Feed the Future Launched in Tajikistan

On May 8, U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan Ken Gross and Erin Elizabeth McKee, Regional Mission Director for USAID/Central Asian Republics, were joined by Tajikistan Deputy Prime Minister Murodali Alimardon for the official public launch of the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future initiative in Tajikistan.

Nearly 100 people participated in the event, including cabinet-level Tajik ministers, other government officials, donors, private sector representatives, and staff from local and international NGOs.

Over 70 percent of Tajikistan’s population is rural, and 46 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. One of the largest and most socially vulnerable regions in the country is Khatlon Province, which shares a border with Afghanistan. The goal of Feed the Future Tajikistan is to sustainably improve the food security of over 200,000 people in Khatlon by focusing at the household level to raise incomes, increase the availability of food, and improve nutrition. In the targeted districts, the program aims to reduce the poverty rate from 54 percent to 45 percent over 5 years and reduce stunting among children under 5 years old from 37 percent to 26 percent during the same period.

In his opening remarks at the launch event, Ambassador Gross said, “The U.S. Government is partnering with you to help ensure that Tajikistan’s children will grow up well-fed and healthy. Together we can help improve agricultural productivity for everyone’s benefit. Certainly this initiative will further strengthen the relationship between the U.S. and Tajikistan. But the main objective of this program is to improve the living standard of people of this country. With the help of Feed the Future, we want to decrease the poverty level in Khatlon Province by improving production of agricultural products and the quality of nutrition.”

Download the new Feed the Future Tajikistan Fact Sheet on our website.