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: www.icarda.org
S.Varma@cgiar.org
The group was welcomed by ICARDA Board Chairman Mr Robert Havener and opening statements were made by Mr Mir Dad Panjsheri, Special Advisor to the Afghanistan Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (MOAL); Dr Larry Paulson, Agriculture Development Officer, United States Agency for International Development (USAID); and ICARDA Director General Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, who emphasized that “stability and security in Afghanistan is not only important for Afghans, but for the world.”
| “I’ll
never forget this conference or the friendship. I wish everyone in
our nation could see what you are feeling and thinking about the people
of Afghanistan,”
Mir Dad Panjsheri |
Prior to the prolonged war and drought, Afghan households were able to produce about 86% of their food; now they expect to cover only about 59% of their total food requirement. Access to quality seed of improved varieties would greatly reduce rural poverty and hunger, according to the findings of the crop improvement and seed assessment.
Horticulture once
accounted for 30-50% of Afghanistan’s export earnings. Today, exports
are negligible. When the sector recovers from war and drought, it will
still have to contend with increased global competition, and the rising
expectations of export customers, which will require greater focus on
quality and marketing.
Nonetheless, horticulture holds considerable potential for improving the
nutrition and incomes of farm households, and could provide an alternative
to poppy cultivation, according to the horticulture and marketing assessment.
But, first, investment will have to be made into transportation and marketing
infrastructure, including storage facilities.
Lack of credit for quality seed and fertilizer, poor soil fertility due
to neglect, and damaged irrigation infrastructure were the main constraints
identified by the soil and water assessment team. Farmers also expressed
concern about a possible locust infestation in the upcoming growing season.
The team identified potential for expanding irrigated land, but found
that Afghan farmers need more information on efficient use of water and
fertilizer.
Representatives from MOAL, United States universities, non-governmental
organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,
the private sector, and member centers of the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research took part in the planning process. They separated
into four groups—crops and seeds; soil and water; horticulture; and
livestock—to set priorities and develop concept papers for short-,
medium-, and long-term projects to pursue in partnership with MOAL with
the help of donors. The Consortium’s initial research and seed distributions
have been funded by USAID.
Much has already been done by the Consortium to meet the Afghan emergency.
More than 3500 tonnes of improved, high-quality wheat seed was shipped
to farmers in time for spring planting in 2002, and local growers were
contracted to produce 5000 tonnes of seed for the fall planting. Still
more seed of other crops, including some Afghan landrace species stored
in ICARDA’s genebank, was sent to the country for evaluation and
multiplication. The International Potato Center provided 22 tonnes of
quality seed of adapted potato varieties from Pakistan and India for evaluation
and multiplication. To date, more than US$1 million has been injected
into the economy of Afghanistan as part of the seed procurement, cleaning,
and distribution process.
The rehabilitation of looted and destroyed research stations is an important
component in efforts to restock Afghanistan’s genebank and evaluate
local varieties. Significant development value might lie in Afghanistan’s
unique and diverse varieties of high-value horticultural crops.
Mr Panjsheri closed the final plenary with a moving expression of confidence
and appreciation.
About ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.cgiar.org) serves the entire developing world for the improvement of barley, lentil, and faba bean; and dry-area developing countries for the on-farm management of water, improvement of nutrition and productivity of small ruminants (sheep and goats), and rehabilitation and management of rangelands. In the Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region, ICARDA is responsible for the improvement of durum and bread wheats, chickpea, pasture and forage legumes and farming systems; and for the protection and enhancement of the natural resource base of water, land, and biodiversity.
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)
