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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.
16 February 2012 | Badakhshan, Afghanistan
For most farmers in Afghanistan, cash crops do not yield a high cash return, a problem compounded by the USAID/IDEA NEW ...
23 January 2012 | Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan
Three decades of war have brought tremendous economic pressure on Afghan households. While men are USAID/AVIPA Plus/IRD Women from Lashkar Gah...
18 December 2011 | Badakhshan, Afghanistan
New roads often allow farmers to use vehicles in places previously only accessible by donkey. Produce arrives to the market in good shape, allowing farmers to sell it for a good price.
2 January 2012 | Hirat, Afghanistan
Since 2010, USAID has contributed nearly 100,000 metric tons to World Food Programme’s operations, providing vital food assistance to vulnerable Afghans across the country.
29 January 2012 | Bamyan, Afghanistan
Park rangers have used their training to treat injuries to visitors caused by traffic accidents.
18 January 2012 | Bamyan, Afghanistan
Despite a drought, farmers enjoyed better-than-expected yields due to the high-quality seeds and fertilizers made possible by timely distribution of low-interest Agricultural Development Fund loans.
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...
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. ...
16 October 2011 | Kabul, Afghanistan
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Afghanistan joined the global community in observing World Food Day today. USAID used this occasion to express...
4 October 2011 | Nangarhar, Afghanistan
USAID/IDEA-NEW A participant of the training receives her certificate. At yesterday’s ceremony in Jalalabad, two hundred young women received certificates after completing...
21 September 2011 | Laghman, Afghanistan
USAID/IDEA-NEW The Chairman of the Qarghaee's shura, established by USAID's Afghanistan Social Outreach Program (ASOP), talking to the media about the impact of the...
15 September 2011 | Kabul, Afghanistan
Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) representatives met on Tuesday to discuss Afghanistan’s nationwide network of...
18 September 2011 | Jalalabad, Afghanistan
USAID/IDEA-NEW The new food testing laboratory in Jalalabad. A cutting-edge food-testing laboratory, the second of its kind in Afghanistan, was inaugurated...
17 July 2011 | Mehtarlam, Laghman
USAID/IDEA-NEW The Laghman Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market, built with support from USAID, opened today in Mehtarlam, the provincial capital...
5 June 2011 | KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
On the occasion of World Environment Day, Afghan and U.S. government officials met today at the Queen’s Palace at Babur Gardens to take part in...
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 Jun 2011
Fact Sheet Agriculture Sector June 2011 Dari
Fact Sheet Agriculture Sector June 2011 Pashto
Agriculture by Province Dec 2010
Accelerating Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP)
Advancing Afghan Agriculture Alliance (A-4)
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
Photo: 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).
Photo: WCS Afghanistan
Grazing herds, Wakhan corridor
Upland wetland, Pamir mountains
Community rangers surveying for urial wild sheep
Spring flush on rangelands in Bamyan Province
Photo: 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.
Photo: 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.
Photo: 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.
Photo: 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.
Photo: USAID/WOCCU
“The money that I received has been more than enough to help me and my family.”
Photo: Azizullah Karimi / IDEA-NEW
Husain Safi, Director of Nangarhar Agriculture and Livestock addressed the conference.
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.
Photo: USAID/CBSG
A trainee carries the beehive she received with at the end of the training.
Photo: USAID/Afghanistan, Abigail Sugrue
NBC correspondent Richard Engel speaking with a local community leader in Band-e-Amir.
Photo: 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.
Photo: USAID/Afghanistan, Richard Fite
Farmers participate in grape trellising training in Samangan Province as part of the IDEA-NEW project.
Photo: 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.
Photo: USAID/ASAP
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.
Photo: 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.
Photo: Ajmal Nuristani
Eighteen-year-old Abdul Khaliq helps terrace a hillside in Nurguram, Nuristan Province.
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.
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.
Photo: USAID/IDEA-NEW
Farmers receive training to increase crop yields in Badakhshan Province.
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.
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.
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.
Ghulam Farooq Ahmadzada is the head of a cooperative of 150 farmers who recently benefitted from an AVIPA Plus grant.
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.
Construction of an efficient, reinforced concrete cement turnout.
Photo: Daniel Wilkinson
U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry tours the 2010 International Agricultural Fair, held in Kabul on October 6.
