Dushanbe, Tajikistan, January 28, 2015 – U.S. Ambassador Susan M. Elliott and representatives of USAID, along with Governor of Khatlon Province Davlatsho Gulmahmadzoda, participated in ceremonies to hand over irrigation machinery to communities in Khatlon Province.  The Jilikul Federation of Water Users Association received an excavator valued at $112,000 and Nahri Qumsangir Federation of Water Users Association received a tractor/backhoe valued at $44,900. USAID donated the machinery to support implementation of irrigation water sector reform in Tajikistan. Ambassador Elliott also presided over the inauguration of the Obrason-K Water Users Association’s new office building. The water user associations (WUAs) were formed through an open and participatory process involving small-scale and commercial farmers, community leaders, and government officials.

The U.S. Government’s Feed the Future (FTF) initiative aims to increase food security and incomes while reducing undernutrition through improved agricultural sector growth and improved nutrition. To further this goal, USAID helps Tajik farmers to improve critical irrigation water management practices. The provision of heavy equipment and the construction of the office building through the USAID Family Farming Program will increase the productivity of farm lands and facilitate steady access to irrigation water for over 226,400 residents of Vakhsh, J. Rumi, Jilikul and Qumsangir districts.

Ambassador Elliott recognized that associations like this one are best placed to manage the local irrigation system and to ensure fair and consistent water delivery. She noted that they are one of the keys to improving incomes and well-being for millions of Tajik citizens, as well as increasing overall economic growth in the country.

The USAID Family Farming Program is one of several Feed the Future projects implemented in Tajikistan by USAID on behalf of the American people.  Since October 2010, FFP has established and supported 60 WUAs and four Federations of WUAs in Khatlon Province, providing efficient and equitable irrigation water supply to 122,653 hectares of land and more than 825,300 people. Today’s events mark the completion of the USAID Family Farming Program (2010 to 2015). A final conference will be held in Qurghonteppa on January 29, 2015.
The United States Government is committed to continuing its support and assistance to the people of Tajikistan. Since 1992, the American people have provided over $1 billion in programs and humanitarian aid that support Tajikistan’s democratic institutions, health care, education and economic growth.