Agriculture has a central place in the culture of mountainous Tajikistan. In fact, more than 60 percent of Tajik people work in agriculture, cultivating the country’s arable land that extends over 850 thousand hectares.
The Nurobod district, located in the Rasht valley, boasts beautiful landscapes with high agricultural biodiversity that contributes to its resilient ecosystems. Yet, like in other rural areas, the life here has its beauties and hardships alike.
“It is a hard time now for everyone, including farmers, doctors, teachers, and other rural residents due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation,” said Bukhori Saidov, a farmer, who benefitted from a European Union-funded FAO project. “However, I think we are very lucky, because at the beginning of the crisis, when all borders were closed and no one could enter or leave, we got tremendous support as members of the Nuri Nurobod cooperative.”
Bukhori Saidov is not only a member of the Nuri Nurobod cooperative, which was established in early 2020, but he is also a paramedic in charge of the medical station in the Obi Lurd village in the northern Nurobod district that serves more than 3 500 people. He is married and father of six children. Bukhori has about six hectares of land in Javchi and Kahbit areas, both in the highlands, where he is engaged in crop production and horticulture, as well as livestock production.
Turning a challenge into a possibility
“When I got married and my children were born, life became challenging as it was hard to maintain the family with my monthly wage. At that time, I decided to do something else,” recalls Bukhori. I don’t come from a farmer family, my father worked in the law enforcement, and haven’t practice traditional farming before. Still, I knew that agriculture can be a good solution and ensure a sustainable income and better livelihood for my family.”
Bukhori was eager to learn. Every day, he spent six to seven hours on working and learning in the field for his idea and ambitions to flourish. Bukhori tried to explore the intricacies of this sphere. He observed similarities between humans and plants, since growing plants is similar to humans; they both can get sick and need treatment.