October 30, 2008

Years of war, territorial infighting and Taliban rule have left more than half of Afghanistan’s population living below the poverty line. With 80 percent of the Afghani labor force working in the agricultural arena, contributing to 38 percent of the overall GDP, agriculture is a mainstay in the local and national economy. Targeting development assistance in this area is critical to providing increased economic opportunities and lowering the poverty level. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is helping Afghanistan strengthen its agricultural sector by improving linkages between suppliers, producers, and markets and providing farmers with improved farm technologies, including enhanced seed and crop inputs.

To that end, in October 2008, USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance awarded funding to Land O’Lakes to assist Afghani farmers in receiving much-needed materials for the 2008 growing season. Partnering with International Relief and Development, the Afghanistan Vouchers for Increased Production in Agriculture (AVIPA) program provides enhanced seed and fertilizer to approximately 150,000 small farmers in northern and western Afghanistan. Better, higher-quality inputs produce higher yields, which will create a trickle-down effect into families and communities. Currently, this program is operating in nine provinces, with potential for growth.

Land O’Lakes role in AVIPA is to ensure the high quality of seed and fertilizer, assist in seed and fertilizer distribution activities, conduct monitoring and evaluation surveys, and work with counterpart extension agents in provincial Departments of Agriculture.

Land O’Lakes will also work closely with Afghanistan’s Department of Agriculture extension agents to demonstrate the benefits of improved seed varieties through demonstration seed plots and periodic field days. Land O’Lakes will also provide training for agricultural extension agents on farm-saved and commercial wheat seed production methods, emphasizing the benefits of high-quality outputs from high-quality inputs.

This program is set to finish August 31, 2009.