Tabassum is hopeful about her family’s prospects for the future. “Now in my nursery I have 300 apple seedlings (3 varieties) 100 apricot samplings (4 varieties), and 2 varieties of black plum seedlings which are ready for sale…I am delighted when other farmers see our orchard and decide to buy similar varieties from my nursery.”
The results speak for themselves, and Tabassum is pleased with the progress she has made:
FUTURE HARVEST FOUNDATION HOW TO
With support from the project staff, some of the producer groups also met with scientists from Tajikistan’s Institute of Horticulture and Vegetable Growing who taught the members how to propagate the fruit trees by grafting or using rootstocks (part of the root from which another tree can be grown). Through the programme, the producer groups learned many techniques for improving yields, such as removing buds and flowers to help the tree save energy, and how to make compost from raw fertiliser, which results in fewer weeds that would drain vital nutrients from the trees. The new orchard is less prone to spoilage thanks to the programme’s application of “agro-technical rules”, allowing for far greater yields – between 50-60,000kg each year, more than double the usual yield of 20-25,000kg every other year. The programme operates based on the differing needs and socio-economic conditions of rural communities in the area – in this case Pokhut village has been targeted for developing fruit tree nurseries. When there is no harvest, our family suffers from a lack of income and we are in debt… I have an old apricot orchard nearby which did not harvest for almost ten years.”Īs part of a wider programme designed to improve food security and livelihoods through better agricultural practices, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) in Tajikistan is implementing the ‘Improving livelihoods and food security through sustainable natural resource management’ programme in close coordination with local authorities and with the financial support of the European Union. “Some years the trees do not bear fruit due to the cold spring, and the fruit trees in our village are generally too old and are of poor quality.
Apricot trees have been grown in the valley for many years, but the quality of the fruit and the consistency of the harvest varies from year to year.
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