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Accelerating market-led growth in agriculture
The purpose of USAID’s agriculture program is to improve food security, increase agricultural productivity and rural employment, and improve family incomes and well-being. Improved job opportunities and incomes also reduce pressures on the poor to grow opium poppy.
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Success Stories
27 December 2012 | Badakhshan, Afghanistan
WCS The Natural Resource Management project included renovation of dilapidated infrastructure needed to protect the Big Pamir reserve, including the community ranger station. ...
4 December 2012 | Badakhshan, Afghanistan
USAID / WCS In a first for Afghanistan, three snow leopards were fitted with satellite collars, thereby helping local herders track the animals and...
29 October 2012 | Badakhshan, Afghanistan
USAID / OFDA Members of Afghanistan’s first search-and rescue team at a training in Badakhshan. Afghanistan’s first advanced search-and-rescue team (SART) went...
15 October 2012 | Herat, Afghanistan
USAID / CADG Consumer-ready packages of dried fruit from Afghanistan Mr. Ghulam Sarwar is a member of a business family from Herat...
10 September 2012 | Kandahar, Afghanistan
USAID/S-RAD/IRD USAID is providing vocational training to boys in a detention facility who are vulnerable to Taliban recruitment Abdul Ahmad, 15, was...
30 August 2012 | Kandahar, Afghanistan
USAID/S-RAD/IRD Members of the Traveling Agricultural Theatre perform for farmers in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar. In Afghanistan, where 80 percent...
1 November 2010 | Bamyan Province, Afghanistan
Richard Engel, NBC News' chief foreign correspondent, shot a segment for the Today Show on Bamyan Province and the Band-e-Amir National Park. The goals of...
31 October 2010 | Tahkar, Badakhshan, Afghanistan
USAID is helping Afghan farmers ensure that this season’s harvest is exceptionally abundant. Thanks to training provided by USAID’s Incentives Driving Economic Alternatives – North,...
15 October 2010 | Kabul, Afghanistan
From October 6 to 8, thousands of visitors from Afghanistan and around the world converged on Badam Bagh Farm in Kabul to attend the 2010...
31 August 2010 | Kabul, Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s women farmers will have more access to seeds, supplies, and materials thanks to the opening of the Women’s Farm Service Center in Kabul on...
31 May 2010 | Panjsher Province, Afghanistan
In mid-May, the first Cashmere Road Show took place in Panjsher Province, with participation from both U.S. and Afghan government officials. Last year, the USG-funded...
15 June 2010 | Panjsher Province, Afghanistan
On April 27, the Koh-e-Tolkha Cooperative in Panjsher Province celebrated the opening of a new cool storage facility. USAID’s Afghanistan Small and Medium Enterprise Development...
In The News
19 December 2012 | Badghis, Afghanistan
USAID's IDEA-NEW The opening of a fruit and vegetable wholesale market in Qala-e-Naw Yesterday Badghis Provincial Governor, Mohammad Tahir Sabari,...
26 November 2012 | Badakhshan, Afghanistan
USAID / IDEA-NEW Inauguration and Handover Ceremony of Sakha Canal USAID hosted a ceremony marking the completion of the Sakha Canal rehabilitation in...
1 September 2012 | Kabul, Afghanistan
USAID/AGRED USAID and Ministry of Agriculture Launch a new USAID project In partnership with the Afghanistan Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock...
26 June 2012 | Nangarhar, Afghanistan
USAID/IDEA-NEW USAID funded the reconstruction of a 10-km long Kushkak Canal at Surkhrod district, Nangarhar At today’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, Nangarhar Deputy Provincial...
20 February 2012 | Dubai, UAE
USAID/CHAMP Afghan traders discuss the high quality of fresh and dried fruits of Afghanistan with international traders in Dubai A ...
9 April 2012 | Nangarhar, Afghanistan
USAID/IDEA-NEW Anisa Imran, Director of Nangarhar's Department of Women's Affairs hands out an award to a graduate of USAID-funded Business Training Course in Eastern...
29 March 2012 | Nangarhar, Afghanistan
U.S. Embassy Kabul Ready for Export: produce packaged at the Surkhrod Packing Facility The Surkhrod Packing facility, established and run by...
16 January 2012 | Balkh, Afghanistan
USAID/AFSA Staff at Women’s Farm Service Center in Mazar offers advice to a customer Balkh Women’s Farm Service Center officially opened today...
15 January 2012 | Nangarhar, Afghanistan
USAID/IDEA-NEW Nangarhar Deputy Governor Mohammad Hanif Gardiwal opened USAID-funded Textile Exhibit in Jalalabad today. Textile factories from Nangarhar showcased their homemade...
25 October 2011 | Kabul, Afghanistan
Robert Sauers/USAID USAID Mission Director Dr. S. Ken Yamashita delivers remarks to the audience at the Badam Bagh Demonstration Farm in Kabul. ...
BACKGROUND
Agriculture is the main source of livelihood and subsistence for 80 percent of the population that lives in rural areas, and a crucial sector for national food security and economic growth.
U.S. Government (USG) agricultural assistance in Afghanistan focuses on creating agriculture jobs and increasing both incomes and Afghans’ confidence in their government. USAID programs improve productivity, regenerate agribusiness, strengthen key value chains, rehabilitate watersheds and irrigation infrastructure, and strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) to deliver services effectively.
