The World Bank Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project (P175952) Appraisal Environmental and Social Review Summary Appraisal Stage (ESRS Appraisal Stage) Public Disclosure Date Prepared/Updated: 04/26/2021 | Report No: ESRSA01437 Apr 26, 2021 Page 1 of 15 The World Bank Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project (P175952) BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country Region Project ID Parent Project ID (if any) Tajikistan EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA P175952 Project Name Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project Practice Area (Lead) Financing Instrument Estimated Appraisal Date Estimated Board Date Agriculture and Food Investment Project 4/15/2021 6/24/2021 Financing Borrower(s) Implementing Agency(ies) Ministry of Finance Ministry of Agriculture Proposed Development Objective The development objective of the proposed project is to strengthen the foundations for a more resilient agricultural sector in Tajikistan. Public Disclosure Financing (in USD Million) Amount Total Project Cost 58.00 B. Is the project being prepared in a Situation of Urgent Need of Assistance or Capacity Constraints, as per Bank IPF Policy, para. 12? No C. Summary Description of Proposed Project [including overview of Country, Sectoral & Institutional Contexts and Relationship to CPF] Agriculture is the main stay of Tajikistan’s economy. It constitutes 20 percent of the country’s GDP and provides jobs for about 61 percent of the population. Yet, it has largely remained subsistence and underdeveloped characterized by low productivity and limited use of improved technologies. The food sector is small and fragmented, contributing to large food and farm input imports. The country imports about 75 percent of food consumed and over 50 percent of the value of agricultural inputs, including seeds, seedlings, animal breeds, fertilizers, and farm machinery. The COVID- 19 pandemic amplified development challenges exposing the poor performance of the agricultural sector and the weak early waring, preparedness and response system of pubic institutions. The COVID-19 pandemic has also Apr 26, 2021 Page 2 of 15 The World Bank Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project (P175952) disrupted migrant remittances and trade activities of the highly remittance dependent economy of Tajikistan thereby contributing to declining migrants’ transfers and ultimately to contracted household consumption. The proposed project will be centered around strengthening the resilience of Tajikistan’s agriculture by financing public institutions to deliver more and better services to farmers and agribusinesses. It aims at increasing domestic food self-reliance, strengthening the foundation for increased production and export competitiveness of the growing horticulture sector, and improving MoA’s and other relevant pubic institutions’ early warning, preparedness and response capacity. The project also aims at enhancing public institutions’ strategic engagement with private sector by supporting the the development of a viable sector of private micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in rural areas and generate employment opportunities in regions with few legal alternatives. . The geography of the project activities will be nationwide. The project aims to achieve these by financing following components: Component 1: Strengthen seed, seedling and planting material systems: The objective of this component is to support the development of a vibrant system for seed, seedling, and planting materials, which contributes to increased availability and use of new, improved and farmer-preferred seeds, seedlings and planting materials. The approach to be followed in supporting the development of vibrant seed/seedling sector by the proposed project is the Integrated Seed Sector Development approach. This approach will enable to address bottlenecks in the seed/seedling value chain across various seed systems, including formal and informal, private and public, etc. The activities for this component will be country wide, and this component will support: (i) Enabling environment Public Disclosure (ii) Research and development (iii) Multiplication (iv) Quality assurance Component 2: Support investments in agri-logistics to enhance horticulture value chains: The objective of this component is to support investments in agri-logistical centers (ALCs) to enhance high-value horticulture value chains, so horticulture production becomes more competitive. The component will support investments for horticulture development initiated under ACP and REDP and derive lessons from similar investments in the neighboring Uzbekistan through investments in several agri-logistical centers, with options for public-private partnerships in their management and operation. These investments will generate climate co-benefits by promoting agricultural diversification towards horticulture, improving food distribution and food safety, reducing food loss and waste, and making construction climate proof and energy efficient. Location and design of these agri-logistical centers will be confirmed during preparation. (i) Support the development and operation of ALCs (ii) Capacity building for operation and management of ALCs and awareness raising Component 3: Build public capacity for crises prevention and management: The objective of this component is to strengthen the crisis prevention and management capacity of selected public institutions. The COVID-19 outbreak caught many by surprise, exposing weaknesses of the current early warning and agri-food sector monitoring and response capacity of the government. They could not provide reliable estimates of available food/inputs stocks and accurate forecasts for