The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched a new project in the Republic of Tajikistan to improve regulations for the protection and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity and traditional knowledge on the topic. The three-year undertaking, “Facilitating agrobiodiversity conservation and sustainable use to promote food and nutritional resilience in Tajikistan,” is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The project aims to strengthen the conservation, sustainable use, and protection of Tajikistan’s nationally and globally significant agricultural biodiversity through assessing and maintaining local varieties and wild crop relatives. The joint FAO-GEF effort will also ensure fair and equitable distribution of profits generated, ultimately, allowing the people of Tajikistan, including women, youth and other disadvantaged groups, to benefit from better food and nutrition security, well-being, and livelihoods. Furthermore, the project contributes to the removal of barriers that limit the conservation and sustainable use of agro-biodiversity in Tajikistan.