Kona, Hawaii District Conservationist Helps Afghan Farmers

"Traveling to the remote districts within Afghanistan’s Ghanzi Province is like a carnival ride – 60 percent bumper car, 20 percent tilt-a-whirl, and 20 percent slow motion roller coaster," said Jeff Knowles, Kona District Conservationist for NRCS in Hawaii.  Jeff recently received the U.S. Army Commander's Award for Public Service – the fourth-highest honor that can be awarded to a civilian.  Jeff was among eight NRCS employees selected nationwide to serve as civilian agricultural advisors on Army provisional reconstruction teams (PRT) in military compounds throughout Afghanistan.

For six months with the Ghanzi PRT, Jeff met daily with district governors, police chiefs, village elders, and mullahs (Muslim clergy) to determine the problems farmers faced.

In a land where there is one tractor to every 1,000 farmers and banks, credit unions, seed or fertilizer dealers, veterinarian clinics, and soil-testing, storage, and food processing facilities do not exist, Jeff developed numerous projects and secured $1 million in Army funding for ten of his projects including an apple juice factory, apricot drying facilities, and food-storage systems.  Because the majority of districts do not produce enough food, the PRT delivered supplies so the residents did not starve during the winter.  "Farmers comprise about 85 percent of the population of Afghanistan, making it much like the United States of the 1890s.  But by American standards, they are living five times under the poverty level," Knowles said.

Last October, Jeff had bouts of chills and fever diagnosed as malaria by doctors at Bagram Air Force Base.  He had lost close to 10 pounds in roughly a week.  While he was recuperating at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, he turned down the option of returning home to Hawaii wanting instead to complete his work in Afghanistan.

Ultimately returning to the United States was a bittersweet experience for Jeff, who never actually saw the fruition of the projects.  He was however, able to discover his passion for building agriculture and it was clear that his work in Afghanistan was one of the most fulfilling experiences of his 28 years of government service.  He longs to go back.  (from a West Hawaii Today story by Carolyn Lucas clucas@westhawaiitoday.com.)
Your contact is Jolene Lau, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 808-541-2600, ext.135.