Environmental Assessment and Environmental management Plan Report

75. Biodiversity. There are many forests of walnuts, wild fruit trees, maples, and conifer trees. On the higher mountains (above 3000 m) there are sub-alpine and alpine pastures, with much nutritious grass. The 40% of area of Tavildara and Jirgatal districts which are in Rash valley is part of Tajik National Park (TNP). The purpose of creation the TNP is conservation of valuable landscape complexes, rare and disappearing species of flora and fauna, natural, cultural and historical monuments, developing and ordering of tourism and also rational uses of natural resources. The typical vegetation is described above in Table 1. There are wild boar, snow leopard, and brown bear, partridges, golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetus), ringdove (Columba palumbus), big turtledove (Streptopelia orientalis), hoopoe (Upupa epops), whistling thrush (Myophonus caeruleus) and other. Zakaznik Kamarou settles down on Karategin ridge on the left coast of the river Kamarou at its confluence into the Sorbog river. The purpose of the creation is conservation of Tyan-Shyan bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) which is rare specie and entered into Red Book of Tajikistan. The fauna is also represented by lynx (Felis lynx isabellina), fox (Vulpes vulpes), wolf (Canis lupus), otter (Lutra lutra) and siberian wild mountain goat (Capra sibirica). Fish – trout (Salmo trutta oxianis), marinka (Schizothorax intermedious). Vegetation is represented by rosaries, maple (Acer sp.), coniferous forests (Juniperas sp.) with Prangos sp.²⁷

76. Forests. The region of Rasht valley is the richest by forests among other regions of Tajikistan. The forest here in belt from 100on the left cost of the river 0 till 2000 m above sea level are represented mostly by different kinds of walnut, maple, poplar, sea-buckthorn (Hippophaл gen.), almond, birch, hawthorn (Crataegus), cherry-plum, apricot, apple trees and different shrub vegetation. The belt of vegetation till 3000 m a.s.l. is represented by coniferous forests.
77. Population and socio-economic conditions. Rasht zone of districts has a population of 390786 thousand people. Though once a provider of rich fruits and potatoes in Tajikistan and beyond, production in the Valley dropped during the war, and declined even after the peace due to the destruction of livelihoods and the infrastructure to support them. With petty trade predominant, a recovery to pre-war production levels has yet to occur. Vital for any economy is connectivity. However, access to markets, within the Valley to Dushanbe and beyond, has been hampered by poor roads, bridges and a dearth of information.With dilapidated phone lines, limited power supply and no other means of communication, producers and suppliers and the markets they service are disconnected, resulting in slow growth and innovation. The Rasht valley is an area with the highest rate of labor migration in Tajikistan. 90% of the population is engaged in agriculture. Access to electricity limited to 3 hours per day in the winter. Most of the mountain villages are small. The biggest settlements consist of 50 to 80 households. More often there are 15-20 households, but sometimes there are villages which consist of 5-6 households. Usually villages are situated on valley terraces, slopes of rivers, and the flatter plains. Due to lack of agricultural equipment, fuel, and oil, the plain slopes are cultivated by horse plow and harvested by sickle.
VI. Potential adverse impacts
78. Determination of impacts. Potential environmental and social impacts for the project were identified, considering the environmental components that are likely to be affected by the proposed activities. The impacts were collectively identified through contributions and participation of the key stakeholders, particularly the farmers. The summary of project potential adverse environmental impacts which include: (i) main issues; (ii) anticipated/potential environmental and social (health) impacts, (iii) their effect on the environment and human health; and, (iv) the scale of the impacts, - is presented in the Annex 1, and was used to confirm the impacts identified through the public consultations.
79. Focus of impact analysis. The EA in particular has to be focused on the analysis of the following risks: (a) given that most wheat is currently grown on steep lands, the additional sowing of wheat on these lands may potentially increase soil erosion as opposed to leaving them in pasture; (b) the provision of improved treated seeds and fertilizers, while having a beneficial impact on production, may potentially lead to adverse impacts on farmers health and on environment in the case of their inappropriate usage; and (d) potential increased usage of pesticides, may also cause adverse environmental and health impacts.
80. Significance of the potential impacts. Activities under the project are not expected to generate significant adverse environmental effects as they are focusing largely on agricultural inputs supply and capacity building activities. The project will not involve any construction requiring resettlement or land acquisition, nor invest in the activities that would allow increased water abstraction from main sources, and also will not support purchasing of pesticides. The potential impacts will be mostly positive. Potential adverse impacts will be indirect and minor, and could be easily managed by implementing a series of avoidance and preventive mitigation activities.

