REBUILDING
AGRICULTURAL MARKETS PROJECT (RAMP)
RAMP aims to reinvigorate the market chain by introducing
new crops, facilitating information and technology exchanges,
and creating employment for farmers and other rural folk.
ICARDA and the International Potato Center (CIP) are implementing
four projects funded by USAID under RAMP in 27 districts in
5 provinces of Afghanistan.
 |
H.E.
Mr Obaidullah Ramin (at podium), Afghanistan Minister
of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food, opened the
FHCRAA Steering Committee Meeting on 23 February 2005
in the company of (seated from left to right) Dr Serge
Verniau, FAO Representative in Afghanistan; Prof. Dr
Adel El-Beltagy, ICARDA DG and Chair of FHCRAA; H.E.
Mr James Moseley, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture,
USA; and Dr Richard Hogg, DFID. |
DEMONSTRATING NEW TECHNOLOGY IN FARMERS'
FIELDS TO FACILITATE RAPID ADOPTION AND DIFFUSION
 |
| Farmer-based
seed production in Kunduz. |
The overall aim of this project
implemented by ICARDA is to increase agricultural productivity
and rural incomes by demonstrating and encouraging the adoption
of improved varieties and new technologies. ICARDA conducted
362 demonstrations of wheat, potato, onion, tomato, rice and
mung bean to showcase the 30-85% higher yields of 11 improved
varieties. The project organized 27 farmers' field days that
attracted 2000 farmers and developed five Best Practice Manuals
(one each for wheat, potato, tomato, rice and onions) in Dari
and Pashto. The project's activities including field
days and training sessions were covered by local radio and
TV stations, effectively increasing the audience to thousands.
The plan for the demonstration of new technologies added peanuts,
okra, mung bean, and cotton in 2004. A total of 341 demonstrations
were planned for 2004-2005 and the demonstration plots produced
121.5 tons wheat, 62 tons paddy, 182 tons potato, 231 tons
onion, 133 tons tomato, and 3.3 tons of mung bean seeds.
DEVELOPMENT OF VILLAGE-BASED SEED
ENTERPRISES (VBSEs)
In an effort to provide rapid access to quality seed of profitable
varieties, ICARDA is establishing VBSEs in five provinces.
The Center provided the start-up input of cash or agricultural
implements, seed, and agrochemicals on credit to each VBSE
and also trained 325 members in quality seed production, storage
and marketing. The VBSEs have collectively produced more than
1000 tons of pure seed of wheat, rice, chickpea and mung beans.
Most of the VBSEs have been able to pay their credit installments
regularly proving the sustainability of the idea.
INTRODUCING PROTECTED AGRICULTURE FOR CASH CROP PRODUCTION
IN MARGINAL AND WATER-DEFICIT AREAS OF AFGHANISTAN
 |
| Installation
of greenhouses at the Protected Agriculture Center (PAC),
Badam Bagh Research Station, in Kabul, Afghanistan. |
Protected Agriculture represents
a dynamic form of crop production which controls both the
environment and the timing of production to substantially
increase yields. ICARDA has previously used this technology
with farmers in Yemen with promising results. The Center
established a Protected Agriculture Center (PAC) with four
greenhouses at the Badam Bagh Research Station in Kabul in
2004. PAC conducts adaptive research in protected agriculture
and serves as a hub for demonstration, training, and technical
support for growers, extension agents, agricultural engineers
and NGO personnel. A greenhouse manufacturing workshop was
also established at PAC. By the end of March 2005, the project
had trained 46 trainers and more than 150 growers in the construction,
maintenance, and management of greenhouses. In addition, 10
local technicians were trained in greenhouse manufacturing.
An additional five greenhouses in Kabul and 10 in the five
targeted provinces of Parwan, Ghazni, Kunduz, Helmand, and
Nangarhar were also established in farmers' fields and impressive
crops of cucumber and tomato are attracting neighboring farmers.
A market survey is being conducted and a database developed
to understand the trends in supply, demand, and prices to
design crop calendars and market strategies.
CLEAN SEED PRODUCTION, MULTIPLICATION
AND MARKETING FOR INCREASED POTATO PRODUCTION IN AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan's climate is particularly suited for growing potatoes.
