The Government of Tajikistan

1. “Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Farm Workers Concerning Land Use Rights and Farmland Restructuring in Tajikistan” Baseline Survey Findings World Bank The Government of Tajikistan

2. The baseline study has been a collaborative effort supported by: • The Land Reform and Market Development • Project (LRMDP), funded by USAID and • implemented by Chemonics Int. • The Land Registration and Cadastre System for • Sustainable Agriculture Project (LRCSSAP), • World Bank funded and implemented by the • Government of Tajikistan.

3. Survey Goals(quantitative and qualitative components) • To provide baseline data on land use rights and farm restructuring to assess future progress of the projects; • To assess public opinion on farm restructuring process and land tenure, and based on the survey results to design and improve activities of current and future projects to address better the needs of farm workers. • To provide recommendations for improving farmland restructuring process and land tenure.

4. Survey sites: 15 raions in 3 Oblasts and DRSs

5. Sampling (quantitative component) • 3 Oblasts and DRSs • 15 Raions: 5 representing USAID LRMDP; 10 representing LRCSSAP areas • Within each Raion, 5 Jamoats were selected • Within each Jamoat, two villages were selected • 10 farm workers, cultivating land (EXCLUDING household and presidential plots) were selected for interviewing in each village • Total: 1500 farm workers

6. Sampling (qualitative component) • Shahrinav district (cotton); • Yavan district (cotton); • Faizabad district (non-cotton); • In each district: • 4 Focus groups with: heads of dehkan farsms, shareholdersand tenants in collective DFs – (male and female equally), and local authorities (local land practitioners); • 4 In-depth interviews with heads of hukumats, heads of district land committees, NGOs, aksakals; • Total: 12 focus groups 22 in-depth interveiws 4 participant observation reports.

7. NOTE: The survey goal was to provide a sample from the USAID and World Bank project areas that would represent most farm workers in the project areas. However, the survey did NOT attempt to provide a representative sample of all farm workers in Tajikistan. The sampling was done to provide enough farm workers from each village to indicate whether or not substantial differences could be found across these small project areas.

8. Demographics • Sex: 60.2% males and 40% females • Age: 18 to 89 with mean of 45 • Ethnicity: 71% Tajik; 29% Uzbek • Education: 22% of males have higher education; 3% of females do; 18% of males have advanced training in agriculture; 3% of females do.

9. Percentage of Farm workers Interviewed by Farm Type

10. Employment Status of 1500 Farm workers Interviewed

11. Characteristics of 768 Collective Dekhan Farms • Median size: 56 hectares • Median number of members: 10 • 578, or 75.3% said they had an individual parcel of land, and its median size was .7 h. • 66.1% said they had a sub-certificate for their land parcels.

12. Characteristics of 483 Extended Family/Individual Dekhan Farms • Median parcel size - 4 ha; • 86.7% say they have a certificate for the main land parcel, and 79.3% say they have a sub-certificate for parcels within the extended family farm;

13. A. Knowledge Test Results13-item knowledge test to assess basic knowledge by farm typeE.g.: “Farmers can lose their land use rights if they don’t cultivate the land for a year.” (Correct answer: Yes)

14. Knowledge of Laws

15. B.Information Sources The study focused on: • Identifying main information sources for land use rights and restructuring; • Assessing each source; Sources identified: • Mass media: TV, radio, newspapers • Interpersonal sources • Training and publications

16. Information Sources • 81.1% mentioned getting information about land use rights or farm restructuring from at least one source (so 18.9% have no sources at all) • Average number of sources: 3.9 • For men: 4.9 • For women: 2.4

17. Best Information Sources

18. C. Perceived advantages to extended family or individual dekhan farms

19. Comment from the qualitative study The qualitative study results reiterate the above perceived advantages of smaller farms over collective dehkan farms. «As a specialist, I clearly understand that extended family\individual farms do better than collectives. Collectives are all about fraud and cheating. They have many parasites. How can a farm be collective, if only the manager makes key decisions at their disposal? International best practice shows that individual ownership is more lasting”. FG, land specialists

20. D. BarriersApart from advantages, most farm types have indicated the following problems:

21. D. Further barriersFreedom to cultivate various crops A break down by districts and regions indicates notable differences in crop-related decision-making: E.g.: Who takes the lead in key decisions about what to plant on the major area of the land you cultivate?

