Scholarship / World Food Programme - FULBRIGHT STUDY OBJECTIVES [3]

your study/research objectives, and reasons for wanting to pursue them

PROMPT - Write a clear and detailed description of your study/research objectives, and give your reasons for wanting to pursue them․ Be specific about your major field and your specialized interests within this field․ Describe the kind of program you expect to undertake, and explain how your study plan fits in with your previous training and your future objectives․

Despite significant progress in poverty alleviation over the last two decades, Tajikistan remains the most impoverished country in Central Asia and continues to face a challenging food security situation, with malnutrition rates amongst the highest in Europe and Central Asia. The Government of Tajikistan has identified improving food security and nutrition as one of the country's key goals in the current National Development Strategy.

I am from Tajikistan and the past twelve years I have worked for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to improve food security in my home country. My objective is to further support my country in achieving better food security outcomes for which I seek to pursue a Master's degree in Agriculture with a focus on Food Security. Although my educational background is different from my intended field of study, I have an extensive practical experience which has prepared me to undertake post-graduate studies in the field of agriculture with a focus on food security at a US university. For instance, while working with WFP I participated in multiple food security surveys and data analysis, I compiled and analyzed food security information from the workshops on Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) and I was awarded a certificate of Food Security Analyst by IPC Global Unit. In my position as Programme Assistant and later as Officer-in-Charge for WFP's Field Office, I was entrusted with many tasks in different critical areas: designing and implementation of projects to boost smallholder farmers' resilience to shocks; planning and realization of large-scale food aid distributions, planning and coordination of emergency operations and overall management of WFP's field operations in Khatlon region.

My previous experience that I gained in different international non-profit organizations has proven insufficient in understanding technical details for producing quality analysis and writing compelling food security reports. I realized that my established knowledge and skills in conducting food security assessments and the experience in coordinating agricultural projects do not in themselves make me an effective Food Security Expert. For further improvement of my technical skills in food security analysis and reporting, career development and promoting policy reform ideas for improvement of food security situation, poverty and rural development, I need more in-depth knowledge and understandings of these issues. Ideally, I would like to become part of a multidisciplinary program with wide-ranging content that teaches me and enhances my practical skills to evaluate the bases of food security and development policy approaches in my country by a range of actors, including governments, international agencies and the private sector; evaluate the appropriateness and effectiveness of food security interventions in eradicating poverty; identify, access, evaluate, synthesize, analyze, collate and represent data relevant to the critical evaluation of food security and development policy and practice.

I aim to explore possible solutions for Tajikistan for increasing domestic food productions and relying less on food imports. This is because Tajikistan produces only about 40 percent of the food consumed, while most of foodstuffs are imported from abroad. Indeed, over 60 percent of the able-bodied population is engaged in the agricultural sector but agricultural production makes up only 25 percent of Tajikistan's GDP. This means that the agricultural sector has low efficiency and is unable to even feed the rural residents and not to mention the population of the country. Education in the US can provide me with a unique opportunity to undertake university courses like Sustainable Agricultural Intensification, Agricultural Diversification and Marketing, Small-scale Farming and Food Processing Businesses, which are not taught at educational institutions of Tajikistan. The future objective for this is when I have accomplished my master's degree program, I will be eligible is to join the Ministry of Agriculture of Khatlon region as the head of the planning department. In turn this will enable me to develop a series of alternative food producing strategies and contribute to a higher level of food self-sufficiency.

The agricultural sector in Tajikistan carries a strong potential for economic development, but due to policy and operational inefficiencies, the sector remains underdeveloped. Hence, I think implementation of agrarian and water sector reforms are very important to ensure tangible food security, particularly for the 70 percent of the population who live in rural areas. Therefore, in the master's degree program, I will also focus my study on subjects like Rural Livelihoods and Agrarian Change, Agriculture and Food Systems as well as Rural Policies and Politics. All these will help me to be well equipped with transferable skills, which could qualify me to pursue a responsible position in Tajikistan's Ministry of Agriculture and be engaged in policy development. My ambition is to help my country to complete the process of ongoing land reform, find solutions for long standing problems and make it more integrated and comprehensive. I hope land reform outcomes will make the work on the land again profitable and cost effective for Tajik farmers. Only in this way will they be able to not only feed themselves and their families, but also bring their country out of the economic crisis and ensure genuine food security of the state.

Considering these goals, I am sure that the skill and experience that I will receive in a master's degree program in the United States will not only aid my academic development but also empower me to achieve the goals. I foresee a future where rooted firmly within Ministry of Agriculture, I will broaden my professional exposure by taking on deputed assignments within the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the executive body of the Khatlon region all of which are integral tiers of Tajikistan's economic infrastructure. By this point of time, I will have established a strong network of knowledgeable and influential peers that I hope to mobilize to improve food security and promote productive agriculture. I will encourage policies that improve incomes of smallholder farmers, promote women's economic empowerment, and increase production and consumption of nutritious foods while supporting the diversification of livelihoods for increased household and community resilience to shocks and stresses.