Contribution of the Access to Market project to the development of agriculture in Kyrgyzstan

The Access to Markets Project (ATMP) is an IFAD-funded project of USD 31.2 million, which was approved in 2016 and will end in December 2024. It aims to raise incomes and enhance economic growth in Kyrgyzstan's pastoralist communities. Its development objective is the improved access and integration of smallholder livestock farmers into remunerative markets for their products, leading to improved and equitable returns. 

ATMP has the overall goal of enhancing the quality and quantity of meat, milk, honey and wool production, offering comprehensive and coordinated support to various actors, from larger agro-processors to small-scale farmers. Value chain champions who are eager to establish or strengthen their strong business models through fruitful collaborations with producers and other value chain participants are invited to participate in the initiative. Better market integration is expected to increase their income opportunities. Pasture users' unions actively identify and mobilise target groups at the community level in a transparent and participatory manner to take advantage of project opportunities and benefits. This is facilitated with the assistance of the Agricultural Projects Implementation Unit (APIU) and Kyrgyzstan's Community Development and Investment Agency (ARIS), which build on the successful outcomes of the Livestock and Market Development Programmes I and II.

The Kyrgyz Republic has been a member of IFAD since 1996. Since then, the total amount of investments has exceeded 110 million US dollars. The main beneficiaries of IFAD in Kyrgyzstan, as well as worldwide, are rural households.