J.13_AVRDC_SOW_2014-2016_final_Sept.24_(2).docx

Tajikistan Nutrition-Sensitive Vegetable Technologies

Scope of Work: 2014-2016

AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center

Project Rationale Tajikistan is a U.S. Government Feed the Future focus country that has high levels of under nutrition. These deficiencies are currently reflected in a 30.7% stunting rate and a 6.87% wasting rate. Stunting and wasting are primarily the function of deficiencies in Vitamin A, iron, zinc, iodine, and animal proteins. Tajikistan Nutrition-Sensitive Vegetable Technology project interventions will contribute to reducing stunting and wasting rates of children under the age of 24 months and under-nutrition of women of reproductive age within the Zone of Influence (ZOI). This project seeks to increase the production and consumption of nutritious vegetables in the FTF ZOI.[footnoteRef:1] [1: The FTF ZOI consists of the western 12 districts in Tajikistan’s Khatlon Province. These 12 districts are: Bokhtar, Jomi, Jilikul, Khuroson, Nosiri Khisrav, Qabodiyon, Qumsangir, Rumi, Sarband, Shahritus, Vakhsh, and Yovon, which comprise the lower Kafarnigan and Vakhsh river basins.]

This 24-month project with AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center (AVRDC) will improve nutrition outcomes by introducing new production methods including greenhouses for extended season vegetable production, containerized seedling production, and introducing new nutritious vegetable varieties. These technologies go hand-in-hand. Greenhouses are the cornerstone of extended season production allowing for earlier and later production of vegetables in the ZOI in Tajikistan. To maximize potential vegetable production, greenhouse interventions must be implemented in combination with containerized seedling production and the use of new certified seed varieties, which were recently approved in Tajikistan.

Objective Increase the production and consumption of improved vegetable varieties high in Vitamin A, iron, and/or zinc in the Feed the Future Zone of Influence.

Methodology Greenhouses (50% level of effort) Commercial greenhouses have been common in the Village of G’ayrat near the provincial capital of Qurghonteppa since Soviet times. The best estimate is that there are currently 1,000 in production. This production is primarily directed toward producing tomato and cucumber for the early market. Limited production takes place in the fall. These structures are generally 6 meters by 26 meters and constructed of poorly suited reinforcing steel and wood. Plastics are of low grade and generally deteriorate in one or two growing seasons in part due to the abrasiveness of the reinforcing steel. The technology used in this production is correspondingly low, although management is medium. Best management practices for greenhouses such as the use of galvanized pipe, black plastic mulch, improved seed varieties, and drip irrigation are unknown.

This project will improve the technology being used in existing greenhouses and incentive new farmers to adopt greenhouse production and its associated technologies. New greenhouses will be targeted at women farmers for use in their backyard gardens to address nutritional deficiencies in the diet. Greenhouses for backyard production will be smaller than the commercial size of 6 meters by 26 meters. USAID Tajikistan considers a 2.5 meter by 8 meter as a good backyard size with furrow irrigation to increase affordability. An experienced senior greenhouse production expert should be brought in for short term consultation to assist in the design of these structures. AVRDC will develop an agreement with each farmer outlining roles and responsibilities of the greenhouse recipient which needs to be no more than two pages in Tajik or Uzbek language, whichever is appropriate for the farmer’s language ability.

Sughd Agro Serve has been the recipient of USAID technical and financial assistance. They were originally only operating in Northern Tajikistan in Sughd Province. With USAID assistance they have expanded into the South and now have to five agro shops in district centers and supply an additional six shops under individual ownership. For the last three years they have operated a voucher program with USAID Productive Agriculture Project to provide quality inputs including seed, fertilizer, and pesticides for early onion production, which has been successful at introducing higher quality inputs, though has required significant administrative effort to operationalize. We envision this AVRDC project would enter into a similar partnership with Sughd Agro Serve and can consider streamlined ways to incentivize farmers to adopt new and improved inputs and materials.

Greenhouse interventions will include, but are not limited to:

· A voucher program, or other market based product, for quality inputs that gives farmers an incentive to purchase greenhouse materials at Sughd Agro Serve and other input shops

· New greenhouses designed for backyard production and targeted at women farmers

· Dissemination of technology and production information through and in cooperation with USAID’s Farmer Advisory Services Tajikistan (FAST) extension program

· Demonstrations with farmer groups in cooperation with FAST

· Field days to show a broader audience of farmers the benefit of this technology

· Insect/shade netting for mid-summer production

· Cooperate with a local NGO to facilitate program delivery.

Containerized Seedlings (20% level of effort) AVRDC will select and work with two established seedling producers in each of the twelve districts. Some growers already are experimenting with raising seedlings in cups rather than the traditional bare root method. The selected seedling producers should currently own a greenhouse for early seedling production. Women are traditionally involved in this production and should comprise at least 50% of the participants. The project will cost share with seedling producers to make the new technologies more affordable. AVRDC will also formulate a potting medium from locally available materials since soil alone is not satisfactory for this transplanting system.

New Vegetable Varieties (20% level of effort) AVRDC currently has limited activities in Tajikistan. These activities have centered on working primarily with the Research Institute of Horticulture and Vegetable Growing. The primary goal of this work has been to register new releases of vegetable seeds.

AVRDC has three new vegetable lines that are ready for release in Tajikistan. These include a hot pepper, an eggplant, and a tomato. Funding used within this project to release, produce, and distribute new varieties will focus efforts on disseminating these varieties within the ZOI. USAID is interested to see chosen new varieties put into production during the life of this project which are non-genetically modified (GMO).

