3/9/2010 7:57:00 PM
Farming in Afghanistan
USDA agriculturalists, soldiers continue to work with Afghan people
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| USDA agriculturalist James Hoffman talks with Major Brent Hulse and Mr. Enayat, the provincial agriculture director. |
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Along with the PRT in the province of Panjshir, there is an ADT (Agricultural Development Team) led by Major Brent Hulse, a native Nebraskan. The major is a full-time member of the Kentucky National Guard, was raised on a farm, and has a degree in biology.
His background along with a pleasant demeanor allows him to easily interact with the locals.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has plans to have a staff of 64 agriculturalists in Afghanistan by the first quarter of 2010. James Hoffman, one of their employees, volunteered to take the assignment in Panjshir and is lending his expertise and advice in many areas. In 2009, the USDA will provide $32 million to Afghanistan in food assistance supporting the expansion of marketing, credit and the irrigation programs. An additional $17 million will be given directly to the government under the Food for Progress Plan to expand production of wheat by procuring and distributing seed.
Eighty percent of the population of Afghanistan is involved in farming and herding, and only half of the arable land is currently being utilized. Panjshir is almost entirely agricultural thus, we visited many villages and farms during my embed.
On most missions, we traveled with the provincial agriculture director, Mr. Enayat, who had recently returned from China where he and representatives from 47 countries attended a project management seminar. Current crops in Panjshir include wheat, potatoes, corn, honey, fruits, nuts and livestock. Surprisingly, Afghan's largest export, opium derived from poppies, is not one of them. It is the processor, not the farmer, which profits from this illegal drug that usually includes the Taliban. Since there are no active Taliban in the province, farmers find corn just as profitable.
Farms in the province are roughly divided into jeribs, which are half-acre stone fenced plots. Sizes of these plots vary and a farm may consist of one or more of these jeribs. Many are terraced, a necessity in the mountainous area.
Effects of Russia's incursion still haunt the rural districts. Most devastating are the remaining mine fields, poisoned wells, and deforestation.
Villagers heat and cook over wood fires, and trees continue to be prematurely harvested to meet these needs. The river, which bisects the mountain range, is of paramount importance to the farmers.
While the Afghans are masters at water distribution, many of the canals that have been built to deliver water from the river are now filled with debris and in disrepair. Hydro-electric stations along it provide only intermittent electric power to the farms and villages. During my visit, it was noted that the winter snow fall has been particularly low this year, which will have dire consequences in the spring and summer.
There have been a number of mistakes made by various aid agencies in their haste to assist the Afghans. On a mission led by Major Jones of the PRT, we visited a village high on a mountainside. A non-government organization had given $60,000 to a contractor to build a holding tank to catch the spring thaw and provide water to the villagers and farmers late into the dry summer.
All that is finished is the excavation, a concrete slab at its bottom and rebar supports for the walls. When the contractor felt he had used the $60,000 he stopped work and abandoned the site disappointing all involved.
In an effort to modernize farm techniques, six tractors have been given to the farm co-ops. Unfortunately, no one realized that they would be unable to maneuver effectively in the half-acre, fenced plots.
Storage bins were donated by a Nebraska group to the co-ops but, farmers are jealous of one another and all feel their yields are superior and mixing another farmers crop with theirs will reduce the quality. The bins are used anyway but, only to store 50kg bulky sacks that are marked and segregated by farm.
Veterinarians are given a minimal allotment of fuel so they are forced to travel by motorcycle. While this is not a problem in summer months, it is impractical in the winter.
The ADT however, has instituted many significant programs to assist farmers in becoming independent and making a profit beyond just feeding their families and livestock.
An experimental farm has been built to plant various crops to determine their feasibility in the local conditions.
A development farm has been established and is available to train locals in modern farming techniques.
Four million trees have been planted in eight provinces and 170 orchards created.
Corn, the major crop, grows one foot shorter than expected. The ADT has set up a program to provide fertilizer to correct this situation as well as enhance wheat production. The urea fertilizer can be paid for with cash or increased crop yields.
Small walk-behind farm implements have replaced the aforementioned tractors.
Many micro-hydropower units are planned or have been installed bringing electricity to some of the communities.
Fields are now irrigated by flooding. As most plots are not level, many plants fail because of either over- or under-watering. A project is underway to provide pumps and sprinklers to more universally spread the water.
Several veterinary clinics have been built and staffed.
A small fish farm has been built by the locals. It has been stocked with, what is called, riverfish. Positive results will prompt construction of more farms financed by the ADT.
A program begun by the ADT to introduce honey bees has been highly successful in providing local honey needs and increased pollination, promoting plant growth.
Farmers generally leave their farms in winter. A cash for work program now keeps them busy cleaning and building new irrigation canals and other worthwhile projects.
The ADT working with USAID has created significant opportunities for women in poultry, vegetable gardens, orchards, and food processing, and they will operate greenhouses that are planned for year-round farming.
The peaceful environment in Panjshir has resulted in giving the farm community the benefits of a civilian and military presence dedicated to improving their agricultural and social needs.
This is the fifth in a series of stories about Art Ricker's trip to Afghanistan.
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