Collaboration among USAID, the Afghan government, and other USG agencies and donors has helped curb opium cultivation. Twenty provinces currently are poppy-free. USAID and its partners promote the production of both high-value licit crops and staple crops that are keys to both income generation and food security. USAID addresses constraints along the entire value chain, from production to processing to marketing and sales. USAID also works to strengthen systems critical to long-term development, such as credit, research, extension, and agriculture education. Improving farm-to-market roads and marketplace infrastructure are also key priorities.
RESTORING AFGHAN AGRICULTURE’S HISTORICAL STRENGTHS
Afghanistan has an excellent reputation for its almonds, pomegranates, pistachios, grapes, and apricots. With USAID assistance, high-value fruit and nut production has increased significantly since 2002, despite the ongoing conflict.
In FY 2010, USAID trained more than 633,000 farmers in improving crop yields, financial management, and business skills. USAID also supports the efforts of Afghan traders to expand trade opportunities into new export markets. In FY 2010, fresh grapes were transported overland to Delhi using refrigerated containers, while pomegranates and raisins were exported to Canada, Dubai, Germany, Holland, India, and Tajikistan. More than $14 million in export sales were made in FY 2010 as a direct result of USG agricultural assistance.
As many Afghans raise livestock as well as crops, USAID has trained para-veterinarians. In turn, they have trained more than 850 veterinary field staff nationwide, administered 48 million vaccinations, and dispensed other medicines to bolster livestock health. Additionally, 446 veterinary field units, private businesses that provide preventive animal health and treatment services to rural communities, have been established during the past two years yielding $12.1 million in sales.
EXTENDING ACCESS TO AGRICULTURAL INPUTS
Afghan farmers need loans to buy quality seeds, fertilizer, and equipment. In July 2010, USAID established a $100 million Agricultural Development Fund (ADF), which began lending in September. The ADF, which is co-managed by MAIL and USAID, has approved $16 million in loans to date. Financial and non-financial institutions receiving ADF funds on-lend those funds as credit to farmers so they can purchase agricultural inputs. These on-lending institutions have disbursed $6 million and provided loans to approximately 5,400 farmers.
As part of its stabilization effort, USAID continues to fund a voucher system that enables qualified farmers to purchase seed, fertilizer, and other supplies locally at discounted rates.
Ten USAID-supported farm service centers are operating in Afghanistan. These centers provide access to high quality seeds, fertilizer, and other inputs, and serve as centers for access to market and technical information. The centers have generated sales and services worth more than $32 million.
Since June 2010, 70 Afghan-owned and operated “AgDepot” farm stores were established, increasing the number of USG-supported AgDepots to 370. These farm stores have played a critical role in increasing farmer access to production inputs, modern technology, and extension services.
BOOSTING INCOME FOR WOMEN
USAID-developed activities targeting women include dairy processing and poultry production, nurseries, greenhouses, and business-training programs. To help women farmers gain access to quality agricultural inputs and machinery, USAID supported the first women’s farm service center in FY 2010, which serves some 10,000 women working in the agriculture sector in the provinces around Kabul. Before the end of FY 2011, two more women’s farm service centers will be established in Parwan and Balkh.
PRESERVING THE ENVIRONMENT
Environmental degradation is an important cause of declining productivity. Improving watersheds and preserving Afghanistan’s environment are critical to increasing water resources for agriculture and achieving and maintaining peace. USAID supports tree planting, improved water management, reduced soil erosion, increased water retention, and enhanced habitat conservation, all of which will make farms and rangelands more productive and reduce conflict over scarce resources.
INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
USAID fosters links among Afghan universities and ministries, agriculture and veterinary schools, U.S. land grant universities, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). USAID has also provided assistance to strengthen university-level agriculture education in Afghanistan. Partnering with USDA, USAID assists in building MAIL’s capacity to help farmers by providing agricultural research and extension services, and helping farmers and businesses to sell their output, both locally and abroad.
