Resource information
Climate change presents significant
threats to sustainable poverty reduction in Tajikistan. The
primary impacts on rural livelihoods are expected to stem
from reduced water quantity and quality (affecting
agriculture), and increased frequency and severity of
disasters. Options for farming households to autonomously
adapt (and thereby move from climate vulnerability to
resilience) include adoption of on-farm and off-farm
measures. Farmland restructuring and the promotion of
innovative rural production and land management measures
have the potential to incentivize productivity and
sustainable practices and reduce vulnerability, but
achieving these objectives will rest on the behavioral
responses of beneficiaries. In this context, assessing
existing practices, as well as understanding institutional
constraints to adaptation is crucial to improving economic
opportunities for Tajik households and reducing
vulnerability through well-designed interventions. This note
examines the role of institutional factors (land tenure,
legal security, and gender agency) in autonomous adaptation
and improved resilience of rural communities through
strategies for coping with climate-related shocks,
sustainable land management practices, and income
diversification. The note analyzes the extent to which
differences in land rights are associated with differences
in adaptation strategies and outcomes. The study focuses on
two of Tajikistan s four main administrative divisions:
Khatlon and Sughd districts. This note relies on a survey of
farming households and a qualitative study that were
undertaken specifically for this analysis. The note is
structured as follows: section one give introduction.
Section two describes land tenure arrangements,
gender-related constraints, and sustainable land management
practices in Tajikistan. Section three discusses the shocks
experienced by households and the coping strategies used
(including on-farm and off-farm strategies). Section four
analyzes the determinants of knowledge and adoption of
sustainable land management practices and on-farm
investment. Section five concludes with policy
recommendations to enable effective climate change
adaptation by farming households.