Photo: USAID/IRP
Cartons of eggs stand in the front of Abdul Naser’s market stall in Kishim, Badakhshan Province.
Mullah Mahboob points out a field watered by a karez cleaned by local laborers through the USAID-funded AVIPA Plus project.
A Kandahar farmer calls the “Good Field, Good Harvest” radio program to get answers to his agriculture questions.
Photo: 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.
Muhammad Rahim Karimzai holds a press conference after being elected as the first Talc Association Director.
Photo: 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.
Ahmad Jan cultivates a six-hectare plot of land in Kandahar Province with his 11 children and another 20 family members.
Photo: USAID/Afghanistan
A woman places peppers out to dry.
A herder displays cashmere at the Road Show.
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.
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.
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.
Photo: 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.
(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.
Visitors to Babur Gardens in Kabul view the Afghanistan Works photo exhibit.
Photo: Wildlife Conservation Society
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.
Photo: 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.
Officials water a new sapling at the Baghe Qazi historical garden in old Kabul.
Photo: 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.
Photo: 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.
Photo: USAID/IRD/AVIPA Plus
Hajji Baba admires a pomegranate tree in his orchard.
Mr. Ebrahim, a livestock owner, brought 800 goats and sheep to be de-wormed in Bilchiragh District of Faryab Province.
Photo: Azizullah Karimi/IDEA-NEW
The Behsud District Textile Factory provides washing, pressing, and dyeing services to small and medium-sized textile weaving enterprises.
A woman in Puli Khumri practices her gabion-weaving skills.
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.
AVIPA Plus irrigation pumps and tubes are unloaded and stand ready for an upcoming voucher distribution to farmers at the Marja District Government Center.
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.
An Afghan farmer plants a tree sapling.
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.
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.
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.
Breathtaking views such as this one await Afghan and international tourists who visit Band-e-Amir National Park in Bamyan province.
Photo: Texas A&M University PEACE Project
A new soils website gives site-specific soils data for planning, development, management, training, and research purposes.
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.
A worker inspects pomegranates before the fruit is turned into juice concentrate.
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 concentrate is then stored in barrels and prepared for export.
In the OMAID Bahar juice factory, a worker shows how pomegranates are turned into juice concentrate.
A student intern at Kabul University carefully cleans and documents plant specimens.
Photo: 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.
Mirabs discuss water management challenges in small groups.
A farmer in Dand prepares his greenhouse for winter planting.
Bibi Ayesha (above) and 119 other women learned to weave gabion at a USAID training.
Sayed Mahmmad and his brother prepare their produce for sale.
Photo: USAID/ASMED
An Afghan entrepreneur displays his fresh fruit at the trade fair in Moscow.
Photo: USAID/LGCD
Women learn to clean and process raisins in Zabul.
Photo: USAID/ADP/SW
Members of the Lash Wa Juwayn Community Development Council show their appreciation for the canal cleaning project.
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.
Momena Mohammadi uses her stethoscope to check the health of cattle in the province of Hirat.
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.
Photo: RD/SPR-SEA/Javed Khan
Ali Jan supervises the construction of his fish farm, supported by a grant from USAID.
Photo: 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.
A farmer in Balkh celebrates his bountiful wheat crop in 2009.
Photo: USAID/LGCD/DAI
Women in Kunar learn to grow seedlings during a USAID-funded agriculture training program.
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.
An Afghan woman uses a foot-treadle spinning wheel that has boosted her productivity and helped to provide jobs for other local women.
A tractor plows land in Balkh’s Dihdadi district to ensure that wild pistachio seedlings have proper spacing and irrigation.
Kuchi nomads learn to comb their goats to collect valuable cashmere.
Training program participants said that cashmere harvesting is a profitable opportunity that fits well with their nomadic lifestyle.
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.
Cherries are among the many dried fruits from Afghanistan that are sparking appetite around the world.
More than 1,400 workers earned an income from cleaning the Balkh Canal.
Veterinarian Janan displays cashmere collected from Kandahar province at the Kabul International Fresh Fruit and Vegetable AgFair.
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.
A poultry farmer tends to her chickens in Qalat, Zabul.
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.
Photo: Ian F. Carver, ASAP
The ribbon is cut to inaugurate the Omaid Bahar Fruit Processing Facility, which is the first juice concentrate factory in Afghanistan.
