Agriculture is the main industry in Afghanistan. However, despite the profound agricultural potential of the country the long years of conflict have left the country suffering from a lack of infrastructure and technical capacity. This has led to non-existent market linkages and little in the way of access to knowledge, finance or support for the farming community.
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The harsh climatic and geographical conditions dominating most of the territory, combined with rapid population growth, have led to the unsustainable use of natural resources. This, coupled with the country's vulnerability to natural disasters, poses a threat to long-term development of the country as a whole.
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CABI has been working in Afghanistan for over 10 years. We have four full time staff based in the country and we are currently conducting three projects here. In addition, due to our skills, expertise and experience of working in the region, we also provide consultancies to other organisations development projects.
Considerable support for farmers as well as the government’s capacity remains high on the country’s development agenda as well as that of CABI.
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Promoting horticultural production in Afghanistan
We have been working in partnership on this project since 1996. Sponsored by the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC) and Inter Co-operation (IC) the project involved both research and the promotion of horticultural practices. CABI provided the research expertise in integrated crop management and piloted new extension methodologies such as participatory technology development and Farmer Field Schools (FFS). CABI staff also led the horticulture promotion component. This covered the production and provision of certified inputs, crop diversification, social organisation, enhancing productivity and improving the marketing of the resultant crop.
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In 2007, we began a project to promote integrated crop management (ICM) in high value crops. Sponsored by the Aga Khan Foundation and Government of Belgium, the goal of the project is to improve livelihoods among three main target groups: landowners, landless people/smallholders, and women through enhanced agricultural productivity. Over three years, the project aims to build ICM capacity amongst agricultural professionals and to expand knowledge of ICM practices across the target population. This will enable farmers to adopt locally verified, economically and ecologically sound agricultural technology and practices. More >>
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