81. Positive impacts. From the assessment, the identified positive impacts of the project include: (a) increased food security; (b) increased household income for the smallholder farmers, due to higher agricultural productivity; (c) improved nutritional status of the farmers due to increased agricultural production; (d) improved farmer skills from trainings in technologies, seed breeding, fertilizer use and land conservation; (e) increased knowledge on Integrated Pest Management and reduced pesticides usage adverse health and environmental impacts; and (f) increased opportunity for engagement in other income generating activities or small scale businesses by smallholder farmers due to increased food security for the households. The project activities, in funding the assistance packages, will greatly improve household food security by: (i) reducing adverse social consequences in terms of aggravating poverty and relying excessively on relief food supplies in 2008-2009; and (ii) reallocating cotton land to cereal production would also help restore soil fertility thereby reversing a trend caused by over-cropping cotton. Cereal production will increase farm incomes considerably, alleviating rural poverty and enhancing ability to produce food.
82. Adverse environmental impacts. An increase in agricultural inputs supply and an improvement of farmers financial situation might have a series of negative indirect impacts generated by: (a) potential land degradation in the case of cultivation of agricultural crops on the step slopes as well as pollution and siltation of lakes and rivers; (b) increase in usage agrochemicals that might cause environmental pollution that would affect wildlife; and (c) negative impacts on the health of farmers in the case of inappropriate agrochemicals handling. The volume of seeds to be provided will not represent any varietal risk, since the area sown from these seeds will represent less than 10% of agricultural areas involved in the project.
83. Identified impacts of pesticides on soil and groundwater contamination and on the health of farmers. Some existing studies on pesticides exposure have shown an increased incidence of respiratory diseases, rheumatism, malignant neoplasm of the digestive system, nephritis, gastric ulcers and nervous diseases in the areas with high pesticide concentrations presumably located near depositories.²⁸ However, there is no reliable data to support this statement.²⁹ It is considered that excessive and uncontrolled application of pesticides in agriculture during the Soviet era has led to significant contamination of soil, water and other environmental media. According to some documents, concentration of pesticides in food products during the 1970s and 1980s was 7 to 10 times the Maximum Allowable Concentration (MAC)³⁰. There is no reliable information on the current levels of soil/ground water contamination by used pesticides. Similarly there are no evidences and data about the pesticides health impacts. It is widely considered that dehkan farmers cannot afford to buy pesticides on their own and thus such impacts are minimal. Even when dehkan farmers have access to pesticides, i.e. supplied by investors; the concentrations the dehkan farmers apply are usually lower than required³¹. At the same time, everybody agrees that there are instances when dehkan farmers apply cheap but ineffective or obsolete pesticides that do not eliminate pests but damage micro-flora of the topsoil. Since there is no reliable information on soil/groundwater contamination, health impacts, it is possible to assume that inadequate transportation, storage, and application of pesticides can potentially cause soil and groundwater contamination as well as the health o farmers.

