Incorporating Gender Activities into Cotton Lending Project Design : High Impact at Reasonable Cost

Over 70 percent of the farm workers in
Tajikistan are women. Most face difficult working conditions
and are paid in agricultural outputs such as oil, rather
than in cash. When the South Tajikistan Cotton Lending
Project started in early 2007, IFC and its donor, the
Canadian International Development Agency, decided to
develop a Gender Equality Plan to address gender issues a
high priority for both organizations. The challenge was to
develop a plan that will show demonstrable results at a
reasonable cost, and be acceptable to the men who manage the
farms. The smart lessons represent some of what the team
learned from this project.