Fact Sheet Agriculture Sector July 2012
Accelerating Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP)
Advancing Afghan Agriculture Alliance (A-4)
Afghan Agricultural Research and Extension Development (AGRED) Program
Afghanistan Biodiversity and Community Forestry (ABCF)
Afghanistan Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS-NET)
Afghanistan Farm Service Alliance (AFSA)
Afghanistan Immediate Needs Program
Afghanistan Vouchers for Increased Production in Agriculture – Plus (AVIPA Plus)
Afghanistan Vouchers for Increased Production in Agriculture (AVIPA)
Afghanistan Water, Agriculture and Technology Transfer (AWATT) Project
Agricultural Development Fund (ADF) and Agricultural Credit Enhancement (ACE)
Agroenterprise Support Program
Alternative Development Program/Eastern Region (ADP/E)
Alternative Development Program/Northern Region (ADP/N)
Alternative Development Program/Southern Region (ADP/S)
Alternative Development Program/Southwestern Region (ADP/SW)
Alternative Licit Livelihoods Initiative (ALLI) (formerly Agro-enterprise Development Alliance)
Badakhshan Alternative Employment for Rural Workers
Biodiversity Conservation and Natural Resources Management
Biodiversity Support Program (BSP)
Cash for Work Hilmand Program
Commercial Horticulture and Agricultural Marketing Project (CHAMP)
Community Development Agriculture in Paktya, Paktika, Khost and Southeast Ghazni (CDA-P2KG)
Cotton & Alternative Crops Pilot Project in Helmand Province
Dairy Industry Revitalization
Development Credit Authority (DCA)
Environmental Assessment of the Alternative Livelihoods Program
Fund to IFDC For Seed/Fertilizer
Global Development Alliance for Strengthening Market Chains for Afghan Raisins and Pomegranates (GDA)
Good Performance Initiative (GPI)
Hilmand Food Zone Project (HFZP)
Improving Livelihoods and Governance through Natural Resource Management Project (ILG-NRMP)
Incentives Driving Economic Alternatives for the North, East, West (IDEA-NEW)
Incentives to Reduce Poppy Cultivation in Afghanistan
Nangahar Canal and Alternative Crops Program
Pastoral Engagement, Adaptation, and Capacity Enhancement (PEACE) Project
Private Community Forestry for Natural Resource Management
Provincial Reforestation and Integrated Environmental Protection Project (IEPP)
Quick Impact Shamli
Rebuild Agriculture Markets Program (RAMP)
Rebuilding Agricultural Markets and Conserving Biological Diversity
Southern Region Agricultural Development Project (SRADP)
Strengthening Afghan Agricultural Faculties (SAAF) Project
Support to National Area Based Development Program
USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) Afghanistan
USAID/Washington DCHA Office of Food for Peace (MYAP)
USAID/Washington DCHA Office of Food for Peace (PRRO)
Village-Based Watershed Reforestation in Ghor Province
WCS Afghanistan
Spring flush on rangelands in Bamyan Province
Community rangers surveying for urial wild sheep
Upland wetland, Pamir mountains
Grazing herds, Wakhan corridor
Photo credit: IRD/AVIPA Plus
Shah Mohammed demonstrates his family’s new two-wheel tractor. The tractor will enable Mohammed and his five brothers to cultivate an additional crop of winter wheat on their family’s seven-acre plot.
IRD/AVIPA Plus
The Spin Boldak District Governor (center) and village elders inaugurate the new 28.3 kilometer Robat Road that connects three villages with the district center.
WCS Afghanistan/J. Winnie
Aerial shot of Kret village in Wakhan with Baba Tangi mountain in the background (one of the highest peaks in Afghanistan).
USAID/AWATT
A member of the community in Shindand District in Herat Province watches as the karez is closed. This stops the water from flowing onward as it has for centuries, backing it up to its underground source.
U.S. Embassy/Daniel Wilkinson
U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry and Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Mohammad Asif Rahimi, inaugurated a Farm Mechanization Program at Badam Bagh farm.
A Kandahar farmer calls the “Good Field, Good Harvest” radio program to get answers to his agriculture questions.
USAID/Julie Fossler
At the 2009 Kabul International Fresh Fruit and Vegetable AgFair, an attendee inspects a display of Afghanistan’s fresh produce.
Daniel Wilkinson
U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry tours the 2010 International Agricultural Fair, held in Kabul on October 6.
USAID/Afghanistan
A farmer and his horse at the Mazar AgFair, October 2008.
CRS/Afghanistan
In Herat Province, farmer Mola Shah Gool earned $660 from his greenhouse last winter during a time period when he normally has no income.
A government trainer demonstrates how to identify common livestock illnesses.
USAID/CBSG
A trainee carries the beehive she received with at the end of the training.
A woman places peppers out to dry.
Abdul Wahab is shown with his three-year-old dairy cow, Ablaka. Livestock is an integral part of rural life, providing Afghan families with dairy products, wool, meat, and manure for gardens.
Afghan-grown carrots on display at a recent AgFair.
USAID/ASAP
Afghan melons on their way to markets in India.
Visitors to Babur Gardens in Kabul view the Afghanistan Works photo exhibit.
A vendor from India demonstrates his pomegranate juicer at the Pomegranate Fair, November 2008.
USAID/LGCD/DAI
During a USAID-funded horticulture and forestation training program in Kunar, a student and trainer inspect a recently planted tree. The program provided 875 farmers and Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock staff with training on orchard establishment, nurseries, woodlots, and natural resource management.
Acting Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Saleem Khan Kunduzi and U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry visit the booth of a woman selling traditional clothes at the AgFair.
(Left to right) USAID Mission Director Earl Gast, Minister of Finance Omar Zakhilwal, Minister of Agriculture Asif Rahimi, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, and U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry sign the Agricultural Development Fund grant at Badam Bagh Demonstration Farm.
Minister of Agriculture Asif Rahimi, U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah converse with an Afghan farmer after the signing of the Agricultural Development Fund grant. The $100 million fund will provide access to credit for rural Afghan farmers.
Ambassador Karl Eikenberry (center) enjoys fresh Afghan-grown cherries with USAID Mission Director Earl Gast and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah after the signing of the Agricultural Development Fund grant.
Alkoni melons are carefully packaged for export.
