is seasonal, she is engaged in sewing and earns a small income from this activity, which is not enough to make a living. Alieva Firuza has been very interested in sewing since her teenage years, and therefore she was engaged in sewing clothes on her household. Her sewing machine was an old model and therefore did not meet all needs of her customers. Therefore, she could not expand the scope of her activities and increase her income. Due to this her customers, depending on time’s needs, turned to other sewing workshops for sewing modern clothes. This situation made Firuza’s life difficult and created an obstacle to the proper organization of her activities. On the other hand, lack of sufficient knowledge and skills in entrepreneurship and working based on market demands primarily limited his activities.

In these difficult times, the UNDP project launched with new initiative in the border districts. Firuza actively participated in meetings and training sessions of the project, learned from the PO “Subkh’s specialists how to properly manage entrepreneurial activities, organize a small business and develop a business plan to receive a grant in full, and requested new sewing equipment from the project. Her business plan approved by the grant evaluation commission, and she was equipped with modern sewing machines.

“My goal with the availability of new sewing equipment was to expand my business and earn a good income from the service to meet needs of my family. Now I sew from 1 to 5 shirts per day, based on customer requests. My daily income is from 50 to 150 somoni, and my net income per month is 1,500 to 2,000 somoni. In the future, I plan to establish a small sewing workshop near my house, employing 2-3 girls from our village with offering them a good salary. My family’s economic situation has improved. I am grateful for UNDP project’s  support.”

 

Livestock development has a positive impact on additional meat and milk production

5. Yusupov Faridun is a resident of Bokhtar city, Khatlon region. He is married, has 3 children. He lives in a family with his parents and brother. Total members of their family is 6 people. The main occupation of their family is livestock and crop production. The income that the family earns is barely enough for them to live on. In recent years, due to lack of high-quality feed for livestock, he has encountered difficulties. In this case, the lack of modern equipment for harvesting and processing feed has slowed down his activities for production of the healthy milk and meat. Their family is under poverty. Faridun himself does not have a permanent job.

With launching  the UNDP project “Livelihood Promotion in Tajik Afghan Cross-border Areas” (LITACA III) in their village, Yusupov Faridun participated in the training session organized by the project, increased  his knowledge and necessary entrepreneurial skills, and requested project to increase quality of the animal feed through a business plan and reciecing an equipment. After a comprehensive review and analysis, his business plan was approved  by the grant evaluation committee, and he received equipment (a motoblock). Now he is cultivating his land on time and planting necessary crops aiming to feed his livestock. In his free time, he is cultivating lands of other neighbors aiming to have a good income.

“I am now living with hope for a bright future. The project has supported myself. I have cultivated my land on time and planted necessary crops to prepare fodder for my livestock. In the future, I will increase  production of meat and milk. Also, now that it is planting season, I am also cultivating lands of my neighbors aiming to have good income. From this, I buy food and clothes for my children. Thank you to the UNDP project.”

 

Produce of the agricultural products and provision to the people of Bokhtar

6. Majidov Mirzozuhai is a resident of Jaihun district, Khatlon region. He is married and has 1 child. He lives with his parents. His father is a farmer, and his mother and wife help him in this work. The main occupation of their family is agriculture production. No one from their family is a labor migrant. Currently, income that family earns is almost not enough for their livelihood. Because, in recent years, due to lack of timely cultivation, their arable land has become less productive, and income they receive barely covers their expenses. Before starting the UNDP project, Mirzozuhai does not have a specific job. Their economic conditions were difficult.

As UNDP started its work in the project’s tareget areas, Majidov Mirzozuhai participated in training sessions conducted by PO “Subkh”, the project partner with aim to increase  his knowledge and skills, and proposed the project to provide him with an agricultural equipment in order to increase agricultural productivity. After analysis, his business plan approved  by the grant evaluation committee, and he received an equipment (a motoblock). Now he is cultivating his land on time and planting necessary crops. He is also cultivating the lands of other farmers aiming to earn good income.

“Now he has a permanent job. He planting his land on time and grows necessary crops, mainly different type of the vegetables. In his free time, he also cultivates his neighbors lands aiming to have  a good income. He cultivates up to 1 hectare of land per month and makes income up to 2,500 somoni. The conditions of his family are improving day by day. “I am grateful for the support of the UNDP project,” says Mirzozuhai.

 

Livestock is one of the most important sectors in the national economy

7. Muhiddinov Zoirjon is a resident of Panj district, Khatlon region. He is married and  has 1 child. Main occupation his family is crop production (mainly tomatoes and cucumbers), as well as partial livestock holding. In the past, he traveled to Russian Federation for labor migration. Currently, he is prohibited from entering that country. Before starting implemenation of the  UNDP project, he does not have a specific job. The family's income was only enough to meet basic needs.

