Agriculture Support Services Project (ASSP)

closed

The Agricultural Support Services Project seeks to improve the incentive framework for, and productivity, profitability, and sustainability of Kyrgyz agriculture. The project consists of six components. i) Land and agrarian reform assists implementation of government program in distribution of land and non-land assets; provides capacity building in government agencies and farming communities; and establishes policies and procedures for land auctions. ii) Rural advisory and development services will establish rural advisory and development centers (RADCs) and a Secretariat to provide coordination and monitoring for RADCs. It also assists in farmer training. iii) Seed industry development includes acquisition, development, and evaluation of new germplasm; demonstration of best practice commercial seed production; and development of a legal framework for protection of plant breeders' rights. iv) Crop protection and plant quarantine establishes a legal framework for the regulation of pesticide use, and relocates key plant quarantine centers. v) Agricultural market information system (MIS) will collect, process, and disseminate market information for the industry; and vi) institutional capacity building of MAWR (Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources) will establish a project implementation unit.