Center Eases Tensions, Improves Information Exchange in Jalalabat Oblast
On April 25, the USAID Collaborative Development Initiative (CDI), implemented by Mercy Corps, celebrated the completed rehabilitation of irrigation water system in Kyzyljyldyz Village, Nooken District, Jalalabat Oblast, Kyrgyzstan. For several years, lack of irrigation water significantly decreased yields from local farmland, causing tension among the residents of Kyzyljyldyz and neighboring villages. The USAID project helped Kyzyljyldyz villagers rehabilitate the transformer, pump, and well system, thus allowing for adequate irrigation water for the entire area. The improved irrigation capacity will help at least 44 local households to increase their incomes. It is estimated that the improvement will result in 1.5 times larger yields and enable local farmers to shift from traditional crops to more profitable ones, such as tomatoes and cucumbers.
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Representatives from Mercy Corps, the city administration, and the local media center signed an agreement to support the information center
Photo Credit: Mercy Corps |
Meanwhile in Jalalabat City, the USAID project helped create an information center for the Jalalabat City Bazaar, an important venue for all economic activities in the city and in neighboring villages. The information center will broadcast local news and serve as an intermediary between buyers and sellers, producers and processors, as well as between the population and local government. It is expected that this initiative will improve community relations, knowledge and resource dissemination, and opportunities for development of small and medium businesses in the region.
Both initiatives were designed by local economic development councils organized by USAID’s CDI. The project helps to set up such councils in clusters of neighboring villages and towns across southern Kyrgyzstan to empower community initiatives and supports these groups with training and small grants for infrastructure improvements.
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