Improving Livelihoods of Small Farmers and Rural Women through Value-Added Processing and Export of Cashmere, Wool and Mohair IFAD Grant 1107 – ICARDA Final Technical Report 1 August 2009 – 30 September 2013 The final technical report was compiled by Barbara Rischkowsky (ICARDA) based on the technical reports submitted by - Liba Brent, Principal Investigator, University of Wisconsin, USA - Joaquín Mueller, National Agricultural Research Center in Argentina (INTA) - Svetlana Balalaeva, Central Asian Crafts Support Association’s Resource Center, Kyrgyzstan - Asanbek Ajibekov, Kyrgyz Research Institute of Livestock and Pastures - Ma'tazim Kosimov, Sogd Branch, Tajik Research Institute of Livestock - Fazzlidin Ikramov and Khurshed Davlatov, Tajik Research Institute of Livestock - Jayik Isakov, Kyrgyz Agrarian University, and Nariman Nishanov, ICARDA Tashkent - Hamidreza Ansari-Renani, Animal Science Research Institute, Iran Project websites for additional information: http://cac-program.org/fiber; http://www.adventureyarns.com (marketing website); IFAD Asia: http://asia.ifad.org/web/1107-icarda Table of contents Executive summary ..................................................................................................................1 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 4 2 Grant description and implementation arrangements ................................................... 5 2.1 Grant goal, objectives, components and target groups .......................................................... 5 2.2 Grant implementation arrangements .................................................................................. 6 2.3 Changes in grant implementation context, grant design or outreach ................................. 8 3 Review of performance and achievements by component ............................................. 9 3.1 Project Activities in Sogd region, Northern Tajikistan ...................................................... 9 3.1.1 Component 1: Characterize production systems and improve fiber production of small ruminants at all target sites .................................................................................. 9 3.1.2 Component 2: Work on formation and capacity building of women’s groups to develop fiber processing and export of value-added fiber and products in all pilot sites. Encourage the development of women-led small businesses. ........................... 16 3.1.3 Component 3: Develop sustainable market chains that link fiber producers and processors with buyers. ............................................................................................... 29 3.1.4 Component 4: Research on changes in income of fiber producers and women processors and their effects on livelihoods and gender roles. ..................................... 32 3.1.5 Component 5: Linkages (business, scientific and cultural) between the pilot communities and the global communities of producers, processors and consumers of fiber and fiber products. .............................................................................................. 38 3.2 Project Activities in Badakhshan, Tajikistan ................................................................... 40 3.2.1 Component 1: Characterize production systems and improve fiber production of small ruminants at all target sites ................................................................................ 40 3.2.2 Component 2: Work on formation and capacity building of women’s groups to develop fiber processing and export of value-added fiber and products in all pilot sites. Encourage the development of women-led small businesses. ........................... 46 3.2.3 Component 3: Develop sustainable market chain that links fiber producers and processors with buyers ................................................................................................ 57 3.2.4 Component 4: Research on changes of income of fiber producers and women processors and their effects on livelihoods and gender roles ...................................... 58 3.2.5 Component 5: Linkages (business, scientific and cultural) between the pilot communities and the global communities of producers, processors and consumers of fiber and fiber products ............................................................................................... 67 3.3 Project activities in Naryn region, Kyrgyzstan .............................................................. 69 3.3.1 Component 1: Characterize production systems and improve fiber production of small ruminants at all target sites ................................................................................ 69 3.3.2 Component 2: Work on the formation and capacity building of the women group in all project sites to develop value added processing and export of wool and wool products. Encourage the development of women-led small businesses ..................... 73 3.3.3 Component 3: Develop sustainable market chains that link fiber producers and processors with buyers. ............................................................................................... 85 3.3.4 Component 4: Research on changes in income of fiber producers and women processors and their effects on livelihoods and gender roles. ..................................... 88 - i - 3.3.5 Component 5: Linkages (business, scientific and cultural) between the pilot communities and the global communities of producers, processors and consumers of fiber and fiber products. .............................................................................................. 94 3.4 Project activities in Kerman Province, Iran ..................................................................... 95 3.4.1 Component 1: Characterize production systems and improve fiber production of small ruminants in all target sites. ............................................................................... 95 3.4.2 Component 2: Work on formation and capacity building of women’s groups to develop cashmere processing at pilot site ................................................................. 110 3.4.3 Component 3. Develop sustainable market chains that link fiber producers and processors with buyers .............................................................................................. 115 3.4.4 Component 5: Linkages (business, scientific and cultural) between the pilot communities and the global communities of producers, processors and consumers of fiber and fiber products ............................................................................................. 116 4 Assessment of impact and impact attribution ............................................................. 121 4.1 Northern Tajikistan ........................................................................................................ 121 4.1.1 Impact on Angora goat producers ............................................................................. 121 4.1.2 Impact on women processors .................................................................................... 121 4.1.3 Financial and Social Benefits for Women ................................................................ 122 4.2 Badakhshan, Tajikistan .................................................................................................. 123 4.2.1 Impact on small producers of fiber goats .................................................................. 123 4.2.2 Impact on women spinners ....................................................................................... 123 4.3 Naryn, Kyrgyzstan ......................................................................................................... 124 4.3.1 Impact on sheep producers........................................................................................ 124 4.3.2 Impact of project activities on women’s income ...................................................... 124 4.3.3 Impact of project activities on women’s status ......................................................... 124 4.4 Kerman, Iran .................................................................................................................. 125 4.4.1 Impact of project activities on goat keepers.............................................................. 125 4.4.2 Impact on nomad women .......................................................................................... 125 5 Project costs and financing ........................................................................................... 126 6 Assessment of grant management and partner’s performance ................................. 127 6.1 Grant management ......................................................................................................... 127 6.2 Partners’ performance .................................................................................................... 127 7 Innovation, replication and scaling .............................................................................. 128 7.1 Innovation in goat and sheep breeding .......................................................................... 128 7.2 Innovation in fiber value chains ..................................................................................... 128 7.3 Scaling ........................................................................................................................... 129 8 Sustainability .................................................................................................................