Land Reform and Farm Restructuring Project

Project Dates: October 2013 - September 2016
In Tajikistan, agrarian reform and the promotion of land rights for citizens have given farmers better control over their livelihoods and increased productivity of the agriculture sector.

Agriculture is a key economic driver in Tajikistan, employing more than 75 percent of the labor force. Household farms are a vital source of income and food for rural households, but farms rarely provide enough for subsistence. The USAID Land Reform and Farm Restructuring Project (LRFRP) empowered citizens of Khatlon Province to exercise their property rights and thus increase their legal and economic security. LRFRP supported the creation of — and amendments to— legislation that dramatically improved the lives of Tajik farmers. By promoting more expansive reforms and increasing government capacity to implement changes, the project helped Tajikistan’s agriculture sector increase its productivity.

Prior Initiatives

LRFRP follows the predecessor USAID Land Reform Project, which ran from 2010 to 2013. The Land Reform Project worked with government stakeholders to reform policy and land legislation, increased farmers’ access to legal advisory services on land tenure issues, and provided rural communities with valuable information about land tenure rights. The Tajik government adopted project recommendations, and in August 2012, a comprehensive set of amendments to the country’s land code was signed into law.