future harvests, causing food hoarding and heightened food price volatility. With amplified climate change, crises such as COVID-19 pandemic will occur even more often. The proposed project will strengthen Apr 26, 2021 Page 3 of 15 The World Bank Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project (P175952) selected/key public institutions for enhanced capacity, resilience and better early warning and response, plant protection and quarantine, and locust prevention/eradication, as well as sector planning, monitoring and evaluation through digitalization and capacity building. The support will include investments in digital and laboratory infrastructure of the MoA and other selected public agencies and institutions and capacity building for better early warning and agri-food sector monitoring as well as effective response. (i) Real-time monitoring of agricultural production, land use, and agrometeorology (ii) Soil fertility management (iii) Crop protection and locust control Component 4: Project management and coordination: This component will support project management, coordination, M&E, and implementation of safeguards and fiduciary aspects of the project. The proposed project would utilize the capacity of the existing PIU for ACP at MoA, who are already well experienced with implementation of the World Bank projects. D. Environmental and Social Overview D.1. Detailed project location(s) and salient physical characteristics relevant to the E&S assessment [geographic, environmental, social] Tajikistan is a landlocked country with a population of 9.3 million, of which 73 percent live in rural areas. It has Public Disclosure mountains covering more than 90% of the territory (143,100 km2) rendering livelihoods and accessibility extremely difficult. Natural hazards such as floods, earthquakes, landslides, mud-flows, avalanches and heavy snowfalls are quite common resulting in significant economic losses and human casualties. The country consists of 4 administrative divisions, Sughd, Khatlon, Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous (GBAO) Oblasts, and the Region of Republican Subordination (RRS) around the Capital, Dushanbe. The Project will be working nationwide and develop agro-logistic centers in Sughd, Khatlon, and RRS. Tajikistan’s climate is characterized by aridity, high temperatures, and significant inter-annual variability of almost all climatic elements. Annual mean temperatures vary from 17°C in the south to -6°C in the lower Pamirs. Maximum temperatures are observed in July and minimum in January. In the East Pamir, the minimum temperature reaches - 63°C, whereas in the south, maximum surface air temperature can exceed 47°C. The annual precipitation in the lowland, hot deserts of northern Tajikistan, and cold mountain deserts of east Pamir averages from 70 to 160 mm, whereas in central Tajikistan precipitation can exceed 1,800 mm per year. Agriculture is primarily practiced in plains situated in lowland areas. With 23 percent of GDP and 48 percent of employment, the agriculture sector has a major influence on overall economic performance. Agriculture is rainfed or irrigated from surface water in the Amu Darya/Panj and Syr Darya Basins. These rivers are part of international basins and the water resources management is accordingly regulated by the Interstate Coordination Water Management Commission of the Central Asian countries (ICWC). The sector continues to grow steadily in response to land reform, liberalization of the domestic market for cotton, the reduction of local government interference in farmer decisions, and a nascent increase in the commercialization of agriculture. Arable land is in short supply, occupying 20 percent of agricultural land (980,000 ha). Land degradation is among the major risks for agriculture, affecting 97 percent of the Apr 26, 2021 Page 4 of 15 The World Bank Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project (P175952) country’s farmland. Extreme weather events, exacerbated by a changing climate and limited adaptation capacities, pose a further threat. Crop production, especially staple crops and fodder production, fluctuates by year, depending on weather conditions. Women are more vulnerable to the impacts of natural disasters than men due to their limited access to resources, including productive inputs and land. Agriculture is mostly private, owing to the 1998 land reform. 67 percent of arable land is family farming, followed by 21 percent farm enterprises, and the remaining 12 percent collective farms. More than half of the crops are produced by small farms that average 3.7 ha. Over 178,000 farms compete as individuals in a free market where stakeholders have limited funding, capacity, and capability to meet the market demand for quality seed and planting material, technologies, extension services, and research and development. The farmer’s share in the consumer price depends on the Agricultural Value Chains which remain weak, fragmented, and disjointed impeding agricultural expansion. Only about 20 percent of agricultural products are currently processed. The food industry is characterized by a few large enterprises that provide a small volume of produce for domestic consumption, and a number of small-scale producers. The small-scale enterprises are mostly informal and have little access to financing, marketing, and logistics. Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, 40 percent of households had at least one family member working abroad. Remittances are a major contributor to the national economy, accounting for 37 percent of GDP. The reliance on remittances, along with the dependence on staple food imports (61 percent in 2016) makes Tajikistan vulnerable to external economic shocks. Wheat is the largest food import with half of the requirement is imported. With COVID-19, remittances have reduced drastically making and economic access to food a major challenge. 