KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE

development projects

Over 80 per cent of the mostly rural population in Bamyan and Parwan depends on agriculture and natural resources for their livelihood. As the region lies in Afghanistan’s highlands, farmers mostly grow fruit such as apricots, apples, peaches, cherries and pears in small orchards, and other crops such as potatoes.

so what’s the problem?Much of the land here is barren and inaccessible, characterized by acute water shortages, small landholdings, extensive food insecurity and poor soil quality. However, specific areas of the region have benefited from many short-term relief and some infrastructure development efforts.

Lack of technical know-how and worsening management skills in rural areas has seen a decline in the performance of agricultural systems. The region’s traditional farming system requires innovation and training reverse this trend and improve the commerical viability of produce management and marketing.

what is this project doing?Enhancing agricultural productivity is vital to the development of this region. Although fertilizer is used by many, integrated crop management (ICM) is a new concept to most, and knowledge of productivity and ecologically sound agriculture needs to be improved.

locationAfghanistan

datesNovember 2009 – September 2012

CABI project teamMuhammad Zahir Shah

managing crops in Bamyan and Parwan, Afghanistan

To help develop farming communities here, the Aga Khan Foundation – Afghanistan, in close collaboration with CABI’s centre in Pakistan, has initiated an extension programme on vegetables, cereals and perennial crop ICM, which CABI has been given a mandate to design, facilitate and implement in the region. CABI is also providing technical support.

We aim to:

• designandimplementlearningexperimentsforfarmers• developtechnicalpromotionalmaterialsonICMforsmallholderfarmersandthosewhomanagethenatural

resources in the region• assisttheAgaKhanFoundation’sstafftodeliverservices• co-ordinatewiththeAgaKhanFoundation’snationalqualityassurancespecialisttoestablishmonitoringand

quality assurance mechanisms for the appropriate implementation of ICM activities• ensuretheparticipationofallrelevantpeopleintheimplementationprocesses

We are designing participatory learning experiments for farmers and co-ordinating their implementation in the field.

We are also helping to establish, develop and supervise a biological control laboratory to rear beneficial insects.

results so farCourses held for future trainers and farmers in ICM methods for crops have helped to develop technology through participation. The course for future trainers, which involved producing off-season vegetables in polytunnels, included 20 participants from the Aga Khan Foundation, 39 lead farmers, four staff from a co-operative, 12 staff from the Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (DAIL) and 11 from Bamyan University. These subsequently ran and facilitated 250 practising and regular farmer field schools (FFS), along with participatory technology development (PTDs), and worked with the farmers to develop this new technology. A total of approximately 6000 farmers (1000 of whom were women) were trained on field crops, vegetable production and perennial horticulture.

We ran a refresher course on producing fruit and vegetables using ICM methods for the trainers during the project’s third year in all districts, including Bamyan, Shibar, Kahmard, Punjab and Waras (in Bamyan Province) and Surkhi Parsa and Shiekh Ali (in Parwan Province).

We also successfully trained and equipped people as subject specialists and reared two major natural enemies including a parasitic wasp (Trichogramma sp.) and lacewing (Chrysppa spp.) in our biological control laboratory – the first of its kind in the region.

This work should improve the region’s agriculture and consequently people’s livelihoods.

contactCABI, Opposite 1-A, Data Gunj Baksh Road, Satellite Town P.O. Box 8, Rawalpindi, PakistanT: +92 (0)51 9290132 F: +92 (0)51 9290131 E: cabi.cwa@cabi.org www.cabi.org/cwasia

www.cabi.org/icmbamyanID

-ICM

Bam

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Muhammad Zahir Shah, Project Manager

partner

Aga Khan Foundation Afghanistan

sponsor

Aga Khan Foundation Afghanistan