I C A R D A    N e w s

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.cgiar.org
For more information contact: Dr Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
 
 
26 May 2005
First RALF Workshop Held in Afghanistan
Dr David Radcliffe, Senior Livelihoods Advisor at DFID (right); Mr Erick Zeballos, Livelihoods and Private Sector Advisor at DFID (center); and Dr Najib Malik, ICARDA’s RALF Program Manager (left), co-chairing the session on monitoring RALF projects.
ICARDA and UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) are working to provide farmers in Afghanistan with alternatives to opium poppy through RALF (Research in Alternative Livelihoods Fund) – a competitive grant mechanism managed by ICARDA. So far, 11 projects are exploring diverse ideas ranging from the introduction of cultivation of saffron, mint, vegetables, legumes, and oilseed crops; collection, processing and marketing of naturally occurring medicinal crops such as cumin, artemisia, caraway, hing, liquorice and jujube; exploring new credit mechanisms; and increasing rural incomes through increased production of livestock and livestock products. The funding for RALF is provided by DFID.

The first RALF workshop was held in Kabul on 19-20 April and representatives from all 11 on-going projects attended the workshop. Participants from DFID included Dr David Radcliffe, Senior Livelihoods Advisor; Mr Eric Zeballos, Livelihoods and Private Sector Advisor; Mr Damon Bristow, Counter-Narcotics; and Mr Essa Shamal. Other key participants included Dr Adam Pain, Member of Project Review Panel; and Mr Anthony Fitzherbert, Special Advisor to DFID as well as the Afghan Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development.
H.E. Mr Mohamed Sharif, Deputy Minister, MAAHF, addressing farmers on alternative livelihoods following a tour of the RALF research/demonstration sites in Beshud District of Nangarhar Province.

Dr Nasrat Wassimi, Executive Manager, ICARDA-Afghanistan, and Dr Najib Malik, RALF Program Manager, made opening remarks. Dr Radcliffe provided an overview of UK's counter-narcotics strategy in Afghanistan. Dr Pain presented a draft proposal for monitoring and evaluating the RALF projects. The opening session was followed by presentations by each project on the progress achieved so far.
Ms Jackie Creighton (Acting Head of DFID in Kabul), Dr Najib Malik, and Dr Nasrat Wassimi Executive Manager, ICARDA-Afghanistan welcomed the participants to the working dinner.
The workshop concluded with a working dinner hosted by ICARDA and DFID. The Deputy Minister of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food (MAAHF), H.E. Mr Mohamed Sharif gave a brief presentation on "Capacity Building at MAAHF—The Role of RALF." Other participants from MAAHF included Dr Fazludin Fazl, DG of Extension; donor participants included representatives from FAO, the Danish Embassy, JICA, RAMP and UNIFEM.

 ICARDA staff, Relief International, AVRDC (World Vegetable Centre) and Nangarhar University (NU) organized a field trip for the workshop participants to Nangarhar Province on 24 April to see various projects, including the crop legumes and vegetables, and mint cultivation projects; interact with farmers in Behsud and Sorkhroad Districts, and find out about any shifts in opium poppy cultivation and their implications.
H.E. Mr Mohamed Sharif, Deputy Minister, MAAHF; and Dr Randhir Singh, Relief International, discuss the importance of the RALF field research trial (located at the Research Farm of the University of Nangarhar) in “Capacity Building” for the students. Agriculture Faculty staff, Prof. M.A. Bawary and Prof. M.A. Torakay who are ICARDA’s collaborators in this project are also seen.
Participants from Kabul included Deputy Minister of MAAHF, Mr Sharif; DG of Agricultural Research Institute of Afghanistan, Mr Qaderi; Dr Adam Pain; and Mr Anthony Fitzherbert. Project collaborators from NU included Prof. M.A. Bawary, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, and Prof. M. Taher Torakay, Head of the Dept. of Agronomy. More than a hundred undergraduate students of the Faculty of Agriculture attended the tour of the RCBD Field Experiment (Introduction of Legumes and Vegetables) at the University Research Farm. The Chancellor of NU, Prof. Nisar Ahmad and Dr Randhir Singh of Relief International emphasized the importance of the RALF research project in "Capacity Building" for the younger generation in eastern provinces of Afghanistan. Participants from Nangarhar province included Directors and Deputy Directors of MAAHF, MRRD, and officials from the Nangarhar Development Authority. A large number of farmers and village elders also attended sessions of the tour. At the mint research/demonstration site in Behsud, farmers said that their total income from 6 cuts of mint would be comparable or could even surpass the income they obtained in 2004 from poppies.

The Deputy Governer of Nangarhar Province, Dr Asif Qazizada, confirmed farmers’ comments that there has been a significant reduction in poppy cultivation in Nangarhar in 2005. He warned, however, that the impact of this reduction in poppy cultivation is often unemployment and poverty. Farmers have a lot of expectations from the Afghan government, international organizations and the NGO community. Projects like those sponsored by RALF could help meet these expectations.

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 countries, international and regional organizations, and private foundations supporting15 international research centers that mobilizes cutting-edge science to promote sustainable development by reducing hunger and poverty, improving human nutrition and health, and protecting the environment.
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