VII Analysis of Alternatives to the Proposed Project.
84. Considered alternatives. The project team has analyzed several alternatives in the project design, including that of no intervention. Just as with the project, the alternative of “no project” would not have significant environmental impacts. The social risks, however, could be significant, especially for those most exposed to low food stocks. The project takes advantage of the field expertise FAO has gained worldwide with similar operations. In its current design, the potential risks involved are mitigated by the implementation of the activities by a UN agency with years of experience in delivering advisory services, as well as seed material and livestock services to rural populations.
VIII Mitigation Measures
85. Mitigation of environmental impact. Annex 1 presents the Environmental Management Matrix which stipulates along with the summary of the main potential impacts on the environment and on the health of farmers, proposed mitigation measures. Potential adverse impacts will be mitigated primarily through information dissemination, capacity building, avoidance and preventive activities. In this regard the updated EMP contains: (a) safety measures for handling treated seeds and fertilizers. Environmental concerns with distribution of the seed material and fertilizer are related to the possibility that the seed material might be used for consumption. The seed material procured under this trust fund will be in accordance with International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center CIMMYT quality standards for grain seeds. Seed material that has been treated with agro-chemicals will be dyed and will contain a repellent and/or emetic to prevent use of the seed material for consumption. The training (which will be provided as part of the assistance packages) will ensure that local populations are informed of the meaning of these dyes, and the repellents to avoid ingestion of possibly treated seed material; (b); (c) mitigation of potential pest management activities. These will also include capacity building, information dissemination and public awareness and trainings on pest management along with demonstrational activities on most important agricultural crops; and, (c) information dissemination and training activities concerning safe handling of treated seeds, fertilizers and pesticides for the involved participants – farmers, local and district authorities. Additionally the EMP contains also an outline of a training program on sustainable land use practices, including information about full implications of mono-culture on soil fertility, land degradation and crops quality. All proposed trainings are aimed at minimizing the potential impacts of supplied seed and fertilizer packages and further application of pesticides and should ensure that there will be no wastes in the result of their usage, that transport and handling, as well as application, are made in a safe and effective manner. The trainings are also will provide the knowledge on types of pests, most effective methods of pest management, basic information on permitted and prohibited pesticides and other learned lessons.
8.1. Safety measures for treated seed usage and handling
86. Minimizing of risks for treated seeds usage. Although the chemically treated seeds have important benefits, they also pose certain risks associated with accidental expose of environment and of farmers during their inappropriate handling and usage. These risks can be minimized by providing relevant training on proper use of seed treatment pesticides. The following recommendations contain main safety requirements in this regard.
87. General remarks. The treated seeds should be handled with care. They should not be GMO. Product labels must provide information on safe their handling and application. The seeds users always should read the label and follow instructions precisely. The label also should provide the applicator with information about first aid, potential environmental hazards, as well as for their use and proper storage. The treated seed users must also strictly follow the personal safety measures, described below.
88. Treated seeds label. Treated seeds must be associated with a label which contains the following information:

• 
  Warning statement; such as Danger—Keep out of Reach of Children or Poison— Handle With Care;
  
• 
  Type of seed and treatment rate;
  
• 
  Kinds of pests controlled;
  
• 
  Safety precautions in handling and use of treated seed;
  
• 
  Disclaimer or warranty clause;
  
• 
  Mixing instructions;
  
• 
  Compatibility remarks;
  
• 
  Antidotes;
  
• 
  A caution statement if the substance used in the treatment in the amount remaining with seed is harmful to humans or wildlife.
  
• 
  Procedure to follow in case of an accident. and
  
• 
  The name, address, and phone number of a responsible party to contact in case of problems
  

In presenting this information should be taken into consideration the following: (a) the information should be in type no smaller than 8 points indicating that the seed has been treated; (b) only the commonly accepted, coined, chemical or abbreviated chemical (generic) and name of the applied substance and rate of application should be used; (c) seed treated with a “restricted use” toxic substance shall be labeled as “poison treated” in red.

89. Treated Seed. Treated seeds storage and handling requirements include the following:

• 
  Must be stored in a dry, well ventilated location separate from untreated seed;
  
• 
  Should never be stored in bulk storage bins that might also be used for edible grain storage;
  
• 
  Be stored in special multiwall (3- or 4-ply) or tightly woven bags. Some polyethylene or foil-lined bags are also good containers for treated seed;
  
• 
  Make sure seed is thoroughly dry before bagging, as excessive moisture can cause rapid deterioration of the seed;
  
• 
  Clearly label the seed (as described above) to indicate the type of seed treatment;
  
• 
  Strictly prohibit their usage for food, feed, or oil purposes;
  
• 
  Must be planted at an agronomically acceptable seeding rate;
  
• 
  Surface treated seeds application without incorporation present a hazard to humans and animals and is illegal.
  
• 
  Careful planning of the quantity of seed is essential, since disposal of treated seed may be a problem. One solution is to plant any unwanted seed and then disk it after it emerges if you do not want the crop. Otherwise, treated seed may have to be disposed of as a solid waste.
  
• 
  Planter hoppers should be filled outdoors.
  

90. Personal Safety. It is always necessary to use caution when handling treated seeds and remember that exposure to seed treatment pesticides may cause a wide range of acute and chronic toxic reactions in people. When handling seed treatment pesticides:

• 
  Read and become familiar with the label for each pesticide that you use. Make certain that these documents are readily available at all times, and refer to them in the event of an accident;
  
• 
  Avoid inhaling pesticide dust or vapor, and always protect skin and eyes from exposure;
  
• 
  Use proper protective equipment recommended by the pesticide label. Consider wearing goggles, rubber gloves, and a rubber apron, even when the product label does not specifically require it;
  
• 
  Wash thoroughly with soap and water after handling treated seed and before eating or smoking;
  
• 
  In case of exposure, immediately remove any contaminated clothing and wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water;
  
• 
  When using large amounts of seed, change clothing frequently enough to avoid buildup of pesticides;
  
• 
  No matter how tired you may be, shower immediately after work and change all clothing.
  
• 
  Wash clothing thoroughly (separate from the family wash) before reuse.
  
• 
  The distributing of treated seeds personnel must be provided with protective clothing such as (a) coveralls, (b) cap, (c) protective glasses, (d) rubber apron, (e) rubber boots, (f) rubber gloves, and (g) respirator designed for use with the material. A safety shower should be installed in the immediate vicinity of the seeds distribution place.
  
• 
  The distribution places of seeds should be isolated and not operated in the vicinity of other personnel or farm commodities that are to be used for food, feed or oil.
  
• 
  Do not run contaminated water into stream or public sewer, but discharge into a shallow ground pit.
  

91. Hazards associated with the disposal of unused treated seed and empty treated seed containers. In order to avoid any hazards in these cases it is necessary to respect the following rules:

• 
  Do not reuse empty treated seed containers and bags.
  
• 
  Destroy them and low germinating seed by mutilation and burying at least 50 cm deep in an isolated area away from water supplies.
  

8.2. Safety measures for mineral fertilizers usage and handling
92. General remarks. Similarly as in the case of treated seeds, fertilizers usage may provide important benefits, they also pose certain risks associated with accidental expose of environment and of farmers during their inappropriate handling and usage. To avoid adverse environmental impacts while using mineral fertilizers it is necessary to comply strictly with a series of requirements, stipulated in the existing legal documents as well as in the fertilizers Guidelines for their handling. The rules and procedures of production, storage, transportation and usage of the mineral fertilizers are reflected in a relatively small number of documents, and most of them were adopted at the time of the USSR. The main stipulations of these documents with regard to environmental and health safety issues are presented in the Annex 10. The numeration of the articles and points in each normative act is similar to the original document.
93. Main requirements. The usage of different mineral fertilizers should be done depending on such factors as type and quality of the soil, type of the crop, system of crop rotation, weather and climate conditions, ways and terms of their application. To ensure this, special information dissemination and training activities will be developed under the project (see point 98). At the same time, a series of requirements of proper fertilizers handling should be enforced.
94. Provisions with regard to fertilizers storage:

• 
  Keep stocks of fertilizers, and soil amendment materials to the minimum required.
  
• 
  Ensure that the storage facility is appropriately secured.
  
• 
  Fertilizers, and soil amendment materials are not to be stored in contact with ground surfaces.
  
• 
  Storage areas/facilities are to weather-proofed and able to exclude runoff from other areas.
  
• 
  Do not store in close proximity to heat sources such as open flames, steam pipes, radiators or other combustible materials such as flammable liquids.
  
• 
  Do not store with urea.
  
• 
  Do not contaminate fertilizers, and soil amendment materials with other foreign matter.
  
• 
  In case of fire flood the area with water.
  
• 
  If augers are used to move the material ensure that any residue(s) in the immediate area is cleaned up.
  
• 
  Dispose of empty bags in the appropriate manner.
  

95. Provisions with regard to fertilizers field usage:

• 
  Keep fertilizer amounts to a minimum and covered to avoid unnecessary expose to open air.
  
• 
  Keep spreaders and air seeders that are left in the field overnight covered.
  
• 
  Cover spreader and air seeders between jobs.
  
• 
  Ensure that the drill, air seeder and/or fertilizer box is completely empty at the end of each day. If the drill, air seeder and/or fertilizer box cannot be fully emptied fill to capacity prior to storage for the night.
  
• 
  Do not store dry urea with dry ammonium nitrate.
  

96. Ensuring minimization of hazards associated with inappropriate handling and usage of fertilizers:

The Table 5 below provides information about typical hazard scenarios that that may arise in conjunction with the procurement, handling and storage of fertilizers as well as the recommended measures to control the potential risks.

Table 5. Typical hazard scenarios and recommended measures

Likely Hazard Scenario	Recommended Control Strategy
Spillage	Ensure all storage areas and/or facilities are secure and appropriate. Ensure all fertilizer products can be contained within the storage area and/or facility selected Provide appropriate equipment and materials to clean up a spillage
Transportation and delivery of goods	Cover any loads of fertilizer products whilst in transit Ensure that deliveries of fertilizer products are made at appropriate times Do not accept any containers of fertilizer products that are damaged and/or leaking Ensure that any spillages that occur during delivery are cleaned up appropriately.
Drift of dust from storage areas and/or facilities	Keep fertilizer products covered and/or sealed Clean up spillages promptly Keep “in use” stocks to the minimum required Staff responsible for storage areas and/or facilities to will ensure that the drift of dust beyond the perimeter is kept to a minimum.
Storage areas - Floors	Keep floor surfaces swept clean of fertilizer to prevent tracking by people and/or vehicles beyond the perimeter. Sweep up and dispose of spillages in a timely and appropriate manner
Cross contamination of product	Keep each fertilizer product will in a separate storage container and/or position within the facility and/or area.
Confusion of Product	Maintain an accurate storage manifest/register. Keep products and blends are segregated at all times. Ensure all storage bays and bins are clearly labeled. Ensure all storage, loading and blending plant and equipment is cleaned from all residues when changing from one product to another. Do not store product in bags that are not correctly stamped
Occupational Health and Safety	Contact between fertilizer products, people and livestock will be minimized.
Risk Assessments	Risk Assessments are required to be conducted on the procurement, storage and handling of fertilizer products.
Contact with people and livestock	Managers will develop, implement and monitor the effectiveness of hazard management procedures All persons using fertilizer products are to adhere to the University’s hazard management procedures and adopt safe working practice and ensure that direct contact with fertilizer and the inhalation of fertilizer dust is minimized. Managers are to ensure that staff and students are made aware of any State, Federal, local and industry regulations which have to be observed.
Personal Protective Equipment	Staff/students must be provided with appropriate PPE when using fertilizer products.
Lack of appropriate warning safety signage and information	Managers must ensure that appropriate safety warning signs and/or information is displayed/available regarding nature of hazards and risk control measures.
Poor housekeeping and/or routine maintenance	All staff are responsible for implementing sound housekeeping practices in storage areas and arranging regular routine maintenance for all equipment used.
Defective &/or unserviceable plant & equipment	Conduct regular inspection & testing of equipment and infrastructure to identify what maintenance requirements
Incorrect or inappropriate mixtures of product	Fertilizer blends to be prepared using the right raw materials in the appropriate proportions. All products will be loaded into spreaders etc in the right condition to the right weight.
No training	Staff will undertake appropriate training.
Lack of appropriate records &/or documentation	All relevant records and documentation to be kept and maintained eg training records, risk assessments, maintenance schedules, recipes for fertilizer blends, MSDS’s etc.

8.3. Mitigation of potential impact of the pest management

97. Generally mitigation of potential pest management impacts relies on a series of measures dealing with: (a) policy and institutional strengthening; (b) capacity building; (c) information dissemination and public awareness; and (d) targeted investments in improving pest management infrastructure. The proposed within this project activities would cover mostly capacity building and information dissemination, training and public awareness, along with demonstrational activities on Integrated Pest Management. The Annex 1 of the EMP contains a special matrix with the proposed activities in this regard, expected results, and performance indicators (see Annexes 1).

8.4. Information dissemination and training activities
98. Proposed activities. As mentioned above, among the proposed mitigation measures are a series of in formation dissemination and training activities concerning: (a) safe handling of treated seeds and fertilizers; and, (b) pest management, including Integrated Pest Management practices; and, (c) sustainable land use practices. These activities should be done prior and/or during the inputs supply in order to ensure there will be no waste associated with treated seeds and with fertilizers and that they are used in the most efficient manner.
99. Main objectives of information dissemination and training activities. The general objective of the training and awareness activities are to:

• 
  sensitize the various stakeholders on the linkages between environment and social impacts and agricultural productivity;
  
• 
  demonstrate the role of the various players in implementation and monitoring of the EMP;
  
• 
  sensitize farmers and representatives and leaders of community groups and associations on the implementation and management of the mitigation measures; and on their roles in ensuring environmental and health safety of the seeds, fertilizers and pesticides usage;
  
• 
  ensure that ecological inspectors and district and jamoat authorities are able to supervise the implementation of the project activities and the stipulations of the EMP.
  

To achieve these objectives short-term refresher courses (2 days) will be provided to upgrade existing knowledge and to inform about new concepts in the areas of environmentally sustainable technologies in treated seeds, fertilizers and pesticides usage, and on sustainable land resources management, including soil conservation and elements of environmental monitoring. The details of the training Program are provided in the table 6, below.

Table 6. Information dissemination and training activities

N	Type of trainings (including form of consulting, instructions) and information dissemination	Responsibility
1	Proper storage, safe handling and use of treated seeds	MoA, jamoates, FAO as facilitator and provider of information materials
2	Proper storage, safe handling and use and fertilizers, waste disposal	MoA, jamoates FAO as facilitator and provider of information materials
3	Sustainable land management practices: • Full implications of mono-culture on soil fertility, land degradation and crops quality (including issue on GMO) • Definitions of sustainable land use • Soil conservation: crop rotation advanced land management technologies land monitoring and indicators • Relevant and effective use of waters (advanced irrigation methods), soils, fertilizers and agrochemicals • Possible application of effective water and soil consuming technologies (advanced land management technologies) • Estimating yields • Harvesting • Post harvesting storage/marketing	MoA, TAAS, ALM, CEP
4	Information Dissemination by audi- and visual means, leaflets, bulletins, mass-media and etc.	MoA, FAO PIU
	Items of the training	Target group
5	Pest Management
	Pest characteristics	Farmers (leaders of jamoats), representatives of district MoA departments
	Control measures, including IPM approaches involving agricultural, physical, biological, and chemical control methods
	Safety issues
6	Environmental Legislation
	Environmental monitoring and enforcement of the existing national regulations (environmental legislation) to ensure full compliance of treated seeds, fertilizer and pesticides use with safety requirements; waste disposal standards;	Environmental inspectors, representatives of MoA district departments, leaders of jamoats

The TOR for implementation of environmental training programs for beneficiaries shown in Annex 8 describes objective, tasks to be performed, inputs and deliverables, and other technical demands.

8.5. Field demonstrational activities
100. The proposed activities would cover field demonstrations with improved crop production and agrochemicals usage technologies. These will also provide to agriculture user groups with visual information on integrated pest management (IPM) approaches and options to reduce crop losses with minimal personal and environmental health risks. Table 8 provides an outline of the proposed field demonstration activities.
Table 7 Proposed field demonstration activities

N	Proposed types of demonstrations	Target group
1	Field demonstrations on Pest problems diagnosed and related IPM opportunities identified, pest management practices, including agricultural, physical, biological and chemical control methods	Farmers, representatives of district MoA departments, environmental inspectors,
2	Field demonstration on environmentally friendly land use practices, including advanced land management technologies, crop rotation, land monitoring and indicators
3	Field demonstration on water use, including advanced irrigation methods with effective water consumption

The TOR for carrying out of field demonstrations shown in Annex 9 describes objective, tasks to be performed, inputs and deliverables, and other technical demands.

IX. Monitoring Plan
101. General remarks. The EMP includes a Monitoring Plan with measures that will be employed to track the effectiveness of the Mitigation Plan and described the environmental indicators to be monitored, along with the monitoring methods, frequency, costs, as well as the monitoring and reporting procedures, including institutional arrangements for the implementation of this plan (see Annex 5). It addresses in particular project need to monitor the project implementation and identify potential negative impacts of inappropriate usage of treated seeds and fertilizers. Relevant person from FAO PIU will be responsible for the implementation of the monitoring plan.
102. Reporting. The findings of the relevant monitoring activities will be reflected in quarterly and annual progress reports. The progress reports will cover the implementation of proposed by EMP activities as well as effects of the environmental impacts. The site supervisors should be trained to be able to conduct inspections during the seeds and fertilizers supply and their usage.
X. Stakeholders Analysis and institutional responsibilities
104. Main stakeholders. A series of different stakeholders will be involved in the project implementation at different level: Ministry of Agriculture, Agency on Land Management, Ministry of Water resources and Land Reclamation, State Committee for Environmental Protection, local authorities and jamoats. The primary project beneficiaries will be small farmers and farm workers who, as a result of the drought last summer and the harsh winter of 2007/2008, find themselves precariously close to a food crisis should the current cropping season bring another shock to crops and livestock.
105. The Ministry of Agriculture has the primary responsibility for agricultural policies, including setting standards on quantity and rational usage of inputs required per hectare for agricultural production. The Department for Land Use of the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for issues related to the sustainable use of agricultural land.
106. The Agency for Land Management with its regional offices is responsible for land policy, land reform and the control of land use practices. It is the key authority responsible for implementation of the Land Code.
107. The Ministry of Water Resources and Land Reclamation is responsible for the development and maintenance of irrigation canals, water reservoirs, pump stations, distribution of water among agricultural consumers, and collection of fees. The Ministry also establishes norms and limits for water consumers and monitors efficiency of water use; provides data on water consumption; maintains Water Cadastre, issues “certificates” to individual irrigation, drainage, land-reclamation schemes and analyses data obtained in the process.
108. The Committee for Environmental Protection. The Committee has an important role in decision making related to environmental problems of agricultural production linked to unsustainable land use, deterioration of soil fertility, and use of agrochemicals. As the central State executive body responsible for environmental protection, the sustainable use of resources, forestry and hydrometeorology, among its most important functions are to: (a) Define the main strategies for the protection, study, conservation and sustainable use of resources, the mitigation of the effects of climate change; (b) Prepare and publish biennial state-of-the environment reports; (c) Draft laws and other regulatory documents, including environmental standards, instructions and methodologies for the use of resources; (d) Issue individual permits for the use of specific resources and withdraw these if the user violates their terms; (e) Set quotas for the hunting and collection of certain species of animals and factories, as well as for the import of ozone-depleting substances; (f) Carry out ecological expertise of planned activities; (g) Define the system of specially protected territories and maintain State cadastres of such territories, forests, factories, water bodies and hazardous waste.
109. Local authorities. Local councils are authorized to coordinate the environmental protection and use of resources by the farmers and farmers associations in their jurisdiction. Local councils may: (a) grant or withdraw land parcels and monitor their sustainable use; (b) register ownership or land-use rights; (c) designate nature and other objects as ecologically, culturally or scientifically valuable and nominate them for monument status; (d) set rules for water use, including water consumption by households and farms; (e) control compliance with the rules for use of forests and reforestation and correct extraction of mineral resources, as well as orderly hunting and fishing.
110. TAAS Institute for Factory Protection and Quarantine. The new Factory Protection and Quarantine Institute established within Tajik Academy of Agricultural Sciences (TAAS) in May 2005, is consolidating various factory protection departments in the crop-specific research centers. It consists of four departments: (1) a laboratory for factory protection products, including bio-pesticides and growth regulators; (2) a laboratory to study agricultural pests; (3) bio-laboratories for mass-rearing of natural enemies, including the facilities at Ziroatkor in Hissor; and (4) laboratories for horticultural pest control. The rehabilitated insect rearing facilities for cotton are expected to become self-supporting after four years.
XI. Implementing arrangements
111. Implementing entity. Consistent with the satisfactory project implementation arrangements under the original project design, Components A, B and C of the project will continue to be implemented by FAO. The Project Management Unit (PMU) for the Cotton Sector Recovery Project (CSRP) will coordinate implementation of Components D, E and F. The PMU will be contracted by the GOT to coordinate the implementation of the activities financed under the proposed project and facilitate the implementation of EMP. A part time environmental specialist will be appointed within the PMU to oversee the environmental aspects of project development and implementation. The main tasks of the environmental specialist will be to:

• 
  organize information dissemination and training programs;
  
• 
  organize supervision of the inputs supply and usage from the safeguards point of view;
  
• 
  organize and supervise implementation of demonstrational field activities;
  
• 
  ensure dissemination of information materials to all interested parties;
  