US Embassy/Dan Wilkerson
U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry (left) and Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Asif Rahimi cut the ribbon to open the Kabul International AgFair.
U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry (left), Minister of Agriculture Mohammad Asif Rahimi (center), and USAID Acting Mission Director Kevin Brownawell sign a Memorandum of Understanding inaugurating the National Seed Distribution Program, a USAID-funded program aimed at providing subsidized wheat seed and fertilizer to 260,000 Afghan farmers.
U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, Afghan Agriculture Minister Asif Rahimi, and Acting USAID Mission Director Kevin Brownawell signed a Memorandum of Understanding to initiate a national wheat seed distribution program. More than 260,000 Afghan farmers in 31 provinces will receive vouchers to purchase seed and fertilizer through USAID’s agriculture voucher program.
USAID/IDEA-NEW
An Afghan farmer plants a tree sapling.
USAID/ADP/E
A farmer takes pride in his fresh crops.
A young man learns how to run a tailoring business as part of an apprenticeship program for day laborers in Jalalabad.
More than 60 Arghandab elders gave testimony on the effectiveness of USAID-funded orchard rehabilitation projects. Some orchard owners expect a five-fold increase in income compared to previous years.
Maj. Joseph Roberts of the U.S. Army 42nd Cavalry meets with AVIPA Plus engineers, village elders, and members of the Joint District Coordination center in Spin Boldak.
USAID
United States Ambassador Karl Eikenberry and Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Asif Rahimi open the Farm Service Center for Women in Kabul on August 16.
USAID/AVIPA
Haji Kamal received high-quality seeds to increase his crop yield.
Farmer beneficiaries at a USAID/AVIPA Plus voucher distribution center in Nad-e Ali district load sacks of fertilizers onto the wagon of their tractor. They will also receive appropriate training, as well as various vegetable seeds, plastic sheeting, and steel hoops for setting up low tunnels on their farms.
The Garmser Deputy District Governor shakes hands with a board member of an agricultural cooperative as he hands over the keys to the tractors and other heavy agricultural equipment the cooperative has just received from AVIPA Plus at a grants distribution ceremony.
IRD/AVIPA Plus/John Wendle
Farmers are registered at a voucher distribution of seed and fertilizer in Kandahar. Through the AVIPA Plus-Kandahar program, USAID has distributed nearly 9,000 seed and fertilizer packages as of March 2010.
A farmer smiles after sowing his field with high-yield seeds in northern Afghanistan.
A widowed farmer casts high-yield seeds on her field in Jawzjan Province.
USAID/AVIPA Plus
Voucher recipients from the Mian Poshtay area of southern Garmser District, Hilmand Province, carry sacks of AVIPA Plus fertilizer, vegetable seed, and plastic low tunnel components from a Marine base to waiting tractors.
A farmer in Balkh celebrates his bountiful wheat crop in 2009.
Construction of an efficient, reinforced concrete cement turnout.
USAID/ADP-E/DAI
23,000 chicks hatched in December, laying the foundation for a poultry industry revival in eastern Afghanistan.
A customer inspects spinach grown at the Badam Bagh Demonstration Farm in Kabul.
Farmers at work in Badam Bagh.
Officials water a new sapling at the Baghe Qazi historical garden in old Kabul.
USAID/ADP/N/David DeVoss
Baharak Bazaar vegetable trader Faiz Mohammad (left) has enjoyed brisk sales since the completion of USAID’s road building campaign.
Wildlife Conservation Society
Breathtaking views such as this one await Afghan and international tourists who visit Band-e-Amir National Park in Bamyan province.
On April 22, 2009, Band-e-Amir - a series of six lakes in Bamyan Province - was declared Afghanistan's first national park.
USAID/Sarah Siegel
A pristine lake at Band-e-Amir National Park.
At Band-e-Amir in Bamyan Province, officials including U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, Vice President Karim Khalili, Bamyan Governor Habiba Sarobi, and NEPA Director-General Prince Mostapha Zaher cut the ribbon to dedicate Afghanistan's first national park.
The concentrate is then stored in barrels and prepared for export.
Azizullah Karimi/IDEA-NEW
The Behsud District Textile Factory provides washing, pressing, and dyeing services to small and medium-sized textile weaving enterprises.
U.S. Ambassador Eikenberry and Hilmand Governor Mangal celebrate the opening of the Bost Airstrip.
Ambassador Wood speaks with veterinarians on the grounds of the new Badakshan Veterinary Clinic.
Wakil Tawoos Khan is one of the many internally displaced persons at Camp Hilmand who were grateful for a recent food distribution from USAID’s Badam Bagh Demonstration Farm.
More than 1,400 workers earned an income from cleaning the Balkh Canal.
Women spin cashmere thread at the Mazari Sharif International AgFair and Cashmere Exhibition, which took place March 12-13, 2009.
The owner of Sodis Masood Co. Ltd inspects cashmere waiting to be packaged for export.
A herder displays cashmere at the Road Show.
USAID/ASGP
A grant from the Ambassador’s Small Grants Program allowed a local association in Char Bolak to purchase ten cows and run a livestock program for vulnerable women.
A woman weighs cheese at the Spinghar Cheese Processing Center.
