This project is formulated for the improvement and economic growth of the life of the ethnic minorities of G. Gulmurodov jamoat, Dusti district of Khatlon region.
Dusti district is located in southern Tajikistan near the Afghan border between the Vakhsh and Pyanj rivers. The population as of January 1, 2016 was 104,200 people. The territory of the Dusti district is 1834.4 km². Most of the region lies on a plain, which serves as an economic base, but there are also mountainous areas - the eastern slopes of the Aktau ridge. This is the closest settlement near the Tigrovaya Balka Nature Reserve. The region is crossed by the railway connecting Bokhtar with Termez, and regional highways.
Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Turkmens live in the region. Turkmens have been living in G. Gulmurodov jamoat of Dusti district for about 300 years. They are determined to maintain their identity and develop their own institutions. They belong to the non-dominant groups in society. They carefully preserve the

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language, culture, and traditions of their ancestors. For instance, on holidays men always wear national hats, and girls and women wear long dresses with Turkmen ornament. The hukumat (administration) of the Dusti district reported that there are more than 10000 Turkmens here, they do not forget their historical roots and maintain family relations with their relatives in Turkmenistan. They also provide promising economic opportunities for reducing rural poverty and unemployment.
There are 5 from 13 villages in G. Gulmurodov jamoat of Dusti district where Turkmens live. These five villages are: Turkmenobod, Istikloliyat, Namuna, Beshai palangon and Labi daryo. The population of G. Gulmurodov jamoat is 18148 people, including 8899 men, 9249 women and 3240 households. The Turkmen, like most Tajiks in the Khatlon region, are engaged in agriculture and gardening.
The Turkmen of Tajikistan say that during the pandemic, they did not sit at home, but worked in the field. Unexpected circumstances, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, have unfortunately further limited people's access to healthy foods and reduced their income opportunities. This project will foster the development of development of a vegetable garden in rural Tajikistan as a means of providing income and food security for vulnerable households and building long-term resilience after Covid-19.
Covid-19 is expected to have an immediate and long-term impact on food systems. Blocking restrictions on the movement of people and goods impeded the acquisition of agricultural inputs and the trade of harvested produce. The lack of post-harvest and storage facilities resulted in huge losses of perishable food items such as fruits and vegetables. Consequently, it has become inevitable to continue to support smallholder farmers in Tajikistan through innovation and capacity building. This will increase the production and consumption of nutritious vegetables as part of a healthy diet in the near future and in the long-term following Covid-19.
Poverty continues to be a problem in Tajikistan, where more than a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line. In rural areas it is even 30%. The predominant crops are wheat and cotton, which occupy 78% of the irrigated area. The development of the agricultural sector in this jamoat can help to reduce unemployment and replenish the local budget.
Today, one of the most important problems that worries the Republic of Tajikistan is food security. According to experts, 82.3% of all land resources and 97.9% of agricultural land are subject to erosion to one degree or another. Considering that 93% of the country's territory is mountains, this problem threatens the country's food security and environmental disaster. Due to the lack of industrial enterprises, the population is mainly employed in the agricultural sector: agriculture, horticulture and vegetable growing. The most active part of the population leaves for labor migration both within the country and other CIS countries.
Turkmens can be immediately distinguished from their Tajik neighbors. This is a rather closed community. All of them have Tajik citizenship, their passports indicate their nationality as Turkmen. Even though representatives of this national minority have been living among Tajiks for a long time, they do not mix and carefully observe their ancient traditions and rituals. For instance, it has been noticed that rarely any of them marries Tajiks or representatives of other peoples of Tajikistan.
This region was chosen due to its high poverty rate compared to other regions of the country. The project will feature new vegetable crops (e.g., broccoli, cabbage, cherry tomatoes and winter radishes, horticulture, etc?), improved varieties and improved vegetable production practices (protected cultivation of off-season, growing healthy seedlings, integrated pest management, etc?). The project will supply best quality vegetable and mung beans seeds, as much as possible of local varieties along with imported seed varieties. The seeds will be distributed to smallholders and households during the spring and summer/fall crop seasons.
The project participants will also be provided the information on good gardening techniques and good nutrition, capacity building and promotional activities. Good gardening practices include inexpensive greenhouses for growing vegetables during the off-season, maintaining healthy soil, growing healthy seedlings, managing pests and diseases sustainably, and introducing good harvest and post-harvest practices. Capacity building activities and dissemination of information materials will increase the chances of sustainable vegetable production after the project period. Project interventions contributed to improved economic opportunities and improved nutritional outcomes.
The project partners will be the local hukumat of Dusti district, G. Gulmurodov jamoat, local dekhkan farmers, and other key stakeholders who have expressed their desire to become partners of the project in the district.

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