Flags of the U.S. and Afghanistan
USAID/Afghanistan: From the American People

Alternative Development

Objective: Accelerating regional economic growth to provide licit alternatives to poppy production

Program Photo Gallery

Sewing machine on display at the 2007 Badakshan AgFair.

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

Sewing machine on display at the 2007 Badakshan AgFair.

Badam Bagh, Afghanistan.

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

Farmers at work in Badam Bagh.

Women employed in processing edible pinenuts.

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

Women employed in processing edible pinenuts.

man sitting in field cutting wood

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

An Afghan farmer works in the olive fields of Nangarhar.

Photo of farmers congregating with vouchers and cash

Photo: Photo: USAID

Afghan farmers cash in seed and fertilizer vouchers as part of a USAID-assisted poppy eradication program.

photo of refurbished Shinkay Clinic

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

Through USAID, the clinic received a major refurbishment and a newly constructed wing. The roof, building exterior, interior, and bathroom facilities were completely gutted and renovated. The clinic also received a new generator and water tank.

men stand by boxes of vegetables

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

Wholesalers supported through improved packaging

men standing by produce at trade show

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

Trade promotion: a priority in ALP/E’s activities

man standing next to boxes of fruit

Photo: 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

woman with hammer

Photo: 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 making reinforcing materials

Photo: USAID/ALP/E GME Unit

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.

man standing outside with green trees in background

Photo: USAID/ALP/E

Mr. Mohammad Noor recently returned from Badakhshan Province where he worked in the poppy fields.

woman watering plug seedlings

Photo: DAI

“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

Photo of men drying apricots

Photo: Sharif Usmani

Drying of export quality apricots, Wardak, July 2007.

Greenhouse in Herat

Photo: USAID/ADP

80% of greenhouse plants survived the recent snow in Herat province.

Annual Horiculture Program

Photo: USAID/ADP/E

Chili seedbeds at the Bolan Farm.

Photo: USAID/Chemonics

Chili seedbeds at the Bolan Farm.

The Tagab River feeds canals for farmers.

Photo: Johannes Oosterkamp

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.

Pistachio saplings in Tagab District

Photo: 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.

tomatoes going to market

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

Tomatoes on their way to the market. USAID's Agriculture and Alternative Development programs strengthen farm-to-market transportation.

Vendor at the 2008 Kabul AgFair

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

A vendor from the Pride of the Eastern Region displays his vegetables at the Kabul AgFair in August of 2008.

Governor Mangal speaks at the Helmand AgFair on August 10, 2008.

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

Governor Mangal speaks at the Helmand AgFair on August 10, 2008.

marketing handicrafts

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

An Afghan woman markets her handicrafts at the Mazar-i-Sharif AgFair in Balkh Province.

slicing melons at the Kunduz AgFair

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

A vendor slices a melon at the Kunduz AgFair in June 2008. Kunduz is known throughout Afghanistan for its quality melons.

AVIPA recipient

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

A farmer smiles after sowing his field with high-yield seeds in northern Afghanistan.

Pomegranates on display at the first World Pomegranate Fair, November 2008.

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

Pomegranates on display at the first World Pomegranate Fair, November 2008.

Laghman AgDepot Farm Store

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

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.

Herdsman with healthy goats

Photo: USAID/David DeVoss

USAID's veterinary clinics helped this herdsman maintain a healthy flock of goats in Badakhshan.

Workers sorting pomegranate for export in Kandahar Province.

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

Workers sorting pomegranates for export in Kandahar Province.

Farmer switches from poppy production to onion farming.

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

“I did not have peace of mind farming poppies,” says Almas-ullah.

Potato storage cellar in Badakhshan.

Photo: USAID/ASAP

A USAID-built cellar in Badakhshan Province.

Rodat Textile Production and Training Center trainees

Photo: USAID/ADP/E

Trainees receive wool, nylon, and looms to start their own textile businesses.

Badam Bagh spinach in grocery store

Photo: USAID/ASAP

A customer inspects spinach grown at the Badam Bagh Demonstration Farm in Kabul.

Women

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

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.

AVIPA recipient plants seeds

Photo: USAID/AVIPA

A widowed farmer casts high-yield seeds on her field in Jawzjan Province.

Pride of the Eastern Region-branded cauliflower

Photo: USAID/ADP/E

Cauliflower produced and sold under the brand Pride of the Eastern Region.

