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)

Environmental Land Management and Rural Livelihood Project

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

Committee for Environment Protection of Tajikistan (Committee for Environment Protection of Tajikistan) - Tajikistan

1.3 Conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT

When were the data compiled (in the field)?

02/04/2018

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

Sustainable livestock and pasture management is implemented through creating Pasture Users Unions (PUU) which design and implement pasture and livestock management plans.

2.2 Detailed description of the Approach

Detailed description of the Approach:

The Government of Tajikistan is implementing a project, funded by the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), with the objective of enabling rural people to build up their productive assets in ways that sustainably improve natural resource management, and build resilience to climate change in selected climate-vulnerable sites. Livestock are an integral part of the agriculture sector, although there has been a shift to more extensive livestock grazing from the intensive livestock farming system practiced before independence. Today, more than 90% of livestock are held in household farms, indicating the importance of livestock to rural livelihoods, and the system is based primarily on grazing, supplemented by limited cultivated fodder crops and minimal use of concentrates.
Pastures comprise about 35% of Tajikistan’s total land area and 80% of its agricultural land - however substantial degradation is taking place. Pasture degradation may be exacerbated by climate change, which is likely to increase variability in water availability and temperature, and may result in local droughts and floods. Properly managed pasture helps control water flows in ways which contribute to mitigating floods and droughts, maintaining soil conservation and fertility, and providing habitats for wild plants and animals. The aim of the activity is to introduce sustainable community-managed pasture/fodder-based livestock production systems in villages in the Faizobod district of jamoat Dustmurod Aliev, situated in the mid-hills of Tajikistan. Approximate membership of the Pasture Users Unions (PUU) is between 50 and 200 households per village depending on size, with between 6 and 10 villages per jamoat. Comprehensive pasture and fodder assessments and evaluation of the feed/fodder balances are carried out, followed by the development of Pasture and Livestock Management Plans (PLMP) for various interventions including; improvement of pasture productivity through rotational grazing, protecting areas for regeneration, pasture rehabilitation, improving access to remote pastures, and supplementary fodder production; animal health requirements and breed improvement measures; infrastructure to access and use remote pastures, such as spot road improvements, and stock watering points. By virtue of the fact that users will welcome this approach in their jamoats, they will be able to manage the broad issues of pasture degradation, animal health and fodder production. Above all it will help farmers to control the balance between livestock and fodder.

2.3 Photos of the Approach

2.4 Videos 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

• project/ programme based

2.8 Main aims/ objectives of the Approach

To help mitigate the effects of climate change on the rural population and slow pasture degradation processes through introducing and demonstrating sustainable pasture/fodder-based livestock production systems;
To support the development of a Pasture and Livestock Management Plan (PLMP) for Pasture User Unions (PUU), in a participatory, inclusive and gender sensitive way: to
- Serve as tool to organize the management of community managed pastures in such a way that it will
increase pasture yields in quantity and quality, without causing land degradation & erosion;
- Serve as a tool to improve livestock management, and;
- Bring the number of livestock in balance with the available fodder;
- Increase animal off-take through better yielding pastures, adoption of improved
feeding practices & improved animal management and through better animal health;
- Increase the income of the rural population from livestock keeping, and;
- Reduce downstream flood risk in mountain areas, due to improved land management.

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	interactive	Awareness raising and introductory meetings, training, seminars and other with the local livestock keepers
planning	interactive	Local land users participated in the process of the preparation of plan (PLMP)
implementation	self-mobilization	Local land users and livestock keepers contributing in cash or as labor during the implementation of their plan
monitoring/ evaluation	self-mobilization	Assessments, field observations, monitoring and controlling of the process of implementation
	self-mobilization	Fully involved during the operation and maintenance of the pasture infrastructures, and research

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

Explain:

The approach has been developed, tested and adapted by the consultants and specialists of the project with the involvement of pasture users according to the Pasture Law that was passed on 19 March 2013 (Law No 951)

Specify on what basis decisions were made:

• evaluation of well-documented SLM knowledge (evidence-based decision-making)
• research findings

4.1 Capacity building/ training

Was training provided to land users/ other stakeholders?

Yes

Specify who was trained:

• land users
• field staff/ advisers

Form of training:

• on-the-job
• farmer-to-farmer
• demonstration areas

Subjects covered:

ToT on environmental management of pasture lands, accounting, planning

4.2 Advisory service

Do land users have access to an advisory service?

