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| The Transitional Islamic
State of Afghanistan has adopted a National Drug Control Strategy (NDCS)
with objectives of reducing poppy cultivation by 70% in five years and
complete elimination in ten years. The United Kingdom coordinates international
counter-narcotics in Afghanistan, and has adopted a plan to support implementation
of the NDCS. The Research in Alternative Livelihoods Fund (RALF) is a component of the UK's development assistance programme to Afghanistan which is administered by the Department for International Development (DFID) (http://www.dfid.gov.uk). The purpose of RALF is to develop and promote innovative alternative livelihood options for rural Afghans currently economically dependent on opium poppy, which will contribute to the overall goal of sustainable elimination of opium poppies in Afghanistan. The overall scope of RALF is applied research and promotion of natural resource-based livelihoods, including post-harvest processing and services, specifically directed at farmers and other rural stakeholders in areas currently affected by poppy production. RALF is managed by the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) which has its headquarters in Aleppo, Syria, and an office in Kabul (http://www.icarda.org). ICARDA is the lead center of the Future Harvest Consortium for the Rehabilitation of Agriculture in Afghanistan (FHCRAA) (http://www.icarda.org/Afghanistan/index.html). RALF is using a competitive research grant mechanism to mobilise innovative ideas for the development and promotion of alternative livelihoods opportunities in Afghanistan. The following pages on this site provide: • further background and rationale for RALF, • outcome of the first request for proposals (now closed), • details of the second request for proposals (now open), • guidelines for submitting proposals, • details of the review and selection process; • initial information on project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, • a facility for registering interest and/or seeking partners, and • responses to frequently asked questions (FAQs) |
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