Organic to Markets

Promoting organic production and rural-urban linkages

Helvetas has been engaging for almost ten years in the working area of rural economy in Tajikistan. During these years, the Local Market Development and Organic Value Chain Development projects were successfully implemeted and gradually merged into the AgroMarkets Program. 

The AgroMarkets Program (AM) has the poverty oriented and programmatic approach and it's overall objective is to improve farmers' income and livelihoods and diversify their nutrition intake through adapted agricultural concepts and services and strengthened linkages, including rural-urban linkages between small family-run or craft-based local businesses, local and national markets and buyers abroad.

The AM Program started operating in two marketsheds and consist of two sub-projects: Markets for Mountains in the Rasht valley and Organics to Markets in Sughd province. 

In Organic to Markets apricot farmers

• adopt ecologically sound agricultural practices, manage orchards actively and thus, increase productivity and quality of their dried apricots.
• have stable access to high-priced markets for organic or naturally dried products, while buyers in this market invest in strengthening the value chain.
• are organised, empowered and capacitated enough to get an adequate share of the additional benefit from increased production, quality, certification access to new markets.
• start diversification of their income sources.
• have technical and business capacities to sustain a structured and organised organic apricot value chain.

In Market for Mountains

• people in particular the poorest, increase their income through improved cash crop production are aware of the needs of balanced dietary habits, and adapt their subsistence farming accordingly.
• providers of agricultural inputs and extension services meet the needs of the farming communities, offer a wide range of quality seeds, environmentally compatible inputs and advice at affordable prices.
• women groups engaged in small-scale processing and greenhouse production diversify their products and expand their market based on demand and establish new small-scale processing enterprises.

• target groups acquire improved capacities with regard to agricultural production practices, entrepreneurial skills and marketing.