Jointly Organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock in Afghanistan,
ICARDA and FAO
Kabul, Afghanistan
Afghanistan has been devastated by years of war and civil strife and a debilitating three years of drought, which have resulted in a collapse of the agricultural production system. The recent hostilities have only added to the crisis.
International and national organizations, international and bilateral donors and NGOs are making efforts to assist Afghanistan in rebuilding the agricultural sector. A key activity in raising crop yields and agricultural output is the availability of quality seeds and other inputs. Farmers will need good seed of appropriate varieties and other technical assistance to re-establish their productive capacity.
There is a clear need to coordinate the activities and to come up with guiding principles for regulatory and seed system support interventions, including standards for seed production, seed quality, quarantine, distribution and importation.
During a Stakeholders Meeting in Tashkent, the Future Harvest Consortium to Rebuild Agriculture in Afghanistan was established. Activities of the Consortium are funded by USAID. One of the activities recommended by the Stakeholders meeting was to hold a workshop and to develop a Code-of-Conduct for all those involved in seed provision in Afghanistan. This workshop was held 21-23 May in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The purpose of the workshop was to develop guidelines or code of conduct for effective coordination and monitoring of seed system support interventions, as well as to define standards and procedures that should be followed by all assisting institutions. These guidelines would form the basis of a much needed seed policy and eventual seed law for Afghanistan, as the country moves from dependence on emergency assistance to sustainable agricultural development. The workshop comprised a plenary session of formal presentations and discussions in three working groups, as outlined in the Workshop Program.