Minister Mohammad Asif Rahimi (center) explains the importance of the juice concentrate facility for Afghanistan’s stability.
Dan Mooney, chief of party of USAID's Accelerating Sustainable Agriculture Program (ASAP), pours fresh juice for the Italian Ambassador and other dignitaries.
The new Omaid Bahar Fruit Processing Company factory makes high-quality pomegranate juice for domestic consumption and export.
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.
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.
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.
Fruit is inspected by workers at the Omaid Bahar factory. The factory provides jobs for approximately 200 Afghans.
Pomegranates are processed for juicing at the Omaid Bahar Fruit Processing Company's new factory.
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.
The Omaid Bahar Fruit Processing Company employs approximately 200 workers, many of whom are women.
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.
Workers prepare fruit at the Omaid Bahar Juice Concentrate Processing and Fresh Fruit Packaging Facility.
Juicing begins at the USAID-funded Omaid Bahar Juice Concentrate Processing and Fresh Fruit Packaging Facility.
Women in Kunduz Province learn how to use combs to harvest valuable cashmere from their goats.
The owner of Sodis Masood Co. Ltd inspects cashmere waiting to be packaged for export.
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.
Photo: USAID/ADP/E
Fans and lights are switched on for the first time in village head Malik Mir Alam Khan’s guest room.
A woman weighs cheese at the Spinghar Cheese Processing Center.
The Nangarhar Seed Producer and Wholesaler Association’s new seed storage facility in Jalalabad.
Photo: USAID/AVIPA
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.
Women prepare growing media at a women-owned and -managed vegetable greenhouse.
This snow leopard was photographed by a motion-sensing camera in the Wakhan Corridor of Badakhshan.
Workers sort and pack cherries at Badam Bagh Demonstration Farm in Kabul to prepare them for export to India and the UAE.
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.
Women in Parwan dry apricots and onions in locally made solar dryers.
Photo: USAID/Sarah Siegel
A pristine lake at Band-e-Amir National Park.
Ambassador Eikenberry, Vice President Khalili, Governor Sarobi, and Prince Zaher cut the ribbon to dedicate Band-e-Amir.
The ibex is now one of Afghanistan’s protected species.
Photo: USAID/PEACE
Kuchi and Hazara leaders address land-access issues through peaceful negotiation.
U.S. Ambassador Eikenberry and Hilmand Governor Mangal celebrate the opening of the Bost Airstrip.
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.
In Bamyan, Kuchi and Hazara leaders discuss a long-standing land access dispute after training in peaceful negotiation techniques.
Photo: USAID/Julie Fossler
At the 2009 Kabul International Fresh Fruit and Vegetable AgFair, an attendee inspects a display of Afghanistan’s fresh produce.
A technician switches on the Dodarak Micro-Hydropower Plant for the first time.
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.
The AgDepot Farm Store in Mir Bacha Kot, Kabul Province, sells modern farming supplies, such as grape trellises, to improve local crops.
Director Nasrullah Bakhtani of MAIL’s Monitoring and Evaluation Division reports his group’s findings.
On April 22, 2009, Band-e-Amir - a series of six lakes in Bamyan Province - was declared Afghanistan's first national park.
A young man learns how to run a tailoring business as part of an apprenticeship program for day laborers in Jalalabad.
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.
Haji Kamal received high-quality seeds to increase his crop yield.
Women spin cashmere thread at the Mazari Sharif AgFair and Cashmere Exhibition.
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.
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.
Women spin cashmere thread at the Mazari Sharif International AgFair and Cashmere Exhibition, which took place March 12-13, 2009.
Cauliflower produced and sold under the brand Pride of the Eastern Region.
A customer inspects spinach grown at the Badam Bagh Demonstration Farm in Kabul.
Photo: USAID/David DeVoss
USAID's veterinary clinics helped this herdsman maintain a healthy flock of goats in Badakhshan.
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.
A farmer smiles after sowing his field with high-yield seeds in northern 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.
A widowed farmer casts high-yield seeds on her field in Jawzjan Province.
Trainees receive wool, nylon, and looms to start their own textile businesses.
A USAID-built cellar in Badakhshan Province.
“I did not have peace of mind farming poppies,” says Almas-ullah.