AVIPA beneficiary

Photo: USAID/AVIPA

Haji Kamal received high-quality seeds to increase his crop yield.

Eucalyptus saplings distributed in Kunar

Photo: USAID/ADP/E

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.

Planting a sapling in Nuristan

Photo: USAID/ADP/E

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.

Natural Resource Management Training

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

Director Nasrullah Bakhtani of MAIL’s Monitoring and Evaluation Division reports his group’s findings.

Mazari Sharif AgFair 2009

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

Women spin cashmere thread at the Mazari Sharif AgFair and Cashmere Exhibition.

Cashmere at Mazari Sharif AgFair

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

Women spin cashmere thread at the Mazari Sharif International AgFair and Cashmere Exhibition, which took place March 12-13, 2009.

negotiation training

Photo: USAID/PEACE

In Bamyan, Kuchi and Hazara leaders discuss a long-standing land access dispute after training in peaceful negotiation techniques.

Farah Women

Photo: 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.

Apprenticeship program participant

Photo: USAID/ADP/E

A young man learns how to run a tailoring business as part of an apprenticeship program for day laborers in Jalalabad.

Dodarak Micro-Hydropower Plant

Photo: USAID/ADP/E

A technician switches on the Dodarak Micro-Hydropower Plant for the first time.

Bost Airstrip opening

Photo: USAID/Afghanistan

U.S. Ambassador Eikenberry and Hilmand Governor Mangal celebrate the opening of the Bost Airstrip.

Land-access negotiations

Photo: USAID/PEACE

Kuchi and Hazara leaders address land-access issues through peaceful negotiation.

Ibex

Photo: Wildlife Conservation Society

The ibex is now one of Afghanistan’s protected species.

Solar dryers in Parwan

Photo: USAID/AWATT

Women in Parwan dry apricots and onions in locally made solar dryers.

Baharak Bazaar

Photo: 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.

Cheese-making program for women

Photo: USAID/IDEA-NEW

A woman weighs cheese at the Spinghar Cheese Processing Center.

Fans and lights switched on

Photo: USAID/ADP/E

Fans and lights are switched on for the first time in village head Malik Mir Alam Khan’s guest room.

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Alternative Development

The USAID-managed Alternative Livelihoods Program is one piece of a five-part US Government program targeted to eliminate poppy production, increase licit crop activity and raise agriculture contribution to GNP.

FY02-FY06 AL Spending: $315 M
FY07 AL Budget: $229 M
(incl. supplemental request)

Accomplishments

Cash for Work 

  • Through the expansion of legal activities, the ALP created over 7,900 full-time jobs
  • Over $25 million in wages to more than 250,000 farmers have injected significant cash into a struggling rural economy and provided a viable alternative to poppy cultivation
  • Over 5,000 km of irrigation canals and underground water channels (karez) cleaned and restored
  • Over 230,000 hectares of land improved through irrigation
  • 580+ km of rural roads built or repaired
  • Countless flood protection walls built to protect farmers’ lands from yearly floods and protect vital roads from washing-out

Seed Distribution Programs

  • 550,000 farmers across all 34 Provinces received 40,000 metric tons of fertilizer and 14,000 metric tons of wheat seed
  • Over 375,000 farmers in the east, south and north have received vegetable seeds and fertilizer to date 
  • Over $17 million generated in sales from the vegetable seed program

Agribusiness Development & Assistance Provided to Farmers

  • Helping farmers produce more and to increase revenue from their licit crops.
  • Helped farmers plant 1,500 hectares of orchards in the east to revitalize that once booming sector of the economy (Example: apricot, apple, peach, plum, persimmon and almond)
  • 475,000 saplings distributed to 2,156 farmers
  • 2,800 ha of fruit orchards rehabilitated
  • Assisted over 4,200 farmers in improved fruit production, sorting, packaging and marketing
  • Raisin exports to Ukraine
  • 2 years, $1.4, 1300MT of Kandahari red Raisins (Dec 06)

Unions and Associations

  • Fresh Fruit Exporters Union of Kandahar
  • Dried Fruits Exporters Association

Fresh Fruit Exports to Dubai

  • Laghman Province exporter sent 1 MT sample, leading to 45 MT order (Dec 06)
  • Includes apples, oranges, pomegranates, limes and tomatoes
  • Packed by women’s group in Nangarhar Province

Last updated November 16, 2009

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