Creating a more sustainable future, one stitch at a time

April 24, 2022

Photo: UNDP Uzbekistan

It is often said that “beautiful things come together one stitch at a time,” and for Nafasova Mukaddas this is definitely true. She is one of 3,150 women who live in “Tatar” citizen assemblies of villages, made up of 10 villages near to the Gissar State Nature Reserve on the western slopes of the majestic Gissar range in Kashkadarya region, Uzbekistan. She also is one of only 330 women who have employment.

Kashkadarya is famous for its juniper forests and such pilgrimage and tourism destinations as Hazraty Sulton sacred mountain, Amir Timur cave, fossilized dinosaur footprints and stunning waterfalls. The nature reserve hosts many unique kinds of rare wildlife. 

“But also this is under threat,” said Doina Munteanu, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Uzbekistan. “The main income for most of the population is from livestock production, which is overtaxing natural resources, especially through overgrazing in natural pastures.”

Munteanu said the overgrazing has led to a decrease in the vegetation cover of pastures, biodiversity habitat fragmentation, a decrease in soil fertility, erosion, accelerated desertification and landslides in foothills and mountainous areas. “Such environmental changes pose a serious threat both to the preservation of biodiversity and to the living standards of the population,” she said. 

The future that Mukaddas is helping to create, one stitch at a time, offers a different scenario. She has been involved in sewing clothes in the past five years – and her services are in great demand as the only other seamstress is located 37 kilometres away. She and her husband were able to access small grants through a UNDP/GEF project and have opened a small shop offering household services in their village. The small grants they received were used for purchasing and supplying necessary sewing and hairdressing equipment.

Mukaddas opened a full-fledged sewing workshop, which currently has two women employed and ten more in the training programme. Her plan is to produce unique clothing for both local and regional markets. Her husband used his small grant to establish a barbershop in the same building. 

"We are mainly producing wide range of clothing for women and children,” said Mukaddas.  “It is really rewarding to have a family business, help the fellow villagers with their needs, and at the same have a stable income. It is especially important to know that we are not harming the environment. Good things take time to build, but when you build them slowly, they last longer – like sewing, one stitch at a time.” 

Mukaddas’ husband Hikmatilla echoed her sentiments. "Our local barbershop is also very popular,” he said. “We are really happy and feel the change it brought to the life of the village. I can totally say our dream came true: we are benefitting from it both materially and spiritually. Now we are thinking of expanding our businesses and setting new lines of production –for example, brick production, which is in high demand.”

Although a barbershop and a sewing workshop may seem small in comparison to the larger challenge of land degradation, such small businesses are demonstrating to local residents that there are income-generating activities beyond livestock production.  If this trend continues it could help diversify the local economy, stimulate local economic development and reduce the negative impacts that widespread livestock production is having on the local ecosystem.

Background: 

UNDP assistance in Uzbekistan focuses on two overall, inter-linked objectives; to support the Government in advancing economic and democratic reforms; and strengthening and fostering the participation of civil society in development processes at national and local levels.  

The UNDP Technical Assistance Programme is striving to further develop the potential of local communities through practical measures for improving forestry, animal husbandry, pasture restoration and launching alternative activities in an attempt to decrease the pressure on natural forests and pastures.