Climate Smart Agriculture

Agriculture is a priority sector on which a large proportion of Tajikistan's population depends for livelihoods, income, and employment, and it may be affected by climate change. Agricultural systems include crop, livestock, forestry, and fisheries. Climate change-induced droughts, reduction of rainfed land, reduced crop yields and production, and crop failures and losses may negatively affect farmers in Tajikistan. Rising temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns may force farmers to leave their land in search of more suitable agricultural areas. Higher evaporation rates may force farmers to use more water to grow the same variety and volume of crops in new areas. Traditional growing practices and yields may have to be modified to accommodate longer growing seasons. Reduced water supplies in drylands could potentially lead to significant economic losses for farmers, especially small farmers who are already facing the impacts of climate change and climate extremes.

Changes in climate may increase irrigation requirements, accelerate land degradation, and increase crop losses and damage due to harmful insects, pathogens, fungi, and weeds. Post-harvest losses are already a growing concern for farmers who have endured reduced productivity for years. Higher temperatures may increase the number of infectious vectors and pests. Rising temperatures lead to accelerated evaporation of water. As a result, there is an increasing shortage of drinking water, as well as the necessary resources for agriculture. Thus, the problem of water resources is directly linked to ongoing climate change, which certainly requires immediate adaptation measures.

Considering climate change issues, this topic is cross-cutting in all Cooperative Sarob activities. During project implementation and activities, climate change considerations are integrated with the goals and objectives. For example, when introducing new innovative technology, in addition to economic and productivity factors, the climate change resistance of the technology will be considered. If new seeds are involved, they should be more resistant to water and high-temperature stress. The most significant results Sarob has achieved are in the direction of water efficiency. In different regions, for various crops, Sarob has demonstrated and promoted water-efficient technologies, such as drip irrigation, tube irrigation, siphon irrigation systems, and other methods that allow farmers to use water more efficiently.

Sarob has implemented a wide range of activities to raise awareness. One successfully implemented activity is simplifying and adjusting the Climate Change Awareness approach, which helps farmers assess climate change risks and opportunities and generate an adaptation strategy in a co-creation process. In the frame of the Inclusive Rural Development Project (IRDP), which is implemented within the framework of the GIZ project "Supporting Rural Economic Development in Order to Ensure the Profitability of the Population (TRIGGER)", funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), various activities on the issue of climate change are being implemented.

Sarob developed a special module and introduced it to increase climate change awareness, conduct risk assessments, and introduce adaptation measures to farmers. The main topics of the module are as follows: