According to the Bank’s website, the Precision Agriculture for Resilient Commercial Horticulture Sector Project will promote horticulture commercialization, by (i) catalyzing formation of producer groups and (ii) strengthening vertical market linkages between producer groups and downstream agribusiness. The project location is in Bakhmal district, Jizzakh region, directly benefiting at least 170 small-scale farmers, indirectly at least 85 agricultural workers, and their families.

Agriculture in Uzbekistan faces significant vulnerability to climate change. Rising temperatures lead to increased evapotranspiration rates and greater water demand for crops. Land degradation and desertification are eroding arable land and soil fertility. Reduced snowmelt and rainfall exacerbate water scarcity. Over the past 15 years, per capita yearly water availability has declined from 3,048 m3 to 1,589 m3. By 2030, water scarcity is projected to increase from 2 billion m3 to 7 billion m3, and further to 13 billion m3 by 2050. These combined forces pose a serious threat to agricultural production and food security in Uzbekistan. Urgent adoption of new technologies is essential to enhance the resilience of the country's food system.

About 4.7 million rural households operate small-scale farms. The small-scale farmers (dehkans) have landholdings between 1 to 5 hectares (ha) in size, operate independently of government support, and account for the production of 66% of vegetables and 54% of fruits. Dehkans possess about 12% of total agricultural land out of 4.5 million ha. While the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been supporting horticulture in Uzbekistan, further support is needed to promote horticulture commercialization.

The sub-projects under this loan are classified as Category B or C for environment under ADB Safeguard Policy Statement 2009. This is due to the proposed subprojects’ anticipated environmental impacts which are largely concentrated during construction and operation phases.

Each subproject will be individually categorized at the beginning of the environmental planning process, based on the Rapid Environmental Assessment (REA) checklist. Only subprojects classified as category B or category C for environment as per ADB’s SPS 2009 will be selected.

Environment: B
Involuntary Resettlement: C
Indigenous Peoples: C

According to the Initial Environmental Examination Report (page 1), the implementation period is 3 years and indicative project cost is $4.9 million.

No contacts available at the time of disclosure.

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit an information request for project information at: https://www.adb.org/forms/request-information-form

ADB has a two-stage appeals process for requesters who believe that ADB has denied their request for information in violation of its Access to Information Policy. You can learn more about filing an appeal at: https://www.adb.org/site/disclosure/appeals

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF ADB

The Accountability Mechanism is an independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by an Asian Development Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Accountability Mechanism, they may investigate to assess whether the Asian Development Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can learn more about the Accountability Mechanism and how to file a complaint at: http://www.adb.org/site/accountability-mechanism/main.