Monitoring and Evaluation (10% level of effort) The project team will carefully record the personal details of farmers trained and monitor the resources supplied to them. To evaluate the effect of the project, baseline information will be collected from project households about the relevant Feed the Future Indicators selected for this project. A control group with similar characteristics will be selected for comparison. Data will be collected through a structured household questionnaire survey. Follow-up data will be collected one and two years after the intervention to evaluate the effect of the project and to report progress on the Feed the Future Indicators. Focus group discussions with project farmers will be organized at the end of the first year to understand the opportunities and constraints of the project intervention. Participatory market chain analysis will be used to improve the functioning of the market chain for spring vegetables. This analysis will involve famers, input suppliers, middlemen and retailers. AVRDC will report semi-annual results to USAID Activity Manager in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Integrated Pest Management IPM principles are well developed for greenhouse production and will be included in this project.

· Greenhouses should be relocated every 2-3 years to help control insects and diseases. This can be as simple as just moving the greenhouse the width of the structure and parallel to its current position.

· Solar soil sterilization should be used in place of fumigation for controlling many insects, nematodes, diseases, and weeds. This should be done sometime during mid-July and mid-September for a period of 4-6 weeks. A sheet of lightweight clear plastic is laid directly on the ground and the water is applied under the plastic. Daytime temperatures should reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius).

· Black plastic mulch should be laid down the crop row prior to planting the crop to warm the soil in the spring and suppress weeds. Cut the plastic in order to plant transplants into the plastic.

· Insect netting at all greenhouse openings will restrict many species of insects from entering the structure. This is highly effective, but must be used religiously.

· Because vegetable crops are typically low residue crops apply manure if available to improve soil structure. Note that manure can be in short supply in the project area since it is the most common source of fuel for heating and cooking.

Management AVRDC will work with the USAID FAST project and other agriculture activities under the Feed the Future Tajikistan program, which is establishing an extension service in the FTF Zone of Influence, and future FTF activities conducting similar work. USAID FAST and other agriculture activities will hold farmer field days to educate farmers on the benefits of the new seed varieties and seedling production methods. These coordinated activities will require AVRDC to develop a Memorandum of Understanding with USAID FAST on the roles of both parties. This Memorandum of Understanding must be approved by USAID Tajikistan.

AVRDC will hire a full-time Tajik national to serve as program coordinator in-country. This person will update USAID Tajikistan on a monthly basis. This person will be the in-country point-of-contact for the project, will attend all field days, select cooperating farmers, and assemble reports. This person could be housed in Qurghonteppa at the USAID FAST project office or with a local Khatlon-based NGO engaged in agriculture extension. The coordinator will report directly to the AVRDC coordinator in Tashkent.

Deliverables

· MOU between AVRDC and USAID FAST detailing cooperation arrangements.

· Simple video highlighting containerized seedling production and improved varieties.

· DVD highlighting benefits of improved seed varieties for extension activities with farmers.

· Semi-annual and annual reports in English and Tajik.

· Annual reporting by AVRDC of indicators into the Feed the Future Monitoring System (FTFMS) database.[footnoteRef:2] [2:

Please note that all standard indicators must be reported into Feed the Future Monitoring System (FTFMS) and Performance Plan Report (PPR) on an annual basis on disaggregated data (male vs. female) and (new vs. continuing) and smallholders (under 5 hectares) for relevant indicators.

· Final report in English with a two-page executive summary and a 50-page limit plus attachments. Following USAID approval the report should be translated into Tajik.

· One page information sheet on the project in English and Tajik.

· Power Point summary for presentations in English and Tajik.

· Spreadsheet of farmers assisted, field days held, and other accomplishments to be submitted with the quarterly and annual reports. See attached.

Reporting and Supervision AVRDC will report directly to Mukhiddin Nurmatov, USAID Agriculture Specialist, for the duration of the field work in Tajikistan. Agreement Officer Representative is John Bowman for the Public International Organization (PIO) cooperative agreement in Washington DC.

Budget and timeframe Budget for this project will be $591,147 for a duration of two years. USAID Tajikistan may consider granting additional funding in year two, subject to funding availability and performance.

Results Requested of AVRDC by USAID farmers assisted

Demonstration greenhouses

Growing medium formulation from local materials

New certified vegetable seed releases

Consultant in greenhouse production for 3-4 months and AVRDC expertise

Monitor greenhouse numbers

Greenhouse market evaluation by crop

Postharvest work

Greenhouse improved methods[footnoteRef:3] [3: Greenhouse improved methods would include any combination of black plastic mulch, drip irrigation, galvanized pipe, improved seed varieties, soil sterilization, and improved plastics. ]

Field days held of over 100 farmers

Farmers attending field days

Success stories submitted

Existing Khatlon Province Greenhouse Production

This existing greenhouse in Khatlon Province shows typical construction utilizing reinforcing steel and log construction in a 6meter x26 meter size. Furrow irrigation is almost universally used for this production.

These women are transplanting tomatoes bare root in a greenhouse. Up to 70% of the men work in Russia and Kazakhstan from May until November leaving much of the work to women.

Traditional seedling production in soil with row tunnels inside of greenhouses.

Modern Production Methods

Modern methods in Jordanian greenhouse production with galvanized steel, black plastic mulch, drip irrigation, and insect netting.

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