Dr. Zahir, NPO/RRAA
An agriculture advisor monitors the assembly of chicken coops that will house chickens distributed to impoverished women in Mendrawol Village, Laghman Province.
USAID/Chemonics
Chili seedbeds at the Bolan Farm.
Kormal (top center) works with other rangers to set up a camera trap in the Wakhan. Under his leadership, they became the first Afghan community ranger team to successfully perform wildlife surveys without the assistance of foreign advisors, as well as the first to camera trap the endangered snow leopard.
Seeds and grains were on display at October's AgFair in Kabul, sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Afghanistan International Chamber of Commerce, and USAID. This fair helped farmers find new dealers and distributors for their products and helped industry contacts gain access to the lucrative and growing Afghan market.
USAID/Idrees Ilham
170,000 people attended the recent USAID-sponsored AgFair in Kabul, which brought together farmers, private businesses, government officials, agriculture development programs, and association members to exchange ideas, form partnerships, and celebrate Afghan agriculture.
Ian F. Carver, ASAP
Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Mohammad Asif Rahimi, Wardak Governor Hadim Fidai and Mustafa Sadiq, owner of the juice factory, examine apples from Wardak province during a tour of the Omaid Bahar facility.
Azizullah Karimi / IDEA-NEW
Husain Safi, Director of Nangarhar Agriculture and Livestock addressed the conference.
A technician switches on the Dodarak Micro-Hydropower Plant for the first time.
Cherries are among the many dried fruits from Afghanistan that are sparking appetite around the world.
USAID/IRP
Cartons of eggs stand in the front of Abdul Naser’s market stall in Kishim, Badakhshan Province.
Eucalyptus saplings are unloaded for distribution in Kunar Province as part of a USAID-sponsored tree planting campaign to restore forestry in eastern Afghanistan. During the March 2009 campaign, 1.2 million locally grown trees were planted.
Fans and lights are switched on for the first time in village head Malik Mir Alam Khan’s guest room.
Elaine Eliah USAID/ADPNW
Nazo, one of the top tailors at the garment production center, loves designing women’s clothing and can reproduce designs pictured in magazines.
Ahmad Jan cultivates a six-hectare plot of land in Kandahar Province with his 11 children and another 20 family members.
Matt Herrick
Mohammed Shah, one of five area farmers invested in a shallow well in Logar, pauses to chat while harvesting onions.
“I did not have peace of mind farming poppies,” says Almas-ullah.
Muhammad Sarwar, a farmer who benefited from USAID-supported training.
Farmers from Zabul Province traveled to Kandahar City to learn new techniques in vine care, production, and post-harvest handling.
Farmers receive training to increase crop yields in Badakhshan Province.
Under the watchful eye of H.E. Minister Asif Rahimi, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, farmers lined up to register to receive vouchers that they used to purchase seed and fertilizer through USAID’s agriculture voucher program.
RD/SPR-SEA/Javed Khan
Ali Jan supervises the construction of his fish farm, supported by a grant from USAID.
IRD/SPR-SEA/Javed Khan
Ali Jan’s fish farm holds 2,500 fish and provides him with an income of $200 per month. All of his school-aged children are now able to attend school.
USAID/ASMED
An Afghan entrepreneur displays his fresh fruit at the trade fair in Moscow.
Fruit is inspected by workers at the Omaid Bahar factory. The factory provides jobs for approximately 200 Afghans.
Fruit on display at a recent USAID-sponsored Agricultural Fair.
Pomegranates are processed for juicing at the Omaid Bahar Fruit Processing Company's new factory.
USAID/WOCCU
Sayed Mahmmad and his brother prepare their produce for sale.
A woman in Puli Khumri practices her gabion-weaving skills.
Bibi Ayesha (above) and 119 other women learned to weave gabion at a USAID training.
Ghulam Farooq Ahmadzada is the head of a cooperative of 150 farmers who recently benefitted from an AVIPA Plus grant.
Members of the Mobile Mini Circus for Children wait their turn to entertain thousands of AgFair visitors. 170,000 people visited the fair over three days - the largest peaceful gathering in Afghanistan in over 30 years.
Governor Mangal speaks at the Helmand AgFair on August 10, 2008.
Abdul Mutalib, District Governor of Marja, cuts the ribbon on one of four tractors awarded to two Marja cooperatives, part of an in-kind grant through USAID’s AVIPA Plus project.
USAID/Afgahistan
Grains on display at the Badakhshan AgFair in 2007.
USAID/Afghanistan, Richard Fite
Farmers participate in grape trellising training in Samangan Province as part of the IDEA-NEW project.
USAID/ADP
80% of greenhouse plants survived the recent snow in Herat province.
A farmer in Dand prepares his greenhouse for winter planting.
Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Mohammad Asif Rahimi and other guests observe the juicing process at the new Omaid Bahar Juice Concentrate Processing and Fresh Fruit Packaging Facility in Kabul.
Kuchi nomads learn to comb their goats to collect valuable cashmere.
USAID/David DeVoss
USAID's veterinary clinics helped this herdsman maintain a healthy flock of goats in Badakhshan.
The ibex is now one of Afghanistan’s protected species.
Mullah Mahboob points out a field watered by a karez cleaned by local laborers through the USAID-funded AVIPA Plus project.
