The funding will enable WFP to support vulnerable communities to better meet their food needs and strengthen government capacity to address the impacts of concurring price shocks. The fund will support around 15,000 households in 2024 and 2025 by transferring cash in exchange for work in building productive and protective assets. These assets will further enhance the resilience of more than 24,000 households, supporting a total of 120,000 beneficiaries in total.
"We thank the U.S. Government for its commitment to fighting food insecurity in Tajikistan. As communities continue to be affected by ongoing global crises and high food prices, this contribution will help to address the most food-insecure people's immediate food needs with cash, while improving their long-term food security and resilience. We are working directly with smallholder farmers, especially those led by women and youth on the ground to enable them to maintain their livelihoods," said Adham Musallam, WFP Representative and Country Director in Tajikistan.
According to 2023 FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) to the Republic of Tajikistan, about 1.56 million people were facing acute food insecurity, nearly 50,000 of whom were severely food insecure. This represents an improvement compared to the same period last year, with a reduction in acute food insecurity from 20 percent to 16 percent, and a stabilization in the situation since early 2023. WFP is closely monitoring household-level food security and market situation, as well as mobilizing funds in support of food-insecure families in the country.
"We are proud to partner with the World Food Programme to support vulnerable households that are at risk of falling deeper into poverty as a result of the global price shocks for food and fertilizer felt after Russia's invasion of Ukraine," stated Manuel Micaller, U.S. Ambassador.