Dushanbe, Tajikistan September 18, 2020 – The U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced its new five-year $36 million food security activity – Feed the Future Tajikistan Agriculture and Land Governance – to reduce hunger, undernutrition, and poverty in Tajikistan.

The U.S. government's global hunger and food security initiative addresses the root causes of poverty, hunger and undernutrition by boosting agriculture-led growth, resilience, and nutrition

The Feed the Future Tajikistan Agriculture and Land Governance activity will draw on the expertise, resources, talents, and the dedication of numerous local organizations, companies, and individuals to tackle food insecurity.

USAID will develop more productive agriculture systems that improve nutrition, strengthen local institutions and private sector partners, and improve the agricultural environment, particularly in land governance. Building on previous achievements, USAID will continue to improve incomes of smallholder farmers, promote women's economic empowerment, and increase the production and consumption of nutritious foods while supporting the diversification of livelihoods for increased household and community resilience to shocks and stressors.

A family is food secure when its members do not live in hunger or fear of hunger. Food insecurity is often rooted in poverty and has long-term impacts on the ability of families, communities and countries to develop and prosper. Prolonged undernourishment stunts growth, slows cognitive development, and increases susceptibility to illness such as COVID-19.

While food-insecurity and malnutrition are secondary impacts of COVID-19, they are primary concerns for USAID. USAID is acting now to support Tajikistan in this challenging time through Feed the Future programming to mitigate the pandemic's medium and long-term impacts on food systems, resilience, and nutrition.   programming to mitigate the pandemic's medium and long-term impacts on food systems, resilience, and nutrition.  

USAID's food security assistance in Tajikistan has already helped smallholder farmers increase their profits by 194 percent, generated over $3 million dollars in sales, and helped more than 120,000 farmers gain secure access to land and water for the first time in decades.

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USAID is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. For more information, visit: https://www.usaid.gov/central-asia-regional and USAID’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/USAIDCentralAsia