53 percent of household Public Disclosure expenditures go for food with that rate being higher for the poor. The project responds to the economic impact of COVID-19 aiming to help ensure food and nutrition security, build resilient livelihoods and institutions, and create jobs. The project will develop a system for seed, seedling, and planting material production through improving policies and technologies for multiplication, processing, marketing, distribution, quality control and assurance systems, and developing local seed banks and agri-logistical centers in rural areas. While the project will not invest in irrigation development, some of the local seed banks and production centers may be within existing irrigation schemes. The project will also invest in public institutions’ early warning and crisis response, plant protection and quarantine, and locust prevention/eradication, as well as sector planning, monitoring and evaluation systems through digitalization and capacity building activities. The proposed project builds on and complements two ongoing projects, the Agriculture Commercialization Project and Rural Economic Development Project. The project activities will be implemented country wide. Specific sites will be determined during project preparation and implementation. D. 2. Borrower’s Institutional Capacity The 2012 Law on the State Ecological Expertise requires that all civil works to be assessed for their environmental impacts and the proposed mitigation measures reviewed and monitored by the Committee on Environmental Protection (CEP). The CEP has a national and regional offices with experience with reviewing environmental instruments. While environmental resettlement laws in Tajikistan are considered good, enforcement, beyond review of initial documents, is uneven, particularly for investments with lower risks and profiles. Apr 26, 2021 Page 5 of 15 The World Bank Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project (P175952) The implementing agency for the proposed project will be the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). The Project Steering Committee established for the ongoing World Bank-funded Agriculture Commercialization Project (ACP) will continue to operate and support this project. A new Project Implementation Unit (PIU) with two Regional Project Offices (RPOs) in Sughd and Khatlon will be established under the MoA to support project implementation. The PIU will employ environmental and social risk management specialists in Dushanbe who have the necessary experience and knowledge of the World Bank's environmental and social safeguards policies and national environmental and social assessment frameworks. Additional environmental and social risk management consultants will be employed, as necessary, to support the RPOs and ensure compliance with all ESF requirements under the Project. Since the MoA has limited experience and knowledge on addressing requirements related to the ESF and ESSs, in particular on labor and working conditions and labor safety issues, community health and safety, and biodiversity conservation, ESF capacity building activities have been included in the ESCP. II. SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL (ES) RISKS AND IMPACTS A. Environmental and Social Risk Classification (ESRC) Substantial Environmental Risk Rating Substantial The Environment Risk Rating is Substantial due to due to the national scale of the project; potential risks related to pest management for expanded and renewed agricultural systems; risks involved with infrastructure development and rehabilitation including waste management; risks related to indirect disturbance of existing ecosystem in natural habitats and possible pollution of water and soil; and the lack of familiarity among PIU staff to the Bank’s ESF. While Public Disclosure the planned activities involve site specific pest management (seed production sites or limited locust control) of moderate to small scale construction, the overall project objective of intensifying agricultural and particularly horticultural production leaves open the possibility of the need for larger scale pest management needs and pesticide use. Both Components 1 and 2 involve the potential for pesticide use in different sub-projects that are, individually, defined and mitigated in the pest management plan (PMP). Component 3 contains activities targeting crop protection and locust control, which are also defined and mitigated in the PMP. The PMP also examines the larger pest management needs associated with the planned agricultural expansion and locust control. There are potential works under all three Components with the largest being the development of three Agri-Logistical Centers (ALC) in Sugd, Khatlon, and RRS. Each of the ALCs will have differing capacities and functions based on the needs of the region and end destination of the product flow. Initial designs indicate the following capacities: Khatlon - 1,470,697 tons of vegetables and 209,694 tons of fruit; Sughd - 561,187 tons of vegetables and 139,395 tons of fruit; and RRS: 438,106 tons of vegetables and 101,130 tons of fruit. The remaining works are limited primarily to the rehabilitation of existing facilities and installation of new systems – though, in a few cases, the construction of moderate sized buildings could be required. Works related risks are likely to occur during the construction phase (occupational health and safety hazards, generation of food/organic waste and solid waste, air pollution and noise, disruption of traffic, etc.) and are easily managed and mitigated. The Ministry of Agriculture PIU has experience