• 
  prepare quarterly and annual progress report on the progress in implementing EMP and on the environmental performances of the project activities;
  

112. Responsibilities of other involved stakeholders. The MoA will be responsible for consulting and training of jamoat representatives to safely store, handle and use the treated seed material, fertilizer, vaccines and medications, implementation of EMP; conduct trainings according the program of EMP involving MWRLM and ALM.
The Committee for Environmental Protection and Forestry (at the local level) will monitor the proper disposal of the treated seed material and fertilizers.
Local authorities and jamoats will distribute the treated materials, fertilizers according recommendations of the approved safety instructions. Local authorities will be also responsible for the monitoring of safely store, handle and use the treated seed material, fertilizer, vaccines and medications.
Implementation   Arrangements. Consistent   with   the  satisfactory  project implementation  arrangements under the original project design, Components A and B  of  the  project  will  continue  to  be  implemented  by  FAO.   The Project Implementation Unit (PIU) for the Cotton Sector Recovery Project (CSRP) will coordinate implementation of components D and E. This is a specialized unit created to implement the CSRP and also a similar ADB project. As such, it has received capacity building in financial management, procurement and implementation of projects from both the Bank and ADB and its project management capacity is rated satisfactory by both institutions.  In 2008 it has undergone a financial management and procurement review the results of which were also satisfactory. The PMU is subject to quarterly reporting requirements and works strictly in accordance with a set budget and work plan, all of which require the Bank’s no objection.

XII. Budget

113. Summary of EMP expenditures. A tentative breakup of budgetary requirements is given in Table 8.

Table 8 Budget estimates

Line item	Yr. 1	Yr. 2	Yr.3	Total
Capacity building for Environment Specialist	3000			3000
Environmental Specialist	5600	5600	2100	13300
1. Public awareness and information dissemination on sustainable land use in wheat, corn and fodder crop production	2500	2500	2500	7500
Community program on sustainable land use practices, including information about full implications of mono-culture on soil fertility, land degradation and crops quality	2500	2500	2500	7500
2. Public awareness and training in mitigating environmental impacts of the application of treated seeds and fertilizers				51000
Training (including consulting, instructing) of the jamoat staff on environmental, health and safety requirements and measures for mitigating potential harmful impacts of seeds and fertilizers usage	2000	2000	2000	4000
Training for environmental inspectors on environmental monitoring and enforcement of the existing national regulations to ensure full compliance of treated seeds and fertilizer use with safety requirements; waste disposal standards	2000	2000	2000	4000
Training on pest management issues	5000	5000		10000
Trainings on sustainable land use practices	5000	5000	5000	15000
Field demonstrations	6000	6000	6000	18000
3. Project management, monitoring and evaluation	2000	2000	2000	6000
Grand total				80800

XIII. Public Consultation
114. General remarks. The PIU is responsible overall for the preparation of the EA and was supported by the Consultant in these activities. The Consultant and the PIU have consulted with all interested parties, - Committee for Environmental Protection and Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture, Agency for Land Resources, Academy of sciences, local NGOs, on the environmental and social aspects of the project (see Annex 11 with the list of consulted stakeholders and specialists). After preparing the EA Report a summary of the EA&EMP was made on March 27, 2009 available at the web page of Tajik Branch of the Regional Environmental Centre of Central Asia (web-site www.carecnet.org).
115. EA&EMP disclosure. The FAO has disseminated the draft summary EMP in its institutions and to other relevant ministries for review and comments, also posting it for wide public on the web-page of the Tajik Branch of the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (website – www.carecnet.org) - also by disseminating through local electronic networks. After two weeks time (on April 30, 2009) the PIU has conducted a public briefing and consultation on the document (see Annex 12 with the minutes of the consultation). Outside of participants from the interested state institutions in the meeting took part also representatives from environmental and agricultural NGOs, local representatives of the government bodies, such as CEPF, MoA, MoH, MIWR, and others. The meeting concluded that the draft EMP document covered practically all potential impacts and possible mitigation measures. The draft EMP was revised after the meeting taking into account inputs from the consultation. The final version of the EMP was provided to the World Bank, and will be used by the government agencies in the project implementation. The Russian translation of full EA and EMP report was posted on the web-site www.carecnet.org , www.aarhus.tj on May 12, 2009.