Speeches Shim
The Grain Research and Innovation (GRAIN) project enhances the capacity of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) to conduct wheat-related research and identify technologies and practices that promise the greatest benefits to the wheat sector. The research focuses on productivity, profitability, and climate resilience of wheat-based systems through improved soil management, land cultivation, crop production practices, access to high-yield seed varieties and appropriate inputs, and linkages to the private seed sector and other actors along the wheat value chain.
The Commercial Horticulture and Agricultural Marketing Program (CHAMP) works to strengthen the capacity of Afghan packaging manufacturers, improve the skills of exporters in business administration and finance, establish an Agricultural Export Knowledge Management Unit that will disseminate reliable data on agricultural exports, promote investment in cold storage and pack house facilities, expand quality standards certification, and support freight and logistics facilitation to promote agricultural trade. These efforts will stimulate the growth of Afghan exports to regional wholesale markets and supermarkets by up to $30 million annually. CHAMP has trade offices in New Delhi, India, Dubai, UAE; and Almaty, Kazakhstan to boost Afghan agricultural exports in major regional markets.
USAID’s Catalyzing Afghan Agricultural Innovation (CAAI) activity supports Afghan-led innovation in agriculture by training a highly-skilled, modern agricultural workforce, strengthening the capacity of research and extension actors to deploy innovative solutions to the practical challenges of Afghan farmers and agribusinesses, and institutionalizing coordination among agricultural value chain stakeholders.
The Agricultural Credit Enhancement (ACE) project established and managed the Agricultural Development Fund (ADF) until the ADF was transferred to the Afghan government in 2015. The follow-on project, ACE-II expanded access to credit for small-and medium-size farms and agribusinesses. ACE-II provided technical assistance to improve ADF’s management systems and catalyze its transition to a sustainable agricultural development financial institution.
Afghanistan Value Chains – Livestock (AVC-L) is a market-oriented program that operates throughout the country, with regional offices in Kabul, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad, and Kandahar. AVC-L promotes sustainable agriculture-led economic growth, in line with the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock's National Comprehensive Agricultural Development Priority Program. The livestock sector contributes significantly to Afghan economic growth and employment.
Comment
Make a general inquiry or suggest an improvement.