ICARDA News

INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN THE DRY AREAS
P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria
Phone: (963-21) 2213433, 2213477, 2225112, 2225012
Fax: (963-21) 2213490, 2225105; E-mail: ICARDA@CGIAR.ORG
Website: http://www.icarda.cgiar.org

16 March 2003
For more information contact:
S.Varma@cgiar.org
Agricultural Technology Returns to Afghanistan
The opening of the Badam Bagh agricultural research laboratory in Kabul marks an historic introduction of up-to-date agricultural technology to Afghanistan. In the 1970s, there were 22 agricultural stations located throughout the country. Most of these stations have been bombed, looted, or confiscated by provincial warlords

Regional agricultural stations provide the means for small business development, crop improvement, technology, training and educational opportunities for farmers. Experimental lines will be grown for developing improved varieties derived from indigenous species and better suited to the regional agro-ecology. Farmers in each region can see the crops for themselves and receive information on better techniques for fertilizer and pesticide application, improved crop varieties, and water management.

The Badam Bagh station now houses the only seed health and quality testing laboratory in Afghanistan. According to the Code of Conduct for Seed, coordinated by FHCRAA/USAID/FAO and adopted by the Acting Interim Government, all seed imported into the country must meet certain standards to be certified. The seed should be accurately labeled and free of pests and pathogens. This laboratory will assure farmers and agricultural officials that the standards of certification are met and pave the way toward re-entering a global economy.
Buildings at Badam Bagh - before
After - installation of new seed laboratory

ICARDA's (www.icarda.org) mission is to improve the welfare of people and alleviate poverty through research and training in dry areas of the developing world by increasing production, productivity, and nutritional quality of food, while preserving and enhancing the natural resource base. ICARDA is a Future Harvest Center.

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (www.cgiar.org) is a strategic alliance of 62 members and 16 Future Harvest Centers that mobilizes cutting-edge science to promote sustainable development by reducing hunger and poverty, improving human nutrition and health, and protecting the environment

The Future Harvest Consortium to Rebuild Agriculture in Afghanistan is a multi-partner effort led by the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). More information on the Future Harvest Consortium to Rebuild Agriculture in Afghanistan can be found at: www.futureharvest.org

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the government agency providing U.S. economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years (www.USAID.gov).

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