BAGRAM, Afghanistan – Agriculture, irrigation, livestock and education. These are the steps that Afghans must climb to reach a common goal; an improved system of sustaining life.

Abdul Farzam, the Director of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (DAIL) led a meeting with coalition force soldiers and Korean and U.S. nongovernmental organizations March 5 at a Korean compound in eastern Afghanistan.

Farzam, who previously worked as the DAIL in Kabul, met with the agencies to determine upcoming plans for Afghanistan’s development in the coming year. Several topics were discussed to include orchards, irrigation development, marketing and even budgeting to assist Afghans involved in every step of the food process.

“In the last nine years, there have been some positives in agriculture in this area [Parwan],” said Farzam. “We are looking to make things better for farmers growing food in Afghanistan. There is not much well-developed agriculture here, and it is about time.”
For those who have been able to successfully create a livelihood from their own farms and livestock, there is still room for improvement.

In most areas throughout Parwan, what the Afghans cannot sell rots or is simply thrown away. This is for no other reason than there is no permanent cold storage area that the local Afghans can use. If they were able to store what they could not sell right away, then they could make more money and their families could have their own food last longer, Farzam explained to the group.

“The production is there,” he said. “But what they sell they sell. What they don’t sell rots or is just thrown away.”

As many realize and try to teach, agriculture is a long-term process. There will not be overnight gains. To help more Afghans realize this, Farzam is working with the Korean PRT, the US Department of Agriculture and USAID to develop training programs to educate those involved in agriculture. In Farzam’s words, “If you plant a tree, it will not grow overnight.”

“We have a training department [at the Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock], but they need the training first to train other Afghans,” he said. “We need well trained instructors to be effective.

“Now, we have a place for the training in Charikar or at the Korean PRT, but no actual district training center.”

Training Afghans to teach others is the aim of Farzam. Throughout the meeting, he stressed the importance of teaching all generations. As more and more learn, the information will spread wider, eventually creating a knowledgeable agricultural community that can support the needs of all those nearby.

As Farzam said, “It is education we need first for farmers, then supplies and funding. We need to make sure [the training] is proper and something they understand.”

Continued training and experience will eventually reveal if Farzam’s efforts pay off in the end. With dedication and a combined effort involving government officials, coalition forces and NGOs, the Parwan Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock hopes to promote growth in this industry and act as a voice for Afghans throughout the region.

“We will tell what the people need,” Farzam said. “Trust is the main issue. The more we do for the people, the more they will come to us.”

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