The Land Reform Project in Tajikistan (LRPT) works with government stakeholders to reform policy and land legislation, provides legal assistance to farmers to improve legal aid, and builds capacity through training and outreach for lawyers, judges, and local government officials on land issues.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SECOND PROJECT YEAR
- Developed amendments to the Land Code as part of the Land Code Working Group and submitted final draft to the Government of Tajikistan (GoT)
- Completed draft to amend the Law on Dehkan Farms, supporting the efforts of the Dehkan Farm Working Group and receiving input through a public-private dialogue with farmers, legal aid center (LAC) lawyers, and local government authorities
- Assisted the Cooperatives Working Group to complete a draft Law on Cooperatives for submission to the GoT
- Awarded 10 grants to local organizations through a competitive process to serve as the project’s LACs during Year 2, providing training and legal services to farmers and rural citizens
- Carried out a comprehensive survey with the World Bank to gather data on farmers’ knowledge of their land use rights, the status of freedom to farm, and information seeking behaviors
- Conducted 12 public-private dialogues to bring a variety of stakeholders, including dehkan farmers and dehkan farm heads, into the reform process
- Trained more than 15,000 dehkan farmers and 2,445 local government officials on land use issues in their local communities
- Published 24 editions of the project newspaper with a circulation of 97,500 copies; nationally broadcasted 64 radio programs and 48 television shows
- Co-facilitated a half-day workshop on gender and land reform together with the World Bank and Helvetas/Swiss Development Corporation (SDC)