Agricultural Value Chains (AVC) Activity - Uzbekistan #104-A Kichik Beshog’och

The project is organized into four components, each targeting economic actors along select fruit and vegetable value chains. Component 1 focuses on improving the quality and volume of agricultural production, with the goal of increasing fruit yield and quality, as well as packed and processed output. This component involves improving on-farm productivity and increasing the availability of agricultural inputs. Component 2 aims to improve post-harvest handling and production, with a focus on facilitating the advancement of cold storage practices and utilizing improved post-harvest production to reach new markets. Component 3 facilitates market linkages, with the goal of creating new linkages in the domestic market and establishing market linkages with new foreign markets. This component involves creating new relationships between educational institutions and the private sector. Component 4 links educational institutions with private sector demand, with the goal of strengthening relationships between educational institutions and the private sector. The project will work in 33 districts across 12 of the 13 provinces of Uzbekistan, with activities in at least one district of each province plus the city of Tashkent. The project will focus on edible horticulture, with a particular emphasis on stone fruits, pome fruits, and grapes. The project's geographic focus is extensive, covering a total of 34 geographic entities. The project's goals and objectives are aligned with USAID's Development Objective #1 under the Regional Development Cooperation Strategy (RDCS), which aims to expand diverse and competitive trade and markets. The project seeks to create employment opportunities, improve incomes, increase fruit yield and quality, increase packed and processed output, increase targeted fruit and vegetable exports, link USAID's producers and processors to international markets, and strengthen relationships between educational institutions and the private sector. The project's monitoring and evaluation framework is designed to track progress towards these goals and objectives. The framework includes monitoring and evaluation of project activities, as well as communications and outreach to stakeholders. The project also has a strong focus on environmental compliance, with a monitoring and mitigation framework in place to ensure that project activities do not harm the environment. Overall, the AVC Activity in Uzbekistan is a comprehensive project that aims to improve the competitiveness and food security of the agricultural sector in Uzbekistan. The project's focus on improving agricultural production, post-harvest handling, market linkages, and educational institutions will help to create employment opportunities, improve incomes, and increase fruit yield and quality, ultimately contributing to the country's economic development.