Incentives Driving Economic Alternatives - North, East, West (IDEA-NEW)

Provinces	Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Faryab, Jawzjan, Kunar, Kunduz, Laghman, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Samangan, Sari Pul, Takhar
Program	Alternative Development (Accelerating regional economic growth to provide licit alternatives to poppy production)
Dates	March 2009 - March 2014
Partner	Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI)
Website

Incentives Driving Economic Alternatives – North, East, West (IDEA-NEW) provides agricultural incentives and economic alternatives for provinces in the east while also assisting northern and western poppy-prone regions of the country. IDEA-NEW  continues the U.S. Government’s agricultural sector efforts to promote legal productive agriculture in rural areas.    

IDEA-NEW supports a full range of agricultural development components including production, rural enterprise, infrastructure, access to financial services, and value-chain development for key regional industries and trade corridors.  IDEA-NEW collaborates closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock’s (MAIL) and the Ministry of Counter Narcotics’ (MCN) national, provincial, and district level offices, and provincial governors’ offices.  Provincial Reconstruction Team representatives (U.S. civilians and coalition military and civilians) also play a strategic role by aiding in narco-insurgent area identification for agriculture extension activities.

IDEA-NEW’s Afghan First capacity-building focus will maximize competencies between government line departments and private Afghan agribusiness firms to engage farmers and deliver high quality inputs through voucher programs, training, and extension activities.  With MAIL, MCN, and other departments in the lead, IDEA-NEW will strengthen community participation via: 

• Provincial and village-based agricultural working groups that facilitate agricultural technology transfer and information dissemination through formal village tribal and Shura systems.
• Village-based women’s groups focusing on livestock and agricultural processing, which will strengthening women’s support of the government.
• Local procurement practices to ensure that program-supported goods and services promote Afghan businesses.

All Alternative Development activities