After Six Years, Justice and a Future for “Shohob-1” .

With the help of the Land Market Development Activity, farmer Safar Tagoev was able to reclaim his farmland after it was seized by district authorities in Tajikistan.

In August 2012, when Safar Tagoev established dehkan farm “Shohob-1” in Tajikistan’s Yovon District, he planned to use the land to improve his economic livelihood and grow food for his family. In October 2013, however, district authorities seized more than half of his 74 hectares, distributing them to other farms and a commercial entity. The reason? The local government claimed that Mr. Tagoev had voluntarily abandoned his land and, therefore, forfeited the right to farm it. What followed was a six-year campaign for Mr. Tagoev and 29 other shareholders to get back the land on which they had staked their economic futures.