delivering Bank projects and will be fully engaged, along with the two RPOs, in final project design and implementation. The Project financed activities will be screened, based on the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF). The ESMF outlines the environmental risks and impacts associated with the proposed project. The key areas of risk are those related to pest management, construction, and biodiversity. The pest management risks are related to protection of crops and seed production, locust control, and protection of agricultural products in storage or transit that might affect local biodiversity or community health and safety. Apr 26, 2021 Page 6 of 15 The World Bank Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project (P175952) Construction activities include the establishment of the three ALCs as well as construction or rehabilitation of research institutes, laboratories, and seed production facilities. Construction risks include increased environmental pollution with waste, noise, dust, air and water pollution. Biodiversity risks could also potentially result from the introduction of new seed varieties impacting on local biodiversity or ecosystem services. Most of specified risks and impacts are expected to be typical for small and medium scale construction and rehabilitation works, agriculture production, temporary by nature and site specific, and can be easily mitigated by applying best construction practices and relevant mitigation measures. Social Risk Rating Substantial Social risks could emanate from all the three planned investments: (i) developing a vibrant system for seed system; (ii) establishing high-value horticulture value chains; and (iii) strengthening the public institutions on crisis prevention and management. Establishing a ‘seed’ system warrants not only development of appropriate farmer friendly technologies (which includes knowledge, skills and management practices) but also dissemination of them country wide. Technology development and dissemination needs to be effective and inclusive, reaching out all over the country as well as different sub sections of the farming community including marginal/ small farmer households, women and other vulnerable groups. One of the key challenges for the project will be to ensure ‘inclusion’. However, exclusion may happen due to differentials in: (i) geography – given the vast expanse of the farming community and that some of the terrain is mountainous and remote, particularly near the Afghanistan border, it is likely that some areas may not be covered by the project; (ii) scale of farming – large and richer elite farmers may receive preferential treatment; (iii) absorption capacity - technologies developed may be more friendly to large farmers; and (iv) administrative expediency and economy in reaching out to the ‘elites’ vis-à-vis the huge social intermediation efforts required to reach out to small and marginal farmers across the country. The risk of exclusion Public Disclosure shall be addressed to a large extent through a well-crafted Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) supplemented with community mobilization plan and an effective IEC campaign. In addition, an Inclusion Plan will be drawn as a part of the overall design, and as a part of the Project Operations Manual (POM). The commitments and responsibilities, as well as the outline for the Inclusion Plan are included in the ESMF. Increased exposure of farmers and their families to dangerous agrochemicals could be a significant risk. Farmers’ exposure mainly occurs during the preparation and application of the pesticide spray solutions. Other manual labor working in nearby areas treated with pesticides, may also face exposures. The PMP, included in the ESMF, addresses these issues. The second and third components involve civil construction, some new and others repairs and rehabilitation. The new construction will invariably require ‘land’. While the project is expecting that the Government will make available land, due diligence is required to ensure that there are no resultant physical, and/ or economic displacements. Risks related to this will need to be avoided or reduced or, if involuntary acquisition is inevitable, then, it will have to be addressed. The Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) prepared during the preparation provides the next steps on preparing and implementing site specific resettlement plans. The Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/Sexual Harassment (SEA/SH) risk is assessed as moderate based on the Bank’s past experience in of working on a variety of projects in different sectors, the legal framework and social norms in rural communities. The project activities will be exclusively in the rural areas in local communities and labor influx is not expected. Earlier assessments do show that sexual harassment in the workplaces in Tajikistan is moderate, while domestic violence is rated substantial. Child labor risks are also moderate, as government has ensured persistent and effective efforts during the last decade to eliminate hazardous forms of child labor and put in place the child labor monitoring units with the Employment Agency and local governments. The ESMF includes specific commitments and responsibilities for monitoring and addressing this aspect, while the Operations Manual (POM) will elaborate on the approaches and methodology towards monitoring child labor during implementation. Apr 26, 2021 Page 7 of 15 The World Bank Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project (P175952) B. Environment and Social Standards (ESSs) that Apply to the Activities Being Considered B.1. General Assessment ESS1 Assessment and Management of Environmental and Social Risks and Impacts Overview of the relevance