Community Agriculture and Watershed Management

The overall development objective of the proposed IDA-GEF blended Tajikistan Community Watershed Development Project (CWDP) is to help reduce rural poverty and improve livelihoods of rural communities in selected watersheds by supporting productive activities aimed at increasing incomes in a sustainable manner while reducing the pressure on the environment and ensuring the preservation of fragile mountain lands and ecosystems. The global objective of the project is to prevent land degradation and desertification and promote conservation of mountain ecosystem biodiversity by mainstreaming natural resources conservation into agricultural practices and by implementing community-based biodiversity conservation activities. To achieve its global objective the project would (a) assist communities of the watersheds to undertake environmentally friendly agricultural practices that will protect the soil, rejuvenate biodiversity and conserve natural resources; (b) support communities in identifying and undertaking alternative, sustainable income-generating activities that would reduce pressure on the mountain ecosystems and their biological resources; (c) strengthen capacity to conduct monitoring of vegetation and ecosystems; (d) support a campaign to create awareness of sustainable agriculture and biodiversity values and encourage participation in conservation measures; and (e) prepare and implement a strategy to replicate applicable elements of the GEF activity. This project would also promote protection of mountain ecosystems and natural habits and in situ maintenance of species of flora and fauna by supporting sustainable land use practices, integrating nature conservation into community development activities.