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
7 June 2007
                             Media contact: Surendra Varma (s.varma@CGIAR.ORG)
 
Continuing Progress in Afghanistan
ICARDA is a 'sub-contractor' for the USAID-funded Alternative Livelihoods Program - Eastern Region (ALP/E) for Afghanistan. The project includes three components: adaptive research, demonstration of technology packages, and promotion of village-based seed enterprises (VBSEs).
Mr Masil Khan, Manager of Sheesham Bagh Research Station, Afghanistan, evaluates the performance of wheat varieties in research trials.

The adaptive research, implemented in collaboration with sister CGIAR Centers CIMMYT, CIP and IRRI, aims to help diversify agricultural production systems in the country. It includes trials on improved wheat and potato varieties, as well as establishment of rice nurseries. The demonstration component covers wheat and potato packages; a crop-cutting survey was also completed recently. The wheat crop is being threshed; potato fields are approaching maturity; rice crops are being carefully managed, with project staff providing regular advice on crop management.
Wheat trials at the national Sheesham Bagh Research Station are giving encouraging results.

The VBSE component included several activities. An umbrella organization is being set up, and VBSEs will be legally registered. To this end, the project team helped VBSE office bearers in Laghman province complete the registration documentation. Similar efforts are in progress in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces. Mr Safi, Director of Agriculture, Laghman province, visited VBSE wheat plots recently, and expressed satisfaction with the level of technology adoption by farmers and the strong community support for the project.

Capacity building efforts have been similarly successful. In May 2007, the project organized a field visit to Laghman for 67 students from Nangarhar University. The students gained first-hand experience with various project components. In all, 114 participants have been trained in business skills. Over 1800 farmers (over 400 in the second half of May) have been trained in improved agricultural practices as part of the project's effort to promote viable alternatives to poppy cultivation.
 

About ICARDA: Established in 1977, ICARDA (www.icarda.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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