Coping with climate change impacts in Tajikistan

Omina Askarova, chief of the women's collective farm in Langor village, Spitamen district, is participating in a bio-farming project with Oxfam's partner, Saodat. The project involves training in the use of drip irrigation and efficient use of water. 'My life has really improved,' says Askarova. 'If I need some money I can sell some product from the land and I can fix the price I sell it for'
Photograph: Anita Swarup/Oxfam

An Oxfam-built solar greenhouse in Vose District, south Tajikistan
Photograph: Anita Swarup/Oxfam

Turaqulov Saidmuzator, a farmer in Temumalik district, is experiencing the effects of climate change. 'I think the weather has become warmer in the last four or five years and that is affecting our crops,' he says. 'The sickness of our crops is increasing but the pesticides are expensive and we are losing almost 30% of our crops to diseases'
Photograph: Anita Swarup/Oxfam

Shifo, a young girl in the cotton fields of Mehnatobod village. For many women, working in the cotton fields (seasonal work from April to December) provides their only source of paid employment
Photograph: Karen Robinson/Oxfam

Two farmers standing by a disused water point in Davat village, Temurmalik district. There is no longer any water running from this spring, partly due to lack of rainfall over the last few years
Photograph: Anita Swarup/Oxfam

Oimkhol Amonova (front) and Rano Boymirzeova, both members of the Oxfam-established village water committee, fill their buckets with river water in Bachamazor village. For the people of the village the Surhob river is the main supply of drinking water
Photograph: Karen Robinson/Oxfam

Water flows from a tap into an empty milk churn in Kulyab. The women live close by in a large village where there is no tap stand. Even here the water supply can't be relied upon and often the tap only works for three or four hours a day. Collecting water is done by women
Photograph: Karen Robinson/Oxfam

Washing is hung out to dry on Zulaikho Hasanova and Ahad Mirzoev's land in Shibanai village. The village's only water source is the river
Photograph: Karen Robinson/Oxfam

A young boy herds cattle along the road at the side of the surging Surhob river after 24 hours of rain. Oxfam rehabilitated the nearby pump station and strengthened the river bank to prevent flood damage to the station
Photograph: Karen Robinson/Oxfam

The large Pamir mountain system in Tajikistan near the Russian-Chinese border. A new report released by Oxfam details fast-rising temperatures, melting glaciers in the Pamir mountains, increased disease, drought, landslides and food shortages in the region
Photograph: Reza/Corbis