•    Population - 7,768,385 (July 2012 est.)
•    Maternal and infant mortality
•    Life expectancy – 66
•    Median age – 23
•    Labor force – 50% agriculture
•    Unemployment - 2.2%
•    53% below poverty line
•    Inflation – 14.3%

Tajikistan is the poorest country in the former Soviet Union. With few employment opportunities, a million Tajiks work abroad and send money home to their families. The country's economy has never fully recovered from the civil war of 1992-97, and its citizens have seen big increases in food and fuel costs in the past year. Tajikistan imports 60% of its food.

Origins: Starting in 2004, MEDA managed an agricultural project, Pro APT, in Tajikistan which aimed to strengthen the fruit and vegetable sub sectors through financial services, investments, quality control, extension services and more. The project increased farmer productivity through higher yields per unit and more intensive utilization of land. It also strengthened private sector capacity through improved practices for sorting, grading, packaging and branding farm produce.

MEDA also has a long history of successful partnership with IMON International, a regulated microfinance institution that targets the poor in Tajikistan. MEDA currently provides financial support (investment and loan capital), technical assistance, and board leadership to IMON.