1.2 Contact details of resource persons and institutions involved in the assessment and documentation of the Approach

Name of project which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Approach (if relevant)

Book project: where people and their land are safer - A Compendium of Good Practices in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) (where people and their land are safer)

Name of the institution(s) which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Approach (if relevant)

CARITAS (Switzerland) - Switzerland

1.3 Conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT

When were the data compiled (in the field)?

11/10/2016

The compiler and key resource person(s) accept the conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT:

Yes

1.4 Reference(s) to Questionnaire(s) on SLM Technologies

2.1 Short description of the Approach

Livestock holders at village level join a pasture user union to access different rights provided under the national law "About pastures" passed in 2013. Among others, the Paster User Unions (PUUs) are able to obtain onwership of a communal collective pasture land, have the right to collect fees to improve the pasture and balance livestock and available fodder amounts in the watershed areas.

2.2 Detailed description of the Approach

Detailed description of the Approach:

The Pasture User Union (PUU) is the legal entity at village-level to implement the law "About pastures" passed on 19th of March 2013.

All households of a village are represented by one female and one male representative in the union. At the general assembly, 11 people are selected as governing body of the union. The union is entitled to:
- receive a land certificate for communal collective daily pastures nearby the village as well as more distant summer pastures
- collect fees according to a system they can decide at their general assembly (in the study case the fees were based on heads of animals)
- can use collected fees to improve the pastures of the village
- can represent villager’s interests when it comes to land use conflicts related to pasture and livestock

The Pasture User Unions have the obligation to:
- pay taxes to the land use committee
- sustainably use their pasture land

Pasture User Unions were trained by SLM specialists from Caritas Switzerland on a series of technologies to improve their pasture land. Relevant technologies consist of rotational grazing, water points in pasture areas, calculation of bearing capacities, implementation of contour lines plantations etc. All these technologies aim at a sustainable use of the land, that result in increased vegetation cover, increased infiltration of water, and reduced erosion, degradation and mass movements/landslides.

As one of the only functioning structures at village-level, with access to resources, the pasture user unions take lead during disasters and emergencies. Pasture User Unions have for example evacuated animals during flood events in a collective manner. They have also organized a “Hashar” i.e. a collective voluntary work to clean the flood channels crossing their village. The longer term impact of pasture unions both at watershed level with improved pasure management and at village level with improved preparedness is yet difficult to assess.

2.3 Photos of the Approach

2.5 Country/ region/ locations where the Approach has been applied

2.6 Dates of initiation and termination of the Approach

2.7 Type of Approach

• recent local initiative/ innovative

2.8 Main aims/ objectives of the Approach

Enhance rights and profit of livestock onwers at the community level

2.9 Conditions enabling or hindering implementation of the Technology/ Technologies applied under the Approach

3.1 Stakeholders involved in the Approach and their roles

3.2 Involvement of local land users/ local communities in the different phases of the Approach

	Involvement of local land users/ local communities	Specify who was involved and describe activities
initiation/ motivation	passive	originally technologies to improve the use of pastures were introduced by Caritas Switzerland, which helped the farmers to organise in livestock committees.
planning	interactive	Caritas and livestock commitee members were involved in developing and passing the law "about pasture" in Tajkistan to ensure the protection of community pastures.
implementation	self-mobilization	Implementation is entirely in the hands of the unions.
monitoring/ evaluation	self-mobilization	Monitoring is entirely in the hands of the unions.

3.3 Flow chart (if available)

3.4 Decision-making on the selection of SLM Technology/ Technologies

Specify who decided on the selection of the Technology/ Technologies to be implemented:

• mainly SLM specialists, following consultation with land users

Specify on what basis decisions were made:

• evaluation of well-documented SLM knowledge (evidence-based decision-making)
• personal experience and opinions (undocumented)

4.1 Capacity building/ training

Was training provided to land users/ other stakeholders?

Yes

Specify who was trained:

• land users

If relevant, specify gender, age, status, ethnicity, etc.

PUU members (50% women/50% men) and herders (100% men)

Form of training:

• farmer-to-farmer
• courses

Subjects covered:

Awareness raising of livestock onwers on bearing capacities of pastures;
Facilitation of introduciton of rotational grazing system of spring, summer and autumn pastures. Skills training for hearders including identifiation when pasture is ready for grazing (i.e. good herbs arelady have reproduced seeds).
Training of farmers in the PUU in cultivation of fodder crops (Aflaalfa, esparcettes, etc)

4.2 Advisory service

Do land users have access to an advisory service?

