Don Van Atta Chief of Party Farmer Advisory Services in Tajikistan (FAST) FY 2015 workplan overview Dushanbe, 13 November 2014 Farmer Advisory Services in Tajikistan (FAST) FY 2015 workplan overview Dushanbe, 13 November 2014

Background FAST is the third of three activities of the Modernizing Extension and Advisory Services (MEAS) consortium managed by the University of Illinois in Tajikistan Burt Swanson’s visits to Tajikistan at request of USAID Tajikistan Country Office (2011, 2012) MEAS Field Support Activity funded by USAID TCO (2012) FAST Leader with Associate Cooperative Agreement ( )

Project components Design, prototype, document, develop materials and train staff for Zone of Influence Extension and Advisory Service Hand over “turnkey” EAS design to anticipated follow- on USAID project, but remain involved with design and implementation for life of FAST project (orginally planned for end of FY 2014) Policy-related capacity-building for agricultural sector, particularly in the Zone of Influence

Extension and Advisory System design Concentrates on food security, which means household farms Because of gender issues, aimed at rural women Works with government at jamoat level Based on “household farm learning groups” organized within villages that then freely choose their own facilitators (“volunteers,” “lead farmers”) and, within a limited range, the product to learn about Backstopped by staff organizers (“facilitators”) and production specialists

FAST to continue developing EAS for an additional year (FY2015) Thicken groups in jamoats where already working, expand into some new ones (50 -> ~150) Train group volunteers to take more responsibility for their own group’s activities, intergroup relations Work with Mercy Corps to ensure that EAS and nutrition messages reinforce each other Resolve upstream and downstream issues Move from “Tajik best practice” to “world best practice” innovations

FAST policy analysts working with Qurghonteppa Hukumat Support EAS and FTF/T activities in the province Assist in development of integrated reform strategy aimed at commercializing household farms, making farm businesses profitable Act as secretariat for province-level “agricultural good practices council” to spread innovation

FAST policy analysts in Dushanbe Training for GoTJ officials Support FAST, donor community, GoTJ with information and analyses on policy issues Analysis of existing data on household farms from EAS Organize and conduct gross margin analyses Better understand operation and organization of small commercial (dehqon) farms

Small commercial farms in the ZoI, 2012 (from RT land balance 1.I.2012) Arable area, hectares Number of peasant farms % of all peasant farms in ZoI Arable area, hectares % of all arable in ZoI Up to % % From 1 to % % From 2 to % % From 3 to % % From 4 to % % Total % %