For a group of about 30 rural women farmers from Khatlon, the recent study tour to Sughd became a chance to see how new ideas, partnerships, and practical knowledge can turn small household farming into stronger and more sustainable livelihoods.
Organized within the framework of the United Nations World Food Programme’s Tajikistan Food Security Safety Net Activity supported by the US Government, the study tour brought together women farmers from Khatlon for meetings, field visits, and exchanges focused on agriculture, entrepreneurship, and food production.
Meeting with IMON Fund
The first stop of the visit was a meeting with representatives of IMON Fund in Khujand. Discussions focused on financial opportunities and support mechanisms available for rural women farmers in Khatlon.
Participants learned more about financial literacy, small business support, agricultural financing opportunities, and services that could help women expand household farming activities or launch small income-generating initiatives connected to agriculture and food production.
The Forum and the Fair
The group also participated in the International Forum “Trade and Investment Opportunities and Prospects for Cooperation” held in Khujand on 18 June 2026, where officials, entrepreneurs, agricultural producers, and development partners gathered to discuss regional economic development and cooperation.
Alongside the forum, participants visited the International Trade and Investment Fair “Sughd-2026,” where they explored displays of agricultural products, food technologies, greenhouse systems, packaging solutions, and locally produced goods.
Visiting greenhouses and orchards
Another important part of the study tour was a visit to a greenhouse and an orchard in Bobojon Ghafurov district.
There, women farmers observed practical examples of greenhouse management, seedling preparation, irrigation systems, and crop care methods used by local producers.
The visit quickly turned into an active exchange of ideas and questions. They discussed ways to protect crops from weather changes, improve yields, prepare healthier seedlings, and make better use of small household plots.
For many women, seeing successful greenhouse practices in person made the ideas discussed during earlier trainings feel more realistic and achievable.
The Sughd Free Economic Zone
The study tour was concluded with a visit to the Sughd Free Economic Zone and the “Donai Almos” company in Khujand.
The group learned more about food processing, production systems, packaging, and business development connected to agricultural products. For several women farmers, it was the first opportunity to observe how local agricultural products can move beyond household consumption and become part of larger production and market systems.
Conclusion
Organizers say the goal of the visit was not only to introduce participants to successful examples, but also to inspire new ideas that women can gradually adapt and apply within their own communities.
Throughout the trip, participants actively connected what they saw in Sughd with the practical knowledge they had already gained through previous project trainings on safer farming methods, compost preparation, seedling production, food preservation, drying technologies, food safety, and agri-finance management.
In the end of the visit, conversations inside the microbuses heading back to Khatlon were already filled with new plans: discussions about greenhouses, packaging ideas, crop protection, seedling production, and hopes for stronger harvests in the coming seasons.
