Rebuilding Afghanistan

Special Edition
United States Agency for International Development

SPECIAL EDITION:
REBUILDING AGRICULTURAL MARKETS PROGRAM (RAMP)

Bests,

RAMP DESCRIPTION AND GOALS
Agriculture is Afghanistan's principle source of jobs and income. It provides over 51% of the GDP and employs over 80% of the labor
force. Thus, in the summer of 2003, USAID initiated a three-year Rebuilding Agricultural Markets Program (RAMP) aimed at enhancing
the food security and incomes of Afghanistan's war ravaged and drought stricken rural population. The program is concentrated in thirteen
priority provinces (Kabul, Kapisa, Parwan, Wardak, Logar, Ghazni, Paktia, Nangarhar, Laghman, Baghlan, Kunduz, Helmand and
Kandahar), and has two principal objectives: to increase agricultural productivity and output, and to facilitate effective networks between
producers, processors and markets. The following activities help the program meet its objectives:
= Expanding rural finance opportunities
Improving rural infrastructure
Generating improved agricultural technology
Creating facilities to support markets
Developing the livestock industry

Accomplishments: Expanding Rural Finance oF

= Microfinance Loans: In order to promote local economies and
provide farmers with necessary equipment, RAMP
implemented—in partnership with the World Bank—a grant of
$5 million to the Ministry of Reconstruction and Rural
Development. The ministry uses the grant to implement
microfinance programs and loans. These loans range between
$50 and $5,000, and support small agricultural and women-
owned businesses. In order to implement the program, over
1,000 loan officers were trained in processing loan applications.
To date, over 2,000 loans have ‘been disbursed.

Newly trained loan officers complete loan applications paperwork and
receive loan funds.

Latifa’s (middle) loan supported the vegetable-raising business that is her
family's sole source of income.



Accomplishments: Improving Rural Infrastructure—trrigation Canals and Farm-to-Market Roads

Rehabilitated Roads decrease farm-to-market travel times resulting in less produce spoiled en route. Irrigation projects provide rural

communities with more farmable land. And both programs provide thousands of Afghans with jobs and income. To date:

= 2.5 million Afghans benefit from irrigation projects and road construction

= 110 kilometers of rural farm-to-market roads repaired

= 210 irrigation structures and 300 kilometers of canals rehabilitated—improving irrigation on 300,000 hectares of cropland

= 275 Afghans trained in canal maintenance and 40 entities trained in road construction techniques

= Over 230,000 labor days utilized for road construction and irrigation projects—$2.2 million in wages paid to local labor

Recent Progress and Highlighted Activities

= Rehabilitated Irrigation Canals, Kunduz and Baghlan
Provinces: RAMP de-silted and widened over 90 kilometers of
irrigation canals, enabling farmers to receive a reliable source of
water to irrigate over 35,000 hectares of prime agricultural land.
The rehabilitation of these canals includes the repair or
replacement of damaged or destroyed structures such as water
intakes, canal banks, protection walls and sluice gates.

= Dams Constructed, Parwan Province: RAMP constructed
three water diversion dams along the Ghorband River (Charikar,
Khwaja/Matak, Mahigeer), irrigating approximately 18,000
hectares of land in more than 40 villages.

= Rehabilitation of Irrigation Canals, Parwan Province: RAMP
is rehabilitating and constructing six new water diversion dams
over the Salang and Ghurband Rivers—providing more water to
a large proportion of the agricultural land in Parwan province.

= Dam Rehabilitation and Road Repair, Kunduz Province:
RAMP is repairing twenty-five kilometers of farm-to-market
toads that will enable farmers in the region to more effectively
sell their produce. Additionally, RAMP is constructing four water
intakes that will provide a valuable source of water to over
50,000 hectares of wheat, cotton and rice producing land.

= Road Rehabilitation, Nangahar and Kunar Provinces: RAMP
is rehabilitating 300 meters of road between agriculturally rich
Jalalabad and Asadabad (northeast Afghanistan), and
constructing a diversion canal, protection wall and gabion dyke
to reduce erosion during periods of flooding.

= Road Rehabilitation, Balkh Province: RAMP is rehabilitating
100 kilometers of road that includes repairing culverts,
drainages and other road structures. The road construction will
improve transportation routes leading to central markets.

= Road Rehabilitation, Ghazni Province: To curb flooding,
RAMP is rehabilitating 120 kilometers of roads, 30 culverts, eee

2,500 meters of retaining walls and 205 meters of pipes. AFTER: Nangahar to Kunar road repaired with a protective gabion wall.