of the Standard for the Project: The project recognizes the following standards as relevant: ESS 1, ESS 2, ESS 3, ESS 4, ESS 5, ESS 6, and ESS 10. The project will have mostly positive benefits as the interventions will address bottlenecks in the seed/seedling value chain encompassing the public and private sectors and help improve enabling (policy, institutions and regulatory) environment for the seed/seedling sector. The positive social impacts are as follows: a) increased access to better seeds and seedlings will improve productivity, and as such will increase income-generation; b) agri-logistics centers will increase export of horticulture products, which will create employment opportunities in rural areas; and c) enhanced early warning and crop forecasting systems will strengthen the institutional capacities for better agrobusiness planning and practices. The environmental and social impacts of the project are expected to be largely positive as it will support improved agricultural production and capacity to identify effective agricultural, land, and water management practices. However, potential environmental risks occur in two areas: Public Disclosure 1) those risks related use and potential mishandling of pesticides for individual activities like seed production or vector control in agri-logistic center, crop protection and locust control, and, more largely, those associated with the national expansion of agricultural and horticultural production. These risks, which could result in long-term impacts, are addressed through the Project PMP, as part of the ESMF. 2) those risks associated with site specific construction activities such as dust, noise, waste management, and electronic or hazardous waste disposals. While temporary and local, these risks may include soil loss related to planting activities; temporary, construction related, or air and water pollution, such risks are expected to be reversible, short-term, and easily mitigable. The project’s key social risks and impacts related to: a) exclusion: as diverse range of small and medium farms and individual farmers, as well as other vulnerable sections may end up being excluded by the project activities/results/benefits due to remote locations, lack of proper knowledge and skills to access and use improved technologies, non-affordable seed products and services; b) small scale involuntary resettlement impacts related to construction of a few buildings; and c) increased exposure to dangerous agrochemicals. No significant risks related to labor influx and community safety are expected under the project, as most project workers (for the civil works) will be recruited locally. The SEA/SH risk is assessed as moderate mostly due to the status of national Gender-Based Violence (GBV) legislation, gender norms, and the rural location of most project activities. Social risk screening procedures and mitigation actions are part of the ESMF and RPF prepared during project preparation, which provide the next steps on preparing and implementing site specific plans. The project will provide access to information and communications technology, business development services and other opportunities for Apr 26, 2021 Page 8 of 15 The World Bank Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project (P175952) farmers, especially vulnerable farmer groups to increase their participation. A Stakeholder Engagement Plan has been developed which outlines the activities, budget and responsibilities (local and project-level) for continuous information-sharing and engagement and processing of feedback from project-affected and other interested parties, including rural population in the target areas. The project is taking a framework approach because the sub-projects to be financed cover a diverse range of construction and rehabilitation activities, most of which will not be identified until after implementation begins. The following instruments have been prepared: (i) Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) that includes a project Pest Management Plans (PMP); (ii) Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF); (iii) Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP); (v) Labor Management Procedures (LMP); (vi) Social Inclusion Plan (SIP); and (vii) Child Labor Monitoring Plan (CLMP). The last two plans shall be a part of the Project’s Operation Manual. The ESMF is based on the relevant ESSs, the World Bank Group’s Environmental Health and Safety Guidelines, and applicable national legislation. It outlines the guiding principles of environmental screening, assessment, review, management, and monitoring procedures for all envisaged activities and also applies the integrated risk management approach to support the relevant public institutions and ALCs to develop adequate risk management strategies to prevent risks and reduce horticulture value chain vulnerability as a whole. The ESMF includes: (a) A detailed chapter on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) with an assessment of current pest management practice in Tajikistan; recommended actions by the project to help address short-comings (if any) identified in that assessment; lists of pesticides banned by national law or prohibited by the ESF and ESSs; and, as an annex, a PMP for Public Disclosure the project. (b) Generic guidelines and procedures to avoid, mitigate, or minimize adverse environmental and social impacts of the potential activities. (c) A description of implementing arrangements including details on how environment and social risks, will be managed. (d) The criteria for determining acceptable environmental and social risks and pest management procedures for the proposed sub-projects. (e) Descriptions of the environmental and social screening or pest management screening