Investing in rural people in Uzbekistan

IFAD has been investing in Uzbekistan since 2012, providing financing worth US$81.7 million to three loan-financed projects/programmes that are intended to directly benefit 98,800 households at a total cost of US$81.7 million.

IFAD projects work to enable sustainable income growth for rural people through viable small-scale agricultural production and rural enterprise systems, with a specific focus on dekhan farmers, rural women and youth.

IFAD projects follow a value chain approach through which diversification of products, particularly horticulture crops, livestock and related subsectors, is expected to enhance rural family incomes and reduce the number of low-income households in the country.

IFAD’s experience in promoting this approach in the country suggests that the role of the private sector is crucial, as traders, aggregators, processors, exporters and other private actors often shape how the value chains perform.

In Uzbekistan, IFAD works actively to promote conducive partnerships between the private sector and smallholder producers for their own benefit. Although IFAD’s portfolio in Uzbekistan is relatively young, it has been successful in addressing the challenges of the rural poor. The government has officially recognized IFAD as a pioneer in developing the agriculture sector and in addressing the challenges facing the small-scale and dekhan farmers.