Juicing begins at the USAID-funded Omaid Bahar Juice Concentrate Processing and Fresh Fruit Packaging Facility.
The AgDepot Farm Store in Mir Bacha Kot, Kabul Province, sells modern farming supplies, such as grape trellises, to improve local crops.
Veterinarian Janan displays cashmere collected from Kandahar province at the Kabul International Fresh Fruit and Vegetable AgFair.
USAID/IRD/AVIPA Plus
Hajji Baba admires a pomegranate tree in his orchard.
USAID/Afghanistan, CHAMP
President H.E. Hamid Karzai inspects Afghan pomegranates ready for export as Roots of Peace President and founder Heidi Kuhn looks on.
Sardar Mohammed is the Kuchi Department Director for Kandahar Province. He says that while many aid projects overlook the needs of Afghan nomads, livestock tools and implements distributed by AVIPA Plus are making a difference for many in his community.
Training program participants said that cashmere harvesting is a profitable opportunity that fits well with their nomadic lifestyle.
A customer purchases high-quality cauliflower seeds at the Laghman Farm Store, which provides agriculture supplies and services to support key licit crops and animal health.
USAID/PEACE
Kuchi and Hazara leaders address land-access issues through peaceful negotiation.
The large-billed reed warbler is just one example of the many rare or unusual species that make the beautiful Wakhan Corridor even more attractive to adventure tourists and ecotourists. USAID is working with local communities to maximize tourism benefits while protecting precious natural resources.
USAID/ADP/SW
Members of the Lash Wa Juwayn Community Development Council show their appreciation for the canal cleaning project.
Mr. Ebrahim, a livestock owner, brought 800 goats and sheep to be de-wormed in Bilchiragh District of Faryab Province.
Local farmers bring their children to learn basic livestock management skills from government trainers.
Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Asif Rahimi observes operations at the USAID-funded Omaid Bahar Fruit Processing Company. The company will purchase and process fruit from 50,000 Afghan farmers.
An Afghan farmer works in the olive fields of Nangarhar.
DAI
“Exporting produce to the United Arab Emirates used to be just a dream: The risks were too high for me to bear. Today, ALP/E made my dream come true. A world of opportunities opens for me and many other Afghan traders,” Wali Mohammad, son of Hamidullah, Hadyatullah-Samsour Bam, Ltd. Qarghayi, Laghman
USAID/ALP/E
Mr. Mohammad Noor recently returned from Badakhshan Province where he worked in the poppy fields.
A carpet weaver sets up his loom at the USAID-sponsored National AgFair, held October 24-26 at Badam Bagh farm in Kabul. Businesses and associations exchanged ideas, formed partnerships, and celebrated Afghan handicrafts as well as agriculture.
The district governor of Marja calls on elders to participate in USAID's AVIPA voucher distribution program, which will deliver 4,000 mobile water pumps to the district.
The first shipment of irrigation pumps reaches Marja, Hilmand province. USAID's AVIPA Plus project will ultimately deliver 4,000 pumps to Marja's farmers.
AVIPA Plus irrigation pumps and tubes are unloaded and stand ready for an upcoming voucher distribution to farmers at the Marja District Government Center.
An Afghan woman markets her handicrafts at the Mazar-i-Sharif AgFair in Balkh Province.
Women spin cashmere thread at the Mazari Sharif AgFair and Cashmere Exhibition.
At the Mazari Sharif International AgFair, an Afghan woman demonstrates her carpet weaving skills. USAID supports carpet weaving training and carpet branding programs to help women carpet weavers improve their craft and sales opportunities.
Wholesalers supported through improved packaging
Trade promotion: a priority in ALP/E’s activities
USAID/ADP-E
Shah Bibi is one of 18 women selected by their home communities to take part in an 18-month course offered by the Ghanikhail Midwifery Training Center.
Minister Mohammad Asif Rahimi (center) explains the importance of the juice concentrate facility for Afghanistan’s stability.
H.E. Minister Asif Rahimi, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock spoke to an audience gathered to witness the Minister, U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, and USAID Acting Mission Director Kevin Brownawell sign a Memorandum of Understanding to initiate a national wheat seed distribution program. More than 260,000 Afghan farmers in 31 provinces will receive vouchers to purchase seed and fertilizer through USAID’s agriculture voucher program.
USAID/Harry Edwards
Minister of Agriculture Obaidullah Ramin greets USAID Administrator Henrietta H. Fore at Badam Bagh Farm.
Mirabs discuss water management challenges in small groups.
Muhammad Rahim Karimzai holds a press conference after being elected as the first Talc Association Director.
Director Nasrullah Bakhtani of MAIL’s Monitoring and Evaluation Division reports his group’s findings.
USAID/Afghanistan, Abigail Sugrue
NBC correspondent Richard Engel speaking with a local community leader in Band-e-Amir.
In Bamyan, Kuchi and Hazara leaders discuss a long-standing land access dispute after training in peaceful negotiation techniques.
The new irrigation technique was introduced to Afghan farmers at Badam Bagh farm in Kabul.
A worker at the Omaid Bahar Fruit Processing Company shows the factory's modern facilities. The factory will produce juice from Afghan pomegranates, apples, melons, apricots, and peaches.