22. Comment from the qualitative study Similarly, qualitative study results indicate that in many districts farm workers are concerned about the lack of freedom in crop-related decision-making: “Farmers should not have to follow a plan for production. Now, all dekhan farmers are forced to plant this much wheat, and that much other crops. We are pushed from above if we do not follow this plan.” (Dehkan farm head, man, 66 years old). “I have read the publications and it is written there that there should not be instructions on what to plant. It should be the farmer’s choice. (Dehkan farm head, man, 48 years old).

23. Comment from the qualitative study Additionally, the following issues have emerged as significant barriers to a successful farmland restructuring: • Multi-level and multi-faceted informal payments • Inequitable land parcel allocation • Ambigous messages on land use rights and farm restructuring • Farm debts (cotton debts, potato debts etc.)

24. Comment from the qualitative study «In the old days, most (good) land was allocated to managers, heads, hukumats and procuratura, and their relatives. The don’t care at all…and keep all the profit to themselves. There are good people among the local authorities, but the majority sell out everything, thus leaving people without any income.” Female farm worker, 40 years old «Just think well. Those who went with their pockets full, got the land. We were clearly told: “come with full pockets”. Everyone goes through a hassle first and than ends up paying. There is no other way nowadays…” Collective dehkan farm worker, male, 57 years old «I wanted to apply for my own land share. I would go to the farm manager many times, but he would hide and would not show the certificate to me. Then I went to hukumat: they would send me here and there with no result. After that, I heard rumors about going back to the old system of farms in the near future, while all small farms would be abandoned. Now I am at a loss and do not know what to do”. Female collective farm worker, 37 years old

25. E. Attitudes to buying and selling land use rights N=1500.

26. Comment from the qualitative study Comments made during focus groups and in depth interviews were usually negative about the idea of buying and selling land use rights: “I think the time for buying and selling land has not yet come. It would be a big step backward to do it now. People should first study the market economy, and prepare themselves. I think it will eventually happen, but in the future”. (Aksakal, 70 years old) “In Tajikistan we have had privatization of enterprises. No ordinary person received anything. To me one should be very careful about buying and selling land”. (Land specialist, man, 57 years old)

27. F. Behavioral Changes

28. G. Improved welfareHas personal farming situation changed?

29. Better Off Economically?

30. Economic Indicators (assets, income)

31. H. Status of women Women, as a group, have been marginalized from the land restructuring process: • Attendance rate in training events is 3 times higher for men compared to women; • Women have limited access to publications, mass media and interpersonal sources of information; • Compared to men, women score lower on knowledge test; they have lower education levels, and as a result poorer understanding and awareness of current laws and decrees as well as their rights;

32. Status of women • Women report difficulties in understanding publications and TV programs on land use rights and farm restructuring more often than men; • Women tend to be found more on collective dehkan farms and joint stock companies as hired labor and shareholders,and very few as heads of ind./family farms; • Compared to men, women tend to have less interaction with local officials; They have less voice and influence in dealing with local authorities;

33. Comment from the qualitative study Moreover, conservative traditional perceptions and public attitudes add further to marginalization of women: «You cant go there! See, there are only men. This is not a city, where no one cares”. FG, women, «I have a husband, so why would I need to have the certificate issued on my name. It’s his business. If I were a widow, it would be a different story”. FG, women, «Child rearing is a woman’s main business. If we, men, cannot solve the problems, how can women resolve them?” FG, men,

34. Key Issues • Farm workers from goshozes, joint stock companies and collective dehkan farms have less access to information, notably in cotton areas; • Moreover, about 16% of respondents from these groups still (mistakingly) believe they work in kolhozes; • They have lower knowledge and awareness of land use rights and farm restructuring process; • They are less well off financially;

35. Key Issues • Extended Family/Individual Dekhan farms are doing better on all aspects. • But respondents from these farms are primarily males; more than 20% have higher education. They are likely to have better access to resources.