processes that will help to define the required site-specific ESF instruments. (f) Checklists for preparing site-specific Environmental and Social Impact Assessments/Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESIAs/ESMPs). (g) ESMP checklists for the small- and medium scale construction and rehabilitation for seed laboratories, local seed banks and agri-logistics centers envisaged by the project. (h) Environmental and social monitoring and reporting requirements. (i) A section on proposed capacity building activities to help the implementing agencies comply with the ESF. (j) Supply chain risk management requirements. The site specific ESIA/ESMP for activities judged to be of substantial environmental or social risk will be reviewed by the Bank prior to issuing bidding documents for those activities, otherwise, they will be reviewed by the Bank during regular implementation support missions. ESS10 Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure Apr 26, 2021 Page 9 of 15 The World Bank Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project (P175952) Individuals and groups likely to directly benefit have been identified during project preparation and a draft SEP has been prepared. At this stage the following primary project beneficiaries are identified: farmers (e.g., commercial farms, dekhan farms, and household plot owners) and farmers’ organizations/cooperatives and agri-business enterprises. Other interested parties include local authorities (khukumats, mahalla committees, local farmer council representatives) and central and regional level authorities, including Ministry of Agriculture, the State Plant Quarantine Inspection, and other relevant state agencies; agricultural research institutes, as well as agri-business associations and other civil society actors. The mapping of these actors is presented in the project Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP), which outlines the activities and timeframe for engaging with different stakeholder groups throughout the project life, defines roles and responsibilities, human resources and budget needed for implementing SEP activities. Key objectives of the SEP are to maintain a constructive relationship with stakeholders, ensure that stakeholder views can be taken into account in project design and implementation, specifically in the management of environmental and social performance, provide means for inclusive engagement with all project affected parties, and ensure that appropriate project information is disclosed to stakeholders in a timely, understandable, accessible, and appropriate manner and format. Disadvantaged and vulnerable groups under the project are likely to include farmers in remote areas and women groups, especially women engaged in seasonal agricultural work, female-headed households and women farmers who by virtue of constraining social norms and social networks may find it harder to obtain information about the project benefits. The SEP includes measures to ensure that disadvantaged and vulnerable groups have equal opportunity to obtain information and benefit from project activities, as well as have channels for grievance and redress if negatively affected. Such activities will include tailored awareness and information campaigns including Public Disclosure targeting women and mahalla-level meetings which community members of all backgrounds and remote areas can join, distributing information materials through multiple channels such as media, social media, and mahalla leaders, emphasizing the rules and principles of equity and non-discrimination for example in relation to employment opportunities in all training and consultation activities. The SEP has been prepared, consulted upon, and disclosed. The SEP also describes the project-specific Grievance Mechanism (GM) which will accept, review, and seek to resolve any project related concerns or feedback, and be easily accessible to project-affected parties and local communities, among other stakeholders. The GM will have a special window or uptake channel to address SEA/SH complaints such as to ensure privacy and dignity of the affected persons. B.2. Specific Risks and Impacts A brief description of the potential environmental and social risks and impacts relevant to the Project. ESS2 Labor and Working Conditions The Project could encompass the following categories of workers: direct and contracted workers. Direct workers will be those deployed as ‘technical consultants’ and ‘project specialists’ by the PIU. They will be governed by mutually agreed contracts. Contracted workers will be employed as deemed appropriate by contractors, sub-contractors, and Apr 26, 2021 Page 10 of 15 The World Bank Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project (P175952) other intermediaries, details of which will be known as and when activities' implementation begins. No primary supplier workers or community workers are anticipated. The project proposes some small/ medium scale infrastructure for the construction or rehabilitation of genetics banks, seed laboratories and agri-logistics centers; therefore, the majority of contractors are expected to be from the local vicinity. The expectation is that the majority of labor will be locally hired with the exception of a few skilled workers. The client has prepared Labor Management Procedures (LMP), which outlines the type of project workers, labor conditions and associated labor risks, as well as mitigation measures. Provisions will also be made to train and hire as many as possible workers from local communities where the activities are taking place. The ESMF includes Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) aspects, including specific instruments that will need to be prepared either by the client or the contractors