Accomplishments: Generating Improved Agricultural Technology

On-farm demonstrations illustrate the effectiveness of new crops and improved irrigation and cultivation techniques, and allow farmers and

agriculture input dealers to receive training in seed multiplication and fertilizer use, integrated crop management, and post harvest

techniques. To date: 5 village-based seed enterprises were established, each producing 100 tons of improved seed; 350 farmers have

been trained in virus-free potato seed production; and more than 400 on-farm field demonstrations have been implemented for crops such

as wheat, rice, onions, potatoes, peanuts, mung beans, canola and tomatoes.

REen Progress and Highlighted Activities
Locust Control, Samangan, Baghlan and Kunduz
Provinces: RAMP conducted locust control activities on
90,000 hectares, improving food security for 270,000 families.

= On-Farm Demonstrations, Helmand and Khandahar
Provinces: RAMP implemented nineteen drip irrigation
demonstrations and trained 45 farmers in the technology,
reducing time devoted to weeding and fertilizing. In Kandahar,
RAMP implemented twenty-one grape trellis demonstrations
that increase grape yields over traditional growing methods.

= Grape Revitalization, Parwan Province: Over 4,000 grape
cuttings, of 22 varieties, were imported from University of
California-Davis and planted on the Ministry of Agriculture's N
research farm to establish a grape foundation nursery. ‘On-farm demonstration in Parwan..



Accomplishments: Creating Facilities to Support Markets

The program’s construction of over 100 market centers provides Afghan farmers with a place for cleaning, sorting, storing and packaging

their products. The centers allow buyers and traders to have easier access to farmers and their produce, and are strategically located to

support irrigation, road rehabilitation, agricultural production and processing projects.

Reser Progress and Highlighted Activities
Village Collection Centers: To assist in marketing grapes in
Shomali Plains (northeast Afghanistan) and Kandahar (southern
Afghanistan), RAMP constructed twenty-five collection centers.
The centers enable producers and traders to assemble the
grapes in a shaded and cooled environment before they are
packed in refrigerated trucks. The centers will also be used
during non-grape harvesting times for assembling and trading
high value crops, such as vegetables.

= Wholesale Markets: RAMP is rehabilitating the fresh fruit and
vegetable wholesale marketplace in the city of Jalalabad, “ .
Nangarhar province (eastern Afghanistan). Once complete, the ~~ Village collection center in Parwan province.
new facility will have reinforced concrete in the
loading/unloading and entry/exit areas, a proper drainage
system, and a cleaner water supply for washing.

= Village/District Market centers: RAMP is in the final stages of
reconstructing a twelve-stall, brick and mortar, shaded, weekly
market intended to facilitate the trading of agricultural and non-
agricultural products at the village level. The center is located
20 kilometers from Torkham and within 100 meters of the main
road that links Jalalabad to Torkham.

Wholesale market in Jalalabad nearly completed.

Accomplishments: Developing the Livestock Industry

Livestock are an important component of Afghanistan's agriculture sector. In addition to being a source of food, many of these animals

provide draught labor and high value by-products such as eggs, wool and cashmere. RAMP works with Afghan farmers to earn the

greatest economic return from their livestock. The program’s implementing partners combine efforts in order to provide needed veterinary

services, advice on animal nutrition, disease control, and livestock management. To date:

= 2.3 million animals vaccinated/treated

= over 3.5 million vaccine doses distributed to veterinary field units

= anew disease recording and administration system introduced

= 25,200 chickens vaccinated against Newcastle Disease.

Recent Progress and Highlighted Activities
Village Women’s Poultry Production and Market
Development: In Parwan, Ghazni, Nangahar and Kunduz
provinces, RAMP introduced practical methods for improving
poultry productivity, thereby enabling over 25,000 women to
participate in poultry income generating activities
(commercialization of eggs and chicken). New markets will be
opened in urban centers bringing additional revenue into the
participating village. To date, over 500 women have been
trained in poultry management, and 6,000 chickens have been
distributed to poultry entrepreneurs throughout the country.

= Livestock Health, Production and Marketing Improvement:
Para-veterinarians received training enabling them to staff and
service a national network of private veterinary field units
capable of providing livestock health services in all 380 districts
of Afghanistan. RAMP is also creating a livestock health,
production and marketing database to coordinate with and
assist government ministries on such issues as disease
surveillance, livestock inventories and trans-border issues.

~* — 7 ~
Livestock receiving vaccination treatment.