36. Key Issues Need for an integrated package approach: • Improving the state land policy to make farm restructuring more transparent, equitable and consistent, while land use rights more secure in accordance with legislation; • Curbing informal payments and land use rights related miscommunication; • Enabling farm workers to make independent decisions, guided by market demands; • Special efforts will be needed to reach and support women.

37. Key Issues Effective communication strategies should: • consider that multiple channels should be utilized: • TV is “best” source and reaches many • Radio and newspapers also are used by farmers • Interpersonal channels are important when evaluating whether or not to petition • Training/publications are seen as useful • take into account that the lack of inputs, crediting and marketing opportunities as well as poor access to irrigation and machinery are important barriers to a successful independent farming.

38. Workshop for Land PractitionersKey Issues Discussed • Group A: How to improve the farm restructuring process; • Group B: Enabling farm workers to become independent and make management decisions in response to market forces; • Group C: Designing effective activities to meet the needs of women (improving the status of women in the agricultural sector); • Group D: Reaching farm workers, who lack education and connections;

39. Workshop for Land PractitionersKeyRecommendations • Remove bureaucratic barriers and simplify steps and procedures throughout the process: • Revise and simplify all procedures in a participatory manner. The farm reorganization commission should also undergo a reform. • Administration should turn its face to farm workers, while bureaucracy should be adapted to farmers’ needs and demands, but not vice versa. • Introduce the principle of a “single window” for application and issuance of certificates.

40. Workshop for Land PractitionersKeyRecommendations 2) Simplify the existing taxation system to the extent possible. • Improve transparency of the system as well as the local knowledge and awareness on taxation. Introduce the principle of paying taxes through a “single window”. • Provide short-term benefits for newly-established dehkan farms: e.g. exemption from certain taxes up to 3 years with close monitoring; • Reduce the practice of informal payments and excessive bureaucracy.

41. Workshop for Land PractitionersKeyRecommendations 3) Enhancing local participation and representation in the farm restructuring process. • Facilitate active participation of farm workers: E.g. participation in joint farm restructuring meetings; E.g. improve the role of farm workers, while reducing the authority of those implementing the restructuring process (reduce domination on the part of authorities)

42. Workshop for Land PractitionersKeyRecommendations 4) Conduct a countrywide awareness campaign on land reform based on existing legislative framework. 5) Enhance support and assistance provided by legal aid centers and rural activists (Tashabbuskor). 6) Organize more priority-based, thematic seminars and training; TV and radio programs; publications should be made available in the language understandable for people with low literacy. 7) Facilitate and assist with establishment of dehkan farm unions and associations.

43. Workshop for Land PractitionersKeyRecommendations 8) More training, seminars and meetings for women are needed: • Seminars and meetings should be held right at the workplace – i.e. in the field to ensure participation. 9) Every district could appoint a jamoat level gender specialist to organize information activities for women at a local level. • E.g. deputy heads of jamoats; • E.g. Female community leaders could be engaged in awareness an information activities for women.

44. Workshop for Land PractitionersKeyRecommendations 10) Special support to women willing to establish their individual dehkan farms, e.g. providing special credit lines to women-heads of DF. 11) Organize short-term training courses on land use rights, agro-technologies, etc in winter time for women. 12) Conduct awareness campaigns in rural high-schools. Consider including basic education on land use rights in high school curricula in rural areas. 13) To provide relevant training to local specialists.

45. Workshop for Land PractitionersKeyRecommendations 14) Improve coordination among international donor and state institutions, dealing with above issues.