The new Omaid Bahar Fruit Processing Company factory makes high-quality pomegranate juice for domestic consumption and export.
USAID/IRD AVIPA Plus
Orchard workers pack pomegranates for export. Orchard management projects funded by USAID are contributing to bigger harvests and higher-quality fruit in Arghandab.
Pride of the Eastern Region-brand vegetables on display at AgFair. The USAID-sponsored cooperative based in Jalalabad strengthened their industry contacts and networked with thousands of attendees of the National AgFair, held in Kabul from October 24-26.
Newly introduced cartons hold five to six kg of produce, resulting in less pressure in the cartons and a reduced loss of produce during shipping.
Packing pomegranates in Kandahar
Farmers show pomegranate boughs cleaned of aphids as a result of the USAID/AVIPA Plus Integrated Pest Management program. The program trained workers to spray an ecologically friendly solution made from locally available materials on the lush orchards of Kandahar, successfully combating the massive aphid infestation.
The 20-year-old son of Habiabdul Habib, owner of the 10,000-tree Paghman orchard, loads wooden crates full with apples. After successive years of drought, the family experienced tremendous success in 2003. Their income rose by $15,629. The apricot crop increased by 16,880 kg.
Nadir, a farmer in Baghram, says his irrigation has improved significantly in 2003, even at 6.5km from the Ghorband dams.
Photo: USAID
Afghan farmers cash in seed and fertilizer vouchers as part of a USAID-assisted poppy eradication program.
Photo: RAMP, AfghanistanSusan DeCamp
Local farmers from Kunduz working to de-silt the Char Dara irrigation system in Northeast Afghanistan.
Photo Credit: CRS/Afghanistan
Abdul Aquil, at the wheel of his tractor, brings crops to market on the Jaghatu to Rashidan road. "The road increases trade between the villages,” says Abdul.
Sharif Usmani
Drying of export quality apricots, Wardak, July 2007.
“Men would come every day to work and be happy to work because we are making our land better and we have a chance to begin again.” –A returned refugee
UNOPS
AFTER: A fully functioning Afghan Geological Survey complex will provide a framework for successful and controlled development of Afghanistan’s natural resources, forming an integral part of the country’s efforts for economic development.
Photo Credit: Afghan Conservation Corps
Pistachio reforestation activities have created jobs for rural villagers. Communities are working together towards longer-term sustainable development.
12-year-old Omid, standing among the lush garden hidden behind the mud walls of the family compound in the Charasiab district of Kabul.
Johannes Oosterkamp
Pistachio saplings at the Department of Agriculture farm in the Tagab District of Badakshan are grown and waiting to be distributed to farmers.
In Nuristan Province, a USAID field technician shows farmers how to plant a sapling. During the March 2009 campaign to restore forestry in eastern Afghanistan, 1.2 million trees were planted.
A tractor plows land in Balkh’s Dihdadi district to ensure that wild pistachio seedlings have proper spacing and irrigation.
A pomegranate grower speaks with the press at the first World Pomegranate Fair, Kabul, November 2008.
In the OMAID Bahar juice factory, a worker shows how pomegranates are turned into juice concentrate.
A worker inspects pomegranates before the fruit is turned into juice concentrate.
Pomegranates on display at the first World Pomegranate Fair, November 2008.
A USAID-built cellar in Badakhshan Province.
Dan Mooney, chief of party of USAID's Accelerating Sustainable Agriculture Program (ASAP), pours fresh juice for the Italian Ambassador and other dignitaries.
Cauliflower produced and sold under the brand Pride of the Eastern Region.
Processed tomatoes on display at the Mazar AgFair, October 2008.
The Omaid Bahar Fruit Processing Company opened the first fruit processing and juicing facility in Afghanistan on October 15, 2009. The USAID-funded factory will produce juices from Afghan pomegranates, apples, melons, apricots, and peaches.
Ambassador Eikenberry, Vice President Khalili, Governor Sarobi, and Prince Zaher cut the ribbon to dedicate Band-e-Amir.
The ribbon is cut to inaugurate the Omaid Bahar Fruit Processing Facility, which is the first juice concentrate factory in Afghanistan.
Trainees receive wool, nylon, and looms to start their own textile businesses.
The Nangarhar Seed Producer and Wholesaler Association’s new seed storage facility in Jalalabad.
Sewing machine on display at the 2007 Badakshan AgFair.
A vendor slices a melon at the Kunduz AgFair in June 2008. Kunduz is known throughout Afghanistan for its quality melons.
This snow leopard was photographed by a motion-sensing camera in the Wakhan Corridor of Badakhshan.
Texas A&M University PEACE Project
A new soils website gives site-specific soils data for planning, development, management, training, and research purposes.
Women in Parwan dry apricots and onions in locally made solar dryers.
Workers sort and pack cherries at Badam Bagh Demonstration Farm in Kabul to prepare them for export to India and the UAE.
Afghan women sort pomegranates before they are processed into juice concentrate. Afghanistan’s new facility will create 200 jobs and benefit an estimated 50,000 farmers.
USAID/IRD/SPR-SEA
Mapari from Lokhai, Nangarhar, can now provide for her children and send them to school as a result of SPR community grants.
