Announcement

Afghanistan’s Pistachio Orchards Revived

Pistachio Forest Management Committees report strong progress.

Samangan Province, Afghanistan | Thursday, October 16, 2008

Afghanistan’s once thriving pistachio forests declined rapidly after decades of war and neglect. Once a source of pride to the people of Samangan province, today farmers are working hard to restore this valuable economic and environmental asset.

On October 16th, USAID-supported Pistachio Forest Management Committees (FMCs) reported on the success of these efforts. The committees described how they had achieved improved harvests and stronger conservation in the orchards. Pistachio farmers have learned better management practices from USAID-supported activities and as a result, have better soil, many new trees, and significantly higher profits on their pistachio harvests. In addition to higher incomes, reforestation efforts created new jobs and strengthened Samangan’s communities as they work together to protect their valuable pistachio resources.

USAID/Afghanistan Bi-weekly Highlights 10/01/08 - 10/15/08 10/15/2008

Learn more: Agriculture

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