With launching  the  UNDP project on “Livelihood Promotion in Tajik Afghan Cross-border Areas” (LITACA III) in their village, Muhiddinov Zoirjon participated in the project’s training sessions, increased his knowledge and entrepreneurial skills, and applied to the project for improve efficiency of his orchards through a business plan to receive an agricultural equipment (grass cutter). As a result, his business plan was approved  by the grant evaluation committee, and he received requested an equipment.

“My life is getting better day by day,” says Zoirjon. “I am weeding my fields on time and carrying out timely an agrotechnical work on  crop productions. This season, I hope that  my fields productivity  will increase. Also, due to the timely collection of orchards grass, I am able my livestock holding well and received a good income. In my free time, I am receiving orders to cut neighbors’ fields, and I also do their work and make better income. I am happy with my cooperation with the UNDP project and express my gratitude to them.”

 

Tajik women's contribution to family food security becomes more significant

8. The service sector and provision of cooking products are main source of food, and a good income can be earned from this action. Therefore, after participating in training sessions and submitting a business plan to the UNDP project, Pulatzoda Zarnigor received a cooking equipment.

“I am 30 years old, and I am a successful businesswoman, a mother of three children and a wife to a very good husband,”- says Pulatzoda Zarnigor, a businesswoman from Panj district of Khatlon region. “I got married early, at the age of 18, almost as a child, with limited education, I knew nothing about housekeeping, cooking or childcare. At one point, I was lost, without basic skills and experiences necessary for life. And it was at this stage that my mother in laws strongly supported me and taught me skills of running a household and a family. And in cooking, I must say that my mother in laws taught me this skill and were main reason for its development. I value this experience to this day, this experience has helped me in the business that I am currently engaged in.”

 

 Currently, cooking and confectionery business in Zarnigor's family is important for provision of  food security and income for their families. From the confectionery shop, her family earns about 2,000 somoni per month from the family business, which is very important for development and ensuring food security. She is happy to cooperate with the UNDP project.

 

Establishing fast food is one of the most effective activities

9. Sharifov Jumakhon lives with his children in his parents' house. He is married. Total number in his family is 7 person. He is engaged in cooking sweets and other food products at home and sells products on the street or in the market. He also receiving orders for preparing and providing products during events and wedding from the customers in village and jamoat.

His parents and brothers are engaged in agricultural production activities, and their income is spent to meet basic needs of their household. Their family lives in poverty. Sometimes their family income is not even enough to meet the basic needs of the family. In total, they earned up to 1,000 somoni in a month, which was a small amount for a large family. This situation disturbed him, because expanding this activity was his main dream and he wanted to establish a cooking and fast-food workshop in the center of the Jamoat, offering customers with several sweets and food products and better services, and thus raising their living standard. He was always looking for sources of funding to develop his business.

When the UNDP project is started to implement in their district, Sharifov Jumakhon participated in  training sessions, prepared a business plan for purchasing cooking equipment, and submitted it to the project management. UNDP project accepted his  business plan  and provided him with the requested equipment. Now Jumakhon is tirelessly providing various types of good and excellent food and confectionery products to  local population and his Jamoat, and is making good income. In short, through this selected activity, his life is improving day by day. His income has also increased. He earns up to 2,500-3,000 somoni in net profit per  month. He expresses his gratitude to the UNDP project for this important support.

 

Importance of UNDP project grants for residents of border areas

10. Shaikhzoda Behruz has been a migrant worker for several years and has been working as a laborer and cart driver in the markets of the Farkhor district. He had only one dream: to own a scooter and to transport goods for the residents of his community and entrepreneurs in the border market in the district markets. However, it was very difficult to achieve this dream, because a certain amount of money was needed to buy a scooter. Behruz's income was only enough to support his family, and he had no money left to save up for the purchase of a scooter. He was always thinking about finding money.

In these satiations, once a laborer returned home from the village and heard from Jamoat representatives about a new UNDP project that started its implementation in the border regions. He immediately realized that proposed grants by this project, with good conditions and opportunities, were ideal for his plan and could help him achieve his goals and objectives. Then he participated in the training sessions of the UNDP project and, upon request, prepared a business plan, and project provided Behruz with a scooter. Currently, Behruz is able to serve up to 50 customers a day. This business provides his family with a steady income and allows him to work in his homeland and not migrate for labor. His standard of living is improving day by day.

“It is extremely difficult to access grants and privileged loans now,” says Behruz. “My neighbors cannot start any businesses due to lack of funds, and most of them are engaged in labor migration and seasonal work in the country. My luck has increased, and I have become owner of a scooter. I express my gratitude to the UNDP project.”