prior to commencement of works (OHS checklists, codes of conduct; safety training etc.). Civil works contracts will incorporate social and environmental mitigation measures based on the WBG EHS Guidelines and the ESMF, as well as the SEP, RPF etc. and specific language referencing the prioritization of hiring unskilled local labor. All contractors will be required to comply with LMP. All civil works contracts will include standard Codes of Conduct that include measures to prevent SEA/SH. A locally based Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) specifically for direct and contracted workers will also be provided. Public Disclosure The risk of child labor/forced labor is considered to be limited, as based on the national legislation the contractors have to comply with the minimum age of employment and mutually agreed written contracts. However, according to the Tajik Labor Code, persons between 14 and 16 years old may also be employed with reduced working hours, for employment that is not considered heavy or hazardous, and with parental permission and outside the school hours. For civil works no child labor is allowed. For agricultural works, farmers might engage their 14 above children at home plots outside the school hours; however, these are not considered the project workers as per ESS2 definition. With a goal of ensuring compliance with deployment of ‘child labor’ regulations, the project will develop training capsules and conduct programs to train the relevant stakeholders. The project will also include field level child labor (deployment/ or otherwise) monitoring among the project workers as a part of the overall progress monitoring. All these are elaborated in LMP. The child labor risks in agricultural works could be exacerbated by the project. Child labor is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood and relates to the work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and/or interferes with their schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to attend school. Based on the national labor legislation children above 14 can have 24-hour per week employment with easy works outside the school hours. The Law on Parents Responsibility for Children’s Upbringing and Education makes parents responsible for ensuring their children not involved in heavy and hazardous work. Over the past decade, ILO’s third-party monitoring has demonstrated Tajikistan’s major progress in eradicating child labor and forced labor in the country. The Child Labor Monitoring System in Tajikistan has been developed in phases and piloted during 2008-2018, and it has become one of the main factors in decreasing the number of working children and eliminating the worst forms of child labor. The project will develop synergy with the district level children rights Apr 26, 2021 Page 11 of 15 The World Bank Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project (P175952) departments in raising awareness of local dehkan farms on legal restrictions on the use of child labor; and capacity building of PIU regional project offices (RPOs) in monitoring of child and forced labor at the project sites. ESS3 Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management As the project aims to expand and intensify horticultural production, there is a risk of increased pesticide use among farmers and facility managers who may not be adequately trained or equipped for safe pesticide management and use. All infrastructure, including ALCs, cold storage facilities, offices, and laboratories, constructed and/or rehabilitated by the project, will utilize energy-efficient and climate-resilient materials and designs. The ESMF includes a detailed chapter on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) with an assessment of current pest management practice in Tajikistan; recommended actions, including capacity building, to help address short-comings (if any) identified in that assessment; lists of pesticides banned by national law or prohibited by the ESF and ESSs; and guidance on the criteria for and preparation of site specific PMPs. The ESMF also includes sections on resource efficiency and Pollution Prevention and Management, particularly dealing with pesticide use, the handling and disposal of organic waste, and the handling and disposal of construction waste. Public Disclosure Assessment of risks and impacts and proposed mitigation measures related to relevant requirements of ESS 3, including integrated pest management; water use; soil and air pollution; and hazardous materials management; and procedures for handling and disposing of material and hazardous waste will be included within scope of site specific PMPs and ESIA/ESMPs as relevant. ESS4 Community Health and Safety In order to address risks and impacts that might affect community health and safety the ESMF includes an assessment of work related health risks; works and road safety; excessive noise and dust levels, site safety awareness and access restrictions; and SEA/SH. All these issues will be screened and addressed in site specific ESMPs to be prepared once the investments are identified. All facilities will be constructed with adequate structural safety and universal access. The ESMF requires that fencing should be installed around all construction sites and areas where there is a risk to community health and safety. Furthermore, the ESMF requires that site specific ESMPs specify the necessary measures for ensuring efficient waste management, compliance with good labor management practices, disclosing information and maintaining effective communication with local communities throughout the duration of works. The ESMF will also highlight the need for training and also include specific guidelines and requirements and provisions in this regard for PIU