But there was no organized seed sector in the country. This
project, jointly implemented by CIP and ICARDA, aims to increase
the supply and provide rapid access to quality seed of the
most profitable potato varieties. The project supplied seed
of improved varieties and trained nearly 500 farmers, and
staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and
Food (MAAHF), previously known as MOAL, and NGOs through eight
courses on best practices, integrated crop and disease management,
tissue culture, and marketing. The average potato yield has
increased by 30% in four provinces and the introduction of
fall season seed production in Nangarhar has led to the production
of two crops per year. In an effort to find sustainable alternatives
to cold storages, the project has constructed 15 country seed
storages in four provinces.
RESEARCH IN ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOODS
FUND (RALF)
Afghanistan has been the world's major supplier of illicit
opium in recent years. The production and processing of narcotic
drugs grossly distorts the economy and jeopardizes the security
and stability of the region as well as the development of
Afghanistan. The Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan
adopted a National Drug Control Strategy (NDCS) in March 2003
with the objective of reducing poppy cultivation by 70% in
five years and complete elimination in ten years.
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| Horticulture
is being promoted as an alternative to poppy cultivation.
Here, a farmer grows potato (background) and poppy in
the same field to compare the returns. |
The livelihoods of around 20-30%
of the rural population are at least partially dependent on
the production of opium poppy. Poppy is a particularly attractive
source of livelihood as it yields a high economic return,
and, because it has a high labor demand, it provides access
to employment, land and credit for a large number of people.
If both the development and counter-narcotics objectives of
the Government are to be achieved, sustainable alternative
livelihoods must be identified for those who are currently
engaged in illicit drug production. The United Kingdom coordinates
international counter-narcotics in Afghanistan, and has adopted
a plan, including research on sustainable livelihoods, to
support implementation of the NDCS.
ICARDA is managing RALF, a competitive
grant mechanism established in 2004 and funded by the UK's
Department for International Development (DFID), to develop
and promote innovative alternative livelihood options for
rural Afghans currently economically dependent on opium
poppy. The projects are implemented by a partnership of an
international or non-Afghan research institution and an Afghan-based
organization to maximize synergy between international research
and local knowledge (see Appendix.)
STRENGTHENING SEED SYSTEMS FOR FOOD SECURITY IN AFGHANISTAN
This project, funded by
the International Development Research Center (IDRC), aims
to obtain a thorough understanding of local seed systems in
the rainfed areas of northern Afghanistan in order to identify
interventions to strengthen the informal/local seed systems
and forge links with
the formal system. The project will be implemented in two
phases. Phase 1, which began
 |
| Participants
of the meeting on “Strengthening Seed Systems for
Food Security in Afghanistan,” held on 27-29 September
2004 in Kabul. |
in 2002, will understand the
functioning of local and formal seed systems and the impacts
of interventions. It will also determine the impact of Afghanistan's
recent drought on seed systems and determine whether the crop
genetic diversity has changed since the 1920s. Phase 2 will
establish farmer participatory breeding in Afghanistan, strengthen
local seed systems and develop a mechanism to link it to existing
formal systems.
The project conducted household
surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews.
Based on these findings, participants at a stakeholders' meeting
for the project held on 27-29 September 2004 in Kabul identified
four major areas for further intervention: (i) improving farmers'
access to good and local crop varieties; (ii) improving seed
markets (seed demand assessment, promotion, marketing
etc.); (iii) promoting farmer organizations and village based
seed enterprises; and (iv) monitoring and evaluating project
impacts. The project has also collected a total of 677 accessions
of a variety of crops including wheat, barley, mung bean,
cowpea, kidney bean, rice, melon and flax. Preliminary analyses
suggest that there is still a large array of genetic resources
in the rainfed areas of northeastern Afghanistan.
COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCH ON AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABLE
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN AFGHANISTAN
Mung
bean varietal
trial in Sheesham
Bagh research
station in Nangarhar. |
This project, sponsored by the
OPEC Fund for International Development, promotes adaptive
research in screening and identifying new varieties of cereals
and food legumes, and the production of early generation seed
of wheat varieties that are adapted to the agroclimatic conditions
of Afghanistan. Since 2003 the project has re-established
a program to screen and identify new varieties, and produce
early-generation seed. In 2003/2004, a total of 48 trials
were conducted, and the project produced 133,774 kg of high-quality
seed of 15 different wheat varieties that are being cultivated
by farmers in the eastern and northeastern zone in Afghanistan.
This seed, if properly managed, will produce some 2675 tons
of wheat seed in 2005. |
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