No

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.

Pasture Users Unions
Local hukumat departments:
Ministry of Agriculture, Committee for Environmental Protection and Committee of Women Affairs

Specify type of support:

• capacity building/ training
• equipment

Give further details:

The representatives of mentioned departments participated in the trainings, conferences and meetings during project implementation and helps participants with the recommendations and guides

4.4 Monitoring and evaluation

Is monitoring and evaluation part of the Approach?

Yes

Comments:

The main tasks of monitoring relative to the livestock and pasture improvement activities; (a) Activities required to improve livestock
management (animal health, housing, feeding, breeding), (b) activities required to improve pasture
production (rotational grazing, protecting pastures, pasture rehabilitation through spot planting with
legumes, improving access to remote pastures, supplementary fodder production, set stocking
rates), (c) investment needs1 & sources of funding, (d)an implementation plan showing
responsibilities/targets/indicators

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

Yes

Comments:

As the approach supports project and land users to define
(a) measures to improve pasture productivity and sustainability, such as rotational grazing, protecting areas for regeneration, pasture rehabilitation, improving access to remote pastures, and needs for supplementary fodder production;
(b) grazing utilization levels;
(c) animal health requirements and breed improvement measures;
(d) investment needs; and (e) implementation responsibilities, targets and indicators in their plans

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$:

100000.00

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

The project funded by the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) with the objective of enabling rural people to build their productive assets in ways that sustainably improve natural resource management and build resilience to climate change in selected climate vulnerable sites

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 grant amount would average US$ 100,000 for each of the 8 PUUs with the specific amount depending on pasture area and existing number of livestock units (to be finalized during implementation)

5.3 Subsidies for specific inputs (including labour)

• labour

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

• voluntary

Comments:

Investments could include: a) infrastructure to access and use remote pastures, such as spot road improvements, stock watering points, shelters and stock-pens, and milk cooling equipment; b) machinery to produce and harvest fodder; c) costs of rehabilitation measures for degraded areas such as fencing, weed and shrub control, and re-seeding; d) inputs for supplementary fodder production such as seeds; e) vaccinations and parasite control; and f) artificial insemination. Funds could also be used for additional training above that provided by the contracted NGO and for provision of office equipment and furnishings for PUUs.

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:

The Pasture User Unions have equipped with the high volume machines to improve the pasture roads and riverbanks

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:

The approach is a sustainable mechanism itself as it has almost all needed resources and capacity to continue their activity. As an example PUU has found a new sources of income today one of the PUUs, “Sorkho” participated in the district competition to implement the program “Prevention of Land Refinement by using biosynthic methods” conducted by the MSDSP Aga Khan Foundation in Surkhdara area of D. Aliev jamoat in Fayzobod district and succeeded in that so in further that will be a lesson to be learnt by other PUUs. The PUU has now established cooperation with this organization on the basis of mutual agreement and is trying to improve the state of pastures at the jamoat level, and nowadays its work is already in progress.

6.4 Strengths/ advantages of the Approach

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the land user’s view
Office and all needed equipments for the operation of PUU Membership fees
Machinery for land and infrastructure Income from the machinery

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
Confidence between the PUU and its members Availability of Pasture and Livestock Management Strategy (includes planned activities for the 3 to 5 years) Availability of needed pasture and livestock Infrastructure; veterinary infrastructure, machinery to improve pasture roads and bridges, livestock watering points.
Needed knowledge and capacity to improve pasture production (rotational grazing, protecting pastures, pasture rehabilitation through spot planting with legumes, improving access to remote pastures, supplementary fodder production, set stocking rates
Mechanism of controling to improve livestock management (animal health, housing, feeding, breeding) Livestock and pasture management; feeding practices, housing, breeding, disease control,marketing of products, usage of the different type of pastures

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?
Sufficient source of funding

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view	How can they be overcome?
As it is new the approach needs more support and collaboration on behalf of other government and nongovernment organisation	Government needs to support them to be more capable Non governmental organisation need to design project to train them
PUUs does not have their own certificated lands in their balance

7.1 Methods/ sources of information

7.2 References to available publications

Title, author, year, ISBN:

ELMARL Project

Available from where? Costs?

Faizobod district, PUU "Sorkho"

7.3 Links to relevant information which is available online

Title/ description:

ELMARL Annual Report 2017