Project Detail

Introduce effective use of degraded lands on hill-slopes to protect arable lands downhill and rehabilitate mountain and forest ecosystems

Ayni district is deemed mountainous area and located at some 200 km distance away from Dushanbe. The local populations are mainly engage with horticulture and animal husbandry. The area is not very rich in agriculture production as the number of flat arable lands is small. The majority territory of the district is considered arid zone and emerge of any land degradation process will be equal to desertification. The desertification process impact some 70-75 thousand people of the district. Ecological condition of lands is one of the essential problems within project target area. The lands are badly deteriorated and lost their original and production capacity. Overgrazed pasturelands, increased deforestation, inadequate land use and poor irrigation regime are the key reasons for occurrences of land degradation and desertification in target area. The project area covers mountain slopes lands, which are badly eroded and degraded. Each year their number in hectares is increasing due to loss of surface shrubbery grass on mountain slopes. This is to be stopped otherwise this will lead to huge ecological disasters.
In order to prevent and protect further land degradation and desertification, NGO- Business Advisory and Information Centre ?Komron? (BAIC Komron) of Ayni district, proposed to implement the project on ?rational and effective use of eroded mountain slopes? through plantation of tree plants and undertake necessary anti-erosion actions. In the past all lands targeted under the project were covered by tree woods and grass bushes. Plantation of endemic trees and shrubbery in the eroded mountain slopes is adequate approach and will have great impact on prevention and protection of land from further erosion and desertification. Implementation of this project will also contribute to the development of horticulture, to high production, and to the improvement of land utilization, agro-techniques and employment resources.
The project intends to expand tree plantation and shrubbery areas through adaptation and adoption of eroded mountain slopes. This will promote to improved utilization of eroded lands and will open-up new lands for agriculture and fruit productions. The project activities will be implemented in 10 ha of eroded land that is located at mountain slopes. Some 600 to 800 tree plants will be planted in each hectare, where production expectation equals to 25 tons per hectare. In total, the production from 10 ha of land will reach some 250 tons of fruits that will contribute to the improvement of living condition of the project beneficiaries.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

NGO-Business Advisory Information Centre 'Komron'

Country:

Tajikistan

Area Of Work:

Land Degradation
Land Degradation

Operational Phase:

OP4 - Y3 (Jul 09 - Jun 10)

Grant Amount:

US$ 15,500.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 5,400.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 9,100.00

Project Number:

TJK/SGP/OP4/Y3/CORE/2010/08

Start Date:

6/2010

End Date:

6/2011

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Project Characteristics and Results

Notable Community Participation

Direct beneficiaries are 35 males, residents of Ayni village, and 30 workers of DF ?Somoniyon? and forest department. 40 women are residents of Ayni village. 1,200 people of the target Jamoat and adjacent villages will indirectly benefit from the project activities. The local population actively participated from the begining of the project. Their contribution in planning, construction and future maintenance and sustainable management of the orchard and tree cover is very essential and important.

Capacity - Building Component

The local community were equipped with necessary information and education materials to build their capacity on tree plantation on rocky landscapes, applying the best practices used within Ayni district by other international (Mission East, GIZ, German Agro Action, etc.) and national organizations (Forest department, and farms). Before project implementation, the community members had no or little knowledge about tree plantation in rocky and very arid mountain landscape where due to the lack of water for irrigation it is very difficult to grow and, or produce any production. Using the best practices on SLM and agriculture production, the NGO-grantee planted long-live grasses between rows of trees plantation in order to keep the hummid and moisture last longer, and and apply mulching techniques to prevent fast evaporation.

Gender Focus

The project ensured equal participation and contribution of both men and women of the target area. In future, in the course of the harvesting of fruits and other crop productions the men and women equally provide with employment and income.

Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples

The project implemented within Ayni district and after completion the responsibility for operation and maintenance of the fruit orchard and all facilities were taken over by farmer and local community residents of Ayni village. Following the agreement reached between farm and district Forest department, the latter ensure protection and security of the orchard area. The farm and local community care, clean and irrigate the orchard whenever is required. Ecological sustainable of the project is also important and it is ensured starting from the tree plantation and rehabilitation of grass coverage within eroded mountain slope. This will definitely impact on the overall ecological situation of the target area. The mountain slope rainfed lands is being turned into orchards that improved the living condition of rural poor through creating of self-employment, production of fresh fruits, fodder for cattle, woodfair for heating and cooking needs, and timber for building. This is a real practical assistance and contribution to the improvement of living condition of rural population.

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

The total gross income will be then equal to TJS 28,000, which is equivalent to USD 6,407, in total. The part of the gross income will cover routine maintenance costs and will be channeled for project expansion, and the remaining funds will be distributed among project beneficiaries following the agreement reached between parties earlier. The project will be therefore sustainable and even though this practice will be replicated by other local communities from around project area.

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

There is high potential in the project. The project results are positively impact on improvement of living conditions of project beneficiaries and participants. In the local area, perennial tree plants bear fruits for 15-20 years. Such interests strongly motivate and encourage the local community residents of target area to make sure sustainability of the project upon its completion. From the financial point of view, the project is sustainable, too. The planted fruit trees in the area of 10 ha land will produce in 4-5 years. It is expected that fruits yield production equals to 25 tons per hectare, which makes total of 250 tons in 10 ha land. The gate prices for apricot and apple equals to TJS 2.0 (or $0.45) per kg during the season. Thus, gross incomes from fruit production and marketing equals to TJS 5,000, from fodder production, grown between tree beds, reaches TJS 5,000, from wood production, as result of cleaning/treatment, equals to TJS 3,000 and from timber marketing, poplar production, equals to TJS 15,000.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

Through already established community groups udner financial support of Mission East and German Agro Action, the NGO-grantee engaged this community group in provision of the information and conducting awareness raising campaings with local community of the target areas on land degradation and combating desertification, biodiversity conservation and sustainble use and management of natural resources. Number of information materials and boards are produced and errected in the public areas to widespread information about the project outcomes. Articles are published in the local newspares with 500 copies in a month.

Policy Impact

Upon completion, the project, as small but production object, is to be administrated and maintained. It is demonstrational project and served as best practices for orchard growing and fruit production on eroded lands, which is considered the key national priority in the mountan areas. In addtion, prevention and protection of land from desertification and degradation is a key national priority and herewith the project results meet the objective of the national strategy of Sustainable land management and combating land desertification.

Project Results

Demonstrational fruit orchards established in 10 ha land, eroded mountain slopes, of DF Somoniyon?;
Conditions created for rehabilitation of land production and prevention land degradation and erosion;
Additionally 80-100 ha land protected from further erosion and degradation; 20-30 community residents provided with employment; 25 tons per hectare and 250 tons produced and harvested from 10 ha land. 1,200 local people benefited from the project and improved their living conditions;
Some 3,000 to 4,000 trees of fruit tress (apricot, Greek nuts, poplar, etc) planted in 1 year of project implementation; The ecological conditions improved and production of ecological natural products and fruits increase; Temporarily jobs created for 45-50 persons, June 2010 ? November 2011; Orchard established in 10 ha land within 2-3 years of project implementation; 250 tons of fruits produced and realized in local markets; 2,500 m of HDPE pipeline of Ø100 mm procured and 2,500 m of irrigation pipeline installed; 2,000 m of access road is re/constructed; 400 m3 capacity water storage tank installed; 500 m ? 700m of terraces on mountain slopes excavated by bulldozer; 2,200 m of net-fence and 180 poles (2 m each) procured and installed; 2,500 pits for trees plantation (1 year) excavated, this number is doubled in 2 year; 1,500 m of irrigation networks inside orchard excavated; 150-200 persons ? workers of DF Somoniyon gained training and education; 300 persons ? community residents of Ayni village received information materials on land degradation; 3,500 -4,000 tree plants procured and planted; 600 information brochures developed(land erosion, SLM, etc), published and distributed among 600 families/ or 2,500 persons provided with information materials;

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