staff, local authorities, and project beneficiaries (farmers, enterprises, or cooperatives). Increased exposure of farmers and their families to dangerous agrochemicals could also be considered as a significant community health and safety risk. Farmers’ exposure mainly occurs during the preparation and application of the Apr 26, 2021 Page 12 of 15 The World Bank Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project (P175952) pesticide spray solutions and during the cleaning-up of spraying equipment. Farmers or their family members who perform manual labor in areas treated with pesticides can also face major exposure from direct spray, drift from neighboring fields, or by contact with pesticide residues on the crop or soil. This kind of exposure is often underestimated. The site-specific Pest Management Plans to be prepared during the project implementation will address these issues. ESS5 Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement The new construction will invariably require ‘land’, but it will be limited to a few facilities. While the project is expecting that the Government will make available lands, due diligence is required to ensure that there are no resultant physical; and/ or economic displacements. The Client has prepared a Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF) to guide activities in this regard. The RPF defines the procedures for: (i) acquiring land (after all technical alternatives have been exhausted), (ii) dealing with any residual impacts from land acquisition (i.e. identifying, establishing the valuation of, and compensating people that suffer economic losses or loss of private property), (iii) monitoring and verification that policies and procedures are followed, and (iv) grievance redress mechanisms. Where resettlement- related impacts have been identified, site-specific RAPs will be prepared by the MoA/PIU in accordance with the RPF. ESS6 Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources ESS 6 is relevant due to Project's focus on strengthening seed management and production and increasing horticultural production, which could also increase the use of pesticides. The ESMF includes a detailed chapter on Public Disclosure pest management with an assessment of current practices and recommendations for improvement. The PMP addresses potential impacts of pesticide use on birds, natural and aquatic ecosystems, and apiary practices. The ESMF also addresses relevant issues based on ESS 6 in the chapter on pest management, the PMP, sub-project screening, and the preparation of site specific ESIA/ESMPs. In the ESMF, the ESMP checklist includes screening all potential project activities activities against ESS 6 to ensure that any risks related to either pesticide use or seed introduction are identified and adequate mitigation measures included in site specific ESIA/ESMPs. Activities with high or unmitigable biodiversity risks will be prohibited. ESS7 Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities This Standard is not relevant, as there are no Indigenous Peoples in Tajikistan. ESS8 Cultural Heritage ESS 8 is assessed as Not Relevant to the project. As a precautionary measure, chance find procedures will be included in the ESMF and will be part of mitigation measures to be provided in site-specific ESMPs. ESS9 Financial Intermediaries This standard is not currently relevant as no financial intermediaries are party to the project implementation modality. Apr 26, 2021 Page 13 of 15 The World Bank Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project (P175952) B.3 Other Relevant Project Risks None noted at this stage. C. Legal Operational Policies that Apply OP 7.50 Projects on International Waterways Yes Operational Policy 7.50 is applicable to this project because the project supports minor rehabilitation and alterations of existing irrigation schemes in selected public research institutions and seed farms, which are already consuming water from the two main transboundary rivers Syr Darya and Amu Darya and their tributaries shared by Tajikistan with Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic, and Kazakhstan. The project activities will not adversely affect the quantity or quality of the water flowing to other riparians, and the Project will not be affected by other riparians’ possible water use. The task team has opted for requesting exception to the notification requirement was approved by the Regional Vice President on (pending). OP 7.60 Projects in Disputed Areas No B.3. Reliance on Borrower’s policy, legal and institutional framework, relevant to the Project risks and impacts Public Disclosure Is this project being prepared for use of Borrower Framework? No Areas where “Use of Borrower Framework” is being considered: Given the newness of the ESF for the MoA PIU, which is implementing the project, the borrower's framework will not be used for the Project as a whole or for any of its parts. IV. CONTACT POINTS World Bank Contact: Teklu Tesfaye Toli Title: Senior Agriculture Economist Telephone No: 5771+2446 / 998-78-1202446 Email: ttesfaye1@worldbank.org Contact: Aira Maria Htenas Title: Agriculture Economist Telephone No: +1-202-458-4445 Email: ahtenas@worldbank.org Borrower/Client/Recipient Borrower: Ministry of Finance Implementing Agency(ies) Apr 26, 2021 Page 14 of 15 The World Bank Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project (P175952) Implementing Agency: Ministry of Agriculture V. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20433 Telephone: (202) 473-1000 Web: http://www.worldbank.org/projects VI. APPROVAL Task Team Leader(s): Aira Maria Htenas, Teklu Tesfaye Toli Practice Manager (ENR/Social) Alexandra C. Bezeredi Cleared on 23-Apr-2021 at 13:15:19 GMT-04:00 Public Disclosure Apr 26, 2021 Page 15 of 15