A farmer in Kandahar protects his orchard from pests with an eco-friendly solution of soap and water. The USAID/AVIPA Plus Integrated Pest Management program trained workers to spray the solution, made from locally available materials, on the lush orchards of Kandahar, successfully combating the massive aphid infestation.
A student intern at Kabul University carefully cleans and documents plant specimens.
“The money that I received has been more than enough to help me and my family.”
Ajmal Nuristani
Eighteen-year-old Abdul Khaliq helps terrace a hillside in Nurguram, Nuristan Province.
The rehabilitated Karaste Canal channels water to low-lying farms and sloping and upland fields in Tagab District, spurring agricultural production in this cluster of villages along the Tagab River. In response, the provincial Department of Agriculture has put up an extension office to help farmers further increase their yield.
Tomatoes on their way to the market. USAID's Agriculture and Alternative Development programs strengthen farm-to-market transportation.
Daniel Wilkinson/State Department
Traditional water pots line a wall in Kabul Afghanistan.
Training at the Kunar Directorate of Agriculture for new text message system distribution market price information.
Two boys enjoy a late October treat at AgFair. In addition to the trade show, the USAID-sponsored National AgFair in Kabul was packed with performances by popular musicians, comedians, and the children's circus (and of course, ice cream!). This free event, dubbed "Afghanistan's Glastonbury" by The Independent, brought fun and enjoyment to a city often overshadowed by conflict.
Vendors from Pride of the Eastern Region-brand foods display vegetables at the USAID-sponsored National AgFair in October 2007. In addition to showcasing new trends and techniques in agriculture to increase crop yield and improve quality, AgFair aimed to further develop the agriculture value chain by connecting farmers, dealers, and distributors.
USAID helped Salam Jan, president of the Gardez Vegetable Association, by designing a logo and producing special cartons for transporting his apples safely across the border into Pakistan. Salam Jan then used the Kabul International AgFair to expand into other markets.
Din Mohammad, a wheat farmer from the village of Sarasyab in Balkh, is grateful for USAID-funded wheat seed and fertilizer that enabled him to save surplus harvest for his family.
A vendor from the Pride of the Eastern Region displays his vegetables at the Kabul AgFair in August of 2008.
Twelve-year-old Seema interviews a local Wakhan farmer for a USAID-funded survey on livestock mortality. She is a member of one of 56 committees formed at the school level to educate communities and raise awareness about environmental issues that affect their lives and livelihoods.
A farmer in Wardak inspects his apple crop. In early November 2009, USAID helped farmers in Wardak and Paktya export their apples to India for the first time.
Farmers in Balkh Province rejoice in their bountiful wheat harvest. USAID provided farmers in Balkh and 13 other provinces with high-quality wheat seeds and fertilizer to increase crop yields and combat food insecurity.
Jeremy Foster RAMP/Afghanistan
After Fareba Miriam graduates from para-veterinarian training she will have the necessary skills to manage her own Veterinary Field Unit.
Momena Mohammadi uses her stethoscope to check the health of cattle in the province of Hirat.
USAID/LGCD
A poultry farmer tends to her chickens in Qalat, Zabul.
An Afghan woman uses a foot-treadle spinning wheel that has boosted her productivity and helped to provide jobs for other local women.
“My earnings at the nursery aren’t huge but they bring us a peace of mind. At last my husband and I can sleep at night since we no longer have to cultivate poppy so our children can go to school,” Shah Jan, Co-owner of a plug seedlings enterprise, Nangarhar
USAID/ALP/E GME Unit
“ALP/E provided me with vocational skills; now I can contribute to support my family and rebuild my country.”
Women prepare growing media at a women-owned and -managed vegetable greenhouse.
Women learn to clean and process raisins in Zabul.
Women in Kunduz Province learn how to use combs to harvest valuable cashmere from their goats.
Women employed in processing edible pinenuts.
Women in Kunar learn to grow seedlings during a USAID-funded agriculture training program.
USAID’s Alternative Livelihoods Program for Eastern Afghanistan promotes the incorporation of men and women as active players in the development of the rural economies. Vulnerable women receive skills training that enable them to support their families and regain ground in a challenging environment.
The Omaid Bahar Fruit Processing Company employs approximately 200 workers, many of whom are women.
Customers examine farm supplies at the Kabul Women’s Farm Store, which provides agricultural supplies and services to support key licit crops and animal health.
Workers prepare fruit at the Omaid Bahar Juice Concentrate Processing and Fresh Fruit Packaging Facility.
Workers sorting pomegranates for export in Kandahar Province.
Established more than 446 veterinary field units
Administered more than 26 million vaccinations to livestock
Trained more than 633,000 men and women in improved farm and business skills in FY 2010
Established a $100 million Agricultural Development Fund to provide loans to Afghan farmers and on-lending organizations
Brought 310,121 hectares of alternative crops under cultivation
Established 18 farm service centers that provide access to high quality seeds, fertilizer, and other inputs, and serve as centers for access to market and technical information
Facilitated $268,275,909 in increased sales of licit farm and non-farm products in assisted areas
(Data as of January 2013)
Last updated 14 Feb 2013
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