| Agriculture is the largest and most important sector of the economy in Afghanistan, a country of about 22 million people. But war and drought have devastated Afghanistan's food-production capabilities and depleted critical seed stocks, leaving the nation heavily dependent upon food aid from international donors. To rebuild Afghanistan's agriculture, ICARDA took the lead by bringing together research institutes, relief and development organizations, universities, and aid agencies at a meeting in Tashkent in January 2002. The result was the launching of the "Future Harvest Consortium to Rebuild Agriculture in Afghanistan," a multi-million dollar global effort to revive Afghanistan's once-thriving farming sector by harnessing the best of agricultural research and the power of partnerships. |
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| Seventy-four representatives from 34 organizations gathered in January 2002 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to help plan the rehabilitation of Afghanistan’s agriculture sector. The meeting was organized by ICARDA and supported by the United States Agency for International Development. |
The immediate aim of the Consortium was to develop a work plan to establish efficient seed systems, and develop a framework for long-term activities in seeds and crop improvement; soil and water management; livestock, feed, and rangeland improvement; and horticulture. A common theme in all work plans was to involve Afghan partners closely to create ownership, strengthen their capabilities, and ensure that the realities of the Afghan situation are reflected in all efforts. The key objectives included the following:
- Multiply and deliver quality seed of adapted varieties through effective delivery systems to reach affected farmers in time, and to build, with Afghan partners, an effective regulatory system that enforces standards and promotes the use of high quality seed and varieties.
- Establish a framework and strategy for CGIAR technical assistance, in cooperation with partners, for the development of seed systems and sustainable agricultural production systems in Afghanistan at the central, regional, and local levels.
- Rehabilitate the irrigation systems because, in the short term, it is the irrigated sector, rather than the rainfed system, that can put agriculture back into production.
- Reinstate the market economy since there is already a cash economy. Afghanistan has resilient farmers who follow good agronomic practices, and they can work collectively and make collective decisions.
- Restore an enabling environment through capacity building.
Since its establishment, the Consortium has made excellent progress, reported in the pages that follow.
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* International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT); International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT); International Potato Center (CIP); International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA); International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT); International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI); International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI); International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI); International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR); and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).