Local farmers bring their children to learn basic livestock management skills from government trainers.
A government trainer demonstrates how to identify common livestock illnesses.
Workers sorting pomegranates for export in Kandahar Province.
The new irrigation technique was introduced to Afghan farmers at Badam Bagh farm in Kabul.
A pomegranate grower speaks with the press at the first World Pomegranate Fair, Kabul, November 2008.
A farmer and his horse at the Mazar AgFair, October 2008.
Pomegranates on display at the first World Pomegranate Fair, November 2008.
Alkoni melons are carefully packaged for export.
Processed tomatoes on display at the Mazar AgFair, October 2008.
A vendor from India demonstrates his pomegranate juicer at the Pomegranate Fair, November 2008.
Ambassador Wood speaks with veterinarians on the grounds of the new Badakshan Veterinary Clinic.
Afghan melons on their way to markets in India.
Photo: Daniel Wilkinson/State Department
Traditional water pots line a wall in Kabul Afghanistan.
An Afghan woman markets her handicrafts at the Mazar-i-Sharif AgFair in Balkh Province.
A vendor slices a melon at the Kunduz AgFair in June 2008. Kunduz is known throughout Afghanistan for its quality melons.
Governor Mangal speaks at the Helmand AgFair on August 10, 2008.
A vendor from the Pride of the Eastern Region displays his vegetables at the Kabul AgFair in August of 2008.
Tomatoes on their way to the market. USAID's Agriculture and Alternative Development programs strengthen farm-to-market transportation.
Afghan-grown carrots on display at a recent AgFair.
Fruit on display at a recent USAID-sponsored Agricultural Fair.
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.
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.
Photo: USAID/Harry Edwards
Minister of Agriculture Obaidullah Ramin greets USAID Administrator Henrietta H. Fore at Badam Bagh Farm.
Women employed in processing edible pinenuts.
Farmers at work in Badam Bagh.
Sewing machine on display at the 2007 Badakshan AgFair.
Photo: USAID/Afgahistan
Grains on display at the Badakhshan AgFair in 2007.
Photo: USAID/Chemonics
Chili seedbeds at the Bolan Farm.
A farmer takes pride in his fresh crops.
Photo: USAID/ADP
80% of greenhouse plants survived the recent snow in Herat province.
Photo: USAID/ADP-E/DAI
Training at the Kunar Directorate of Agriculture for new text message system distribution market price information.
23,000 chicks hatched in December, laying the foundation for a poultry industry revival in eastern Afghanistan.
Packing pomegranates in Kandahar
Photo: 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Photo: Sharif Usmani
Drying of export quality apricots, Wardak, July 2007.
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: USAID/ALP/E
Mr. Mohammad Noor recently returned from Badakhshan Province where he worked in the poppy fields.
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.
“ALP/E provided me with vocational skills; now I can contribute to support my family and rebuild my country.”
“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
Trade promotion: a priority in ALP/E’s activities
Wholesalers supported through improved packaging
Photo: Photo Credit: Afghan Conservation Corps
Pistachio reforestation activities have created jobs for rural villagers. Communities are working together towards longer-term sustainable development.
Photo: Matt Herrick
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.
12-year-old Omid, standing among the lush garden hidden behind the mud walls of the family compound in the Charasiab district of Kabul.
Mohammed Shah, one of five area farmers invested in a shallow well in Logar, pauses to chat while harvesting onions.
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.
Nadir, a farmer in Baghram, says his irrigation has improved significantly in 2003, even at 6.5km from the Ghorband dams.
“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
Photo: 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: Photo: USAID
Muhammad Sarwar, a farmer who benefited from USAID-supported training.
Afghan farmers cash in seed and fertilizer vouchers as part of a USAID-assisted poppy eradication program.
Photo: Photo: RAMP, AfghanistanSusan DeCamp
Local farmers from Kunduz working to de-silt the Char Dara irrigation system in Northeast Afghanistan.
Farmers from Zabul Province traveled to Kandahar City to learn new techniques in vine care, production, and post-harvest handling.
An Afghan farmer works in the olive fields of Nangarhar.
Photo: 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.
Photo: 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.
Distributed vouchers for improved agricultural imputs to more than 985,000 farmers
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
(Data as of June 2011)
Last updated22 Feb 2012
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