Feed the Future Tajikistan Agriculture and Water Activity Quarterly Report April 2016 – June 2016 (Q3 FY 2016)

The activity focuses on supporting the growth and sustainable development of the agriculture extension, vegetable, fruit, dairy, and irrigation sectors in the ZOI. TAWA works with local partners, including the John Ohsowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer Program, International Association of Producers and Exporters of Agriproducts of Tajikistan, and Neksigol, to implement various technical activities. During the third quarter of FY 2016, TAWA organized 26 trainings and demonstrations for 1,817 public sector extension agents, local input suppliers, entrepreneurs, and farmers. The trainings and demonstrations covered a range of topics, including soil testing and fertility, weed management, fertilization, irrigation, and integrated pest management (IPM) for various fruit, vegetable, and forage crops. TAWA also distributed 232,990 hybrid tomato, cucumber, and sweet pepper seedlings to 1,058 farmers, including 1,013 women, to boost household's daily intake of nutritious vegetables and generate increased income from the sale of vegetables at local fresh markets. TAWA completed 14 demonstrations to introduce the local population to the production of mung beans and 11 demonstrations to improve the quality and quantity of milk yields through the production of maize, sudagrass, alfalfa, and sugar and forage beets for dairy cattle. The activity also prepared two instructional videos on preserving fruits and vegetables and drying apricots, as well as 26 informational manuals to improve the knowledge, skills, and capacities of the population in the ZOI to produce and process a range of fruit, vegetable, and dairy products. TAWA's technical activities are aligned with its results framework and intermediate results, which include supporting the development of a modern extension and advisory system, increasing production of vegetables, orchard fruits, and dairy products, and improving the availability of irrigation water to smallholders. The activity's interventions during the third quarter of FY 2016 included trainings on modern techniques of IPM of open field vegetable crops, fruit production, and orchard management. TAWA's regional extension managers and extension economists conducted trainings and demonstrations on modern sulfuring, drying, sorting, processing, and storing techniques for apricots for 340 farmers, including 140 women in five districts of the ZOI. TAWA's efforts aim to address dietary deficiencies and generate increased disposable income for farmers and their households. The activity's technical activities are designed to support the growth and sustainable development of the agriculture extension, vegetable, fruit, dairy, and irrigation sectors in the ZOI. By providing training and technical assistance to farmers, extension agents, and other stakeholders, TAWA seeks to improve the productivity and profitability of agricultural production in the region.