Contributor: Deborah Eisenberg

The agriculture training program of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded Integrated Rural Development program run by Mercy Corps has been training farmers in various parts of Tajikistan for the past year. This program provides needed training in the field of marketing, production, and taxation and accounting standards. Farmers who receive this training have made huge strides in creating more productive and more diverse farms.

Two training programs have stood out as particularly well received. These are the training in artificial insemination of livestock and the training in accounting and taxation.

Artificial Insemination training is very important for Tajik farmers who are interested in learning how to improve the quality and productivity of their animals. By utilizing semen imported from high producing sires the genetic potential of the native breeds can be improved.

One participant in the training said, "Before coming to the center I didn't know about artificial insemination. I was trying unsuccessfully to improve the quality of my animals and to have a larger herd. Now I have the knowledge to make this happen back in my farm."

The training takes place at a biotechnology training center and the participants each learn the methods and then practice them on actual cows.

Saidaliev Khursandmurod, the head of one of the cattle farms stated, "I have been unable to get the quality of calves I wanted mainly because I didn't know about artificial insemination. Now, I think I can improve the productivity of my herd with the knowledge I have gained here in the center."

This training has been extremely useful for individual farmers, however there is evidence that there has also been a ripple effect exhibited. Farmers are now seeking to help other farmers learn new methods and they are in turn becoming trainers themselves. One trainee commented, "Not only can I do for myself, but also I can help other farmers, I will train them how to do it."

The training on taxation and accounting was also a huge success. This training focuses on practical methods, and trainees worked in groups to complete exercises such as sample tax forms. The trainers were extremely diligent and worked to make sure each individual understood not only the tax code but also their own individual tax situation. In Tajikistan, there is a monetary penalty if you do complete your tax forms correctly, so training for farmers also helped them to save money and be more productive.

Read more ▸

The Behruz farm in Hozamalik, just outside of the Tajikistan capital, Dushanbe, is appropriately named. Behruz means a "better day" in Tajik, and, thanks in part to a Mercy Corps program, a better day is exactly what this farm is seeing.

Before its involvement with Mercy Corps, Behruz was a typical Tajik farm. As Narzullo Saifiddinov, the head of the farm describes it, "We had land, but no information to help us decide what to grow. We had financial difficulties and we did not have enough capital to buy equipment."

Now, after two years and some assistance from Mercy Corps, Behruz is not only a flourishing farm with a diverse crop yield, but it is also recognized as a center for training, research and development for the entire Khatlon Region.

Mercy Corps began working with Behruz in 1999, when the farm applied for agricultural credit under Mercy Corps' grants and credit program. The loan was used to purchase a combine, a churn and a generator. The money from the credit was paid back in food to the people of Hosamalik and the neighboring region. Behruz was on time with the payment and it delivered over 54 tons of food to the needy population in the form of vegetables, oil, and wheat.

The farm, which had begun to produce at a much higher capacity thanks to its new equipment, was subsequently added to the list of agricultural training sites that are operated throughout Tajikistan. With a grant from Mercy Corps, a training facility has been developed for use as a center for ongoing training programs provided for this region.

One of the most useful training programs has been in pest control management. Twenty farmers from all over the region have come to learn about "integrated pest management." They have studied different strategies of controlling pests, including safer and more effective use of chemicals. The training has not only been a success for Behruz, but it has also helped farms in the region reduce the percentage of crops lost due to pests from 35 percent to 5 percent.

Other training programs have also proved extremely useful for Behruz, especially ones focusing on market economics.

Saifiddinov says, "Previously we had no knowledge of how to plan or market our product."

Now, Behruz has a business plan, improved marketing techniques, and the farmers are informed about tax laws and their legal rights as farmers. Because Behruz has had such success, it has applied for and received a research and development grant that enabled it to develop a processing facility for the milling of wheat and extracting vegetable oil from seeds.

As repayment for this grant the farm provides free milling for other farmers in the area.

Behruz no longer has to worry about start-up capital or equipment costs. In the last two years Behruz has doubled its net income and has hired 12 more staff members. In addition, it has provided professional development opportunities for staff such as correspondence courses at the Agrarian University, and it is on its way towards becoming an agricultural research center.

Read more ▸