Yes

Specify whether advisory service is provided:

• on land users' fields

Describe/ comments:

NGO services helped to set up the pasture management system by facilitation of process through visual aids like watershed maps showing soil quality, slope gradients, vegetation cover, etc. Together with the number of animals in the community and the fodder needs of the community was established and guided the discussion to identify pastures, define rotational schemes, identify potential options of water points on daily pastures, identify arable land to cultivate fodder, identify and demarcation of roads for herds to reach daily pastures.

4.3 Institution strengthening (organizational development)

Have institutions been established or strengthened through the Approach?

• yes, greatly

Specify the level(s) at which institutions have been strengthened or established:

• local

Describe institution, roles and responsibilities, members, etc.

While the institutions are local and at the municipal level, the law is established at the national level.

Specify type of support:

• capacity building/ training

• legal advice

Give further details:

Mainly technical trainings on pasture management as well as legal how to apply and register pasture land for the use by the PUU

4.4 Monitoring and evaluation

Is monitoring and evaluation part of the Approach?

Yes

Comments:

Yes pastures conditions are monitored twice a year by PUU

If yes, is this documentation intended to be used for monitoring and evaluation?

No

4.5 Research

Was research part of the Approach?

No

5.1 Annual budget for the SLM component of the Approach

Indicate the annual budget for the SLM component of the Approach in US$:

1000.00

If precise annual budget is not known, indicate range:

• < 2,000

Comments (e.g. main sources of funding/ major donors):

Collection of fees per head of livestock

5.2 Financial/ material support provided to land users

Did land users receive financial/ material support for implementing the Technology/ Technologies?

Yes

If yes, specify type(s) of support, conditions, and provider(s):

The PUU as one of the only juridical person at grassroot level is a preferred partner in the implementation of larger projects of International NGOs and UN. For example the PUU in Muminabad district recieved a much higher share of agricultural machinery from an IFAD project than other districts in the proejct area, as the PUU gauranteed a collective ownership, which is more efficient than a single ownership for an agricultural machinery.

5.3 Subsidies for specific inputs (including labour)

• infrastructure

If labour by land users was a substantial input, was it:

• voluntary

5.4 Credit

Was credit provided under the Approach for SLM activities?

No

5.5 Other incentives or instruments

Were other incentives or instruments used to promote implementation of SLM Technologies?

Yes

If yes, specify:

Policies and regulations to provide incentives to create PUUs

6.1 Impacts of the Approach

6.2 Main motivation of land users to implement SLM

6.3 Sustainability of Approach activities

Can the land users sustain what has been implemented through the Approach (without external support)?

• yes

If yes, describe how:

As the PUU has become a juridical person for governing pastures in Tajikistan, including the right to collect money and obliation to pay taxes, it is highly likely that the approach will be sustainable. Social and economical benefits in beeing organized as a PUU clearly overweight negtaive aspects like spending time for meetings.

6.4 Strengths/ advantages of the Approach

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the land user’s view
Increase in productivity (milk and meat) and reproduction of animals (offsprings)
PUU members gain the right to have collective land tenure guaranteed for long term (99 years) by the state of Tajiksitan.

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
The PUU is entitled by the law "About pastures" to act on behalf of the community related to all pasture issues.
Enhances the implementation and governance of technologies to improve the pasture management.
Being part of the judiciary, PUU provides multiple benefits to the community i.e. having a own account, having the right to collect fees and has the obligation to pay taxes,
Improved pasture management reduces downstream risks (floods, erosion), land degradation and enhances longer term soil fertility

6.5 Weaknesses/ disadvantages of the Approach and ways of overcoming them

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the land user’s view	How can they be overcome?
There is not enough food/dairy processing equipment to maximize benefit from milk, meat, and wool. Need to establish a functioning cold chain for the different diary products.	Get more project support

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view	How can they be overcome?
Given the success of the approach, the price of meat has decreased in the market (from 30 Somoni to 25 Somoni for 1 kg of beef). This provides a low value for livestock produce to farmers.	Move from quantity to quality of produce. Improve food processing standards in the local market.
Provide incentives to reduce livestock numbers in the watershed by diversifying farmer income such as increasing milk and meat productivity.	Stall feeding, improved breeds, zero grazing etc.

7.1 Methods/ sources of information

7.2 References to available publications

Title, author, year, ISBN:

n/a

7.3 Links to relevant information which is available online

Title/ description:

Law "about pastures" passed on 19th March 2013

URL:

http://cis-legislation.com/document.fwx?rgn=59051