OVERVIEW

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.

Building on past U.S. Government investments in agriculture, AVC-L represents USAID’s shift towards private-sector and agriculture-led economic growth by building the capacity of individual livestock-related enterprises to be profitable and competitive. The activity provides 47 firms that have key positions in the regional economy (anchor firms) with business development services and advice, driving profits and employment in a sector that supports approximately 80 percent of the Afghan population.

AVC-L integrates women and youth directly into its business services, generating opportunities for them to be active decision-making participants at all levels of the livestock value chain.

ACTIVITIES

• Map out the livestock landscape to identify challenges and opportunities for intervention in the livestock value chain (farm to table), through wide stakeholder consultation
• Conduct a gender and youth analysis to help understand gender power relations and dynamics and help identify gaps and constraints, and develop strategies to alleviate inequitable gender participation
• Create awareness to increase access to finances for agribusinesses
• Create the conductions necessary for effective stakeholder and agribusiness participation including access to market
• Identify private agribusinesses that require assistance to expand their business for improved productivity and access to market

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Contacted more than 250 stakeholders for information that would help to direct the assistance AVC-L is providing to the sector
• Completed a gender and youth analysis report that is guiding program intervention. Over 40 women attend a business-to- business women only meetings and twenty microfinance institutions conducted “Women’s Access to Finance Shura” with 34 women business owners
• Established a Women’s Entrepreneurship Development program to increase business development services provision
• Revised two policies (Afghanistan Slaughterhouses and Animal markets Regulation and the Private Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories and Risk Compensation/Indemnification Regulation) to enhance private sector participation in food safety, animal health services provision.
• Trained 14 Agribusinesses in Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Certification and on the International Organization for Standardization accreditation
• Facilitated linkages between agribusinesses and Financial Institutions, resulting in the preparation of bankable proposals worth $1,874 million
• Facilitated two Afghan agribusinesses to attend the Gulfood Expo in Dubai, resulting in over $950,000 potential and business-to-business deals; and nine businesses at the Kabul Agricultural Fair with over $110, 500 in sales and signed deals