Tajikistan: Mitigating food insecurity in Murghab

MURGHAB [ACTED News] - The Murghab district in Tajikistan’s high Pamir region was, earlier this year, a designated humanitarian emergency crisis area. After surviving a longer and colder than normal winter season, as many as 95% of Murghab’s 14,633, mostly Kyrgyz residents, were hit by extreme food insecurity. The number of people suffering from this situation remains high. During past winters, heavy snowfall has almost always caused the closure of roads leading to Murghab. Food therefore cannot be imported from Khorog, Kyrgyzstan, nor can it come from China due to the bad weather. Thousands of livestock have perished as a result of this situation, leaving livelihoods in peril. ACTED is responding to this situation by delivering livestock aid to those most in need. It is currently providing 3 sheep and 1 goat to the most vulnerable households, in order to ensure that their herds meet the minimum viable herd size. Fodder management trainings will also be provided in order to better mitigate the risk of future food insecurity. This project is supported by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department and ACTED is part of a consortium led by the World Food Programme.