| In
the early 1970s, there were 22 agricultural research stations in Afghanistan.
Over the past two decades, most of them have been abandoned, bombed,
looted or confiscated by warlords. ICARDA, with support from USAID,
has so far refurbished six stations in five provinces. These stations
connect farmers to new crops, markets, and training opportunities.
The bottom line is higher income and improved nutrition. |
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| Ruined
station in Baghlan Province. |
As the lead Center of the Future Harvest Consortium,
financially supported by USAID, ICARDA rebuilt six agricultural stations
in five provinces in little more than a year: Kabul, Baghlan, Kunduz, Takhar,
and Nangahar. They represent an important step toward a brighter future
for Afghanistan's agricultural economy.
The stations develop, test and evaluate new crop genotypes for distribution
throughout the region. Farmers visit the stations to examine and select
lines that would perform best in their climate. They also gain information
on best practices for fertilizer and pesticide application, new farming
methods, and water management. The stations provide a flow of improved lines
of barley, spring bread wheat, durum wheat, lentil, faba bean, chickpea
and forage legumes, derived from indigenous species and better suited to
the regional agroecologies. Improved crop seed is multiplied for transfer
to farmers and seed supply entrepreneurs.
A seed health and testing laboratory is being re-installed at each station
along with meteorological equipment to provide accurate weather data. The
Badam Bagh station in Kabul is now fully equipped with seed health and quality
testing facilities. It will serve as Afghanistan's national seed testing
and seed health laboratory. According to the Code of Conduct
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| Farmers
frequently visit Badam Bagh station, Kabul, to seek information and
advice and to select crop lines suited to their field conditions. |
for Seed, coordinated by the Consortium, USAID
and FAO, and adopted by the Government of Afghanistan, all seed imported
into the country must meet certain standards to be certified. The seed should
be accurately labeled and be free of pests and pathogens. This laboratory
will assure farmers and agricultural officials that the standards of certification
are met and pave the way toward re-entering a global economy.
The refurbished agricultural stations serve as launching points for hundreds
of village seed enterprises (VSEs) throughout Afghanistan. VSEs provide
the means for small business development, new markets, crop improvement,
technology transfer, training and educational opportunities for Afghan farmers.
The stations are also essential components in the development of crop diversification.
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| Badambagh
research station, near Kabul— before (left) and after refurbishing
(right). |
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| Participants
work through a group exercise on seed testing. |
Training courses for Afghan men and women are
being conducted to ensure that the stations have skilled and qualified staff
now and for the future. ICARDA organized two training courses at the Badam
Bagh station in Kabul in June 2003 for 24 newly recruited quality assurance
personnel from various provinces in Afghanistan. H.E. Mohammed Sharif, Deputy
Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (MOAL), Afghanistan, opened the courses.
The courses included the start-up and calibration of seed quality testing
and seed health testing facilities and equipment. The participants received
practical training in seed testing for quality control and seed health,
working in small groups according to their background and future assignments
at various laboratories in the country. Another Consortium member, the International
Potato Center (CIP), based in Peru, has trained farmers at Badam Bagh and
Nangahar stations in the production of virus-free potato seed for improved
yields.
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