Project Objective
Within the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future Initiative, the USAID Land Reform and Farm Restructuring Project (LRFRP) supports farm restructuring and recognition of property rights in Tajikistan. USAID supports ongoing progress in land tenure leading to land-use market, with a special focus on more secure land rights for smallholder farmers and women.
Situation and Solution
Agriculture plays a critical role in the lives of Tajikistan’s citizens. It is a key economic driver in the country, employing more than two-thirds of the labor force, and provides a vital source of income and food for rural communities.
Advancing agriculture sector growth holds the potential to reduce poverty and improve food security in rural areas. The completion of agrarian reform, including land reform, is a strategic policy objective of the Tajik Government to increase incomes and improve nutrition outcomes. To advance agrarian reform, USAID helps farmers acquire and secure land rights, and the Government of Tajikistan to reform land policies and regulations.
The USAID Land Reform and Farm Restructuring Project supports the advancement of policy and legal developments related to land rights, increasing awareness of land use rights among rural citizens and stakeholders, simplifying the registration procedure for acquisition of land-use certificates, and strengthening government capacity to monitor and implement land reform.
Successes
During the midterm of the project, the USAID Land Reform and Farm Restructuring Project achieved the following results:
- Established and supported the Inter-ministerial Working Group on land reform management and facilitated eleven working group meetings on land reform management to draft land legislative documents; submitted two pieces of legislation (i) Draft Regulation on Establishing Public (Involuntary) Easements; (ii) Draft Rules on Transacting with Land Use Rights in the Land Use Rights Market to the Government of Tajikistan for consideration and further approval. Conducted analysis of current land legislation in Tajikistan.
- Launched activities in 12 Legal Aid Centers (LAC) covering all Feed the Future districts, with 483 trainings, and 1,618 focus group meetings, 20 public-private dialogues, 534 round tables, 24 mini-sessions, and 4,139 individual advisory services for 36,033 participants.
- Launched activities and work of 67 tashabuskors (local activists) providing farmers with the information on land reform and land use rights.
- Protected land use rights of farmers through 10 court representations and 36 mediation and agreement of parties.
- Enhanced capacity of 1337 government officials, including 242 participants on registration of immovable property, 40 participants on reviewing land disputes settlement in economic courts. 222 participants took part in seminars on women rights to land. LRFRP LACs conducted trainings on land reform, farm restructuring, and taxation for 833 government officials.