MANILA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Wednesday said it approved a grant of 17.5 million U.S. dollars to help improve women's agricultural skills and boost food security in Tajikistan.
The Resilient Livelihoods and Empowerment of Rural Women Project aims to improve the productivity of women-led farms, strengthen agriculture processing and storage facilities, and enhance support to vulnerable women in Khatlon, the country's most populous province and biggest agricultural producer, the bank said in its news release.
The ADB said that Tajikistan's agriculture-based economy highly depends on female labor. However, the country lacks access to climate-resilient agricultural practices vital to enhancing productivity, as it is highly vulnerable to climate change such as drought and heat stress.
Under the project, female farmers will get various agricultural inputs, such as drying facilities, greenhouses, and water-saving irrigation technologies. They will also be trained in financial management and production technologies, including nature-based solutions and integrated pest management.
The project will also support small-scale post-harvest processing and storage hubs to improve the quality of products, leading to higher value in local and export markets, the Manila-based bank said. ■
