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 Missouri ADT tends the 'breadbasket' of Afghanistan By Staff Sgt. Gary Witte
                Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO
 NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, - During a  typical day, members of Nangarhar Agribusiness Development Team can travel from  green farmlands to sand-covered plains that seem as desolate as the moon. The endless hours spent on the roads of eastern  Afghanistan can lead to leaking wells, missing solar panels and broken water  towers. But they can also lead to grateful villagers, smiling faces and  cooperation. Sometimes this Missouri National Guard unit provides the  first substantial contact villagers have had with International Security  Assistance Forces in the province. "We cover all of Nangarhar," said U.S. Army Master  Sgt. Don K. Lilleman, who is the lead noncommissioned officer of the  agriculture cell. "We go to a lot of places nobody else has been." Among other tasks, ADT works with contractors to ensure  agriculture-related community projects are properly completed. It works with  farmers to help improve crops and livestock. It works to educate the populace  on modern farming techniques. "It's just about shaping things and making them  better and better as you go," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Parsons,  who serves as an engineer for the ADT. The Nangarhar ADT commander, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ronny  L.H. Mast, estimated that 80 percent of all livelihoods in Afghanistan are tied  to agriculture. Because of its mild winters and year-round growing season, the  province is key to this. "It's one of the most important agricultural  provinces," Mast said. "It's known as the breadbasket of  Afghanistan." Community representatives at the government district  level nominate agriculture-related projects – such as solar-powered wells,  modern slaughterhouses or cold storage units – for construction. The ADT  provides quality oversight control for the bidding and building process, Mast  said. In addition, the ADT supports cash-for-work programs in  various communities for beneficial labor such as clearing out irrigation  canals. "We'll get locals who will fix local problems,"  Mast said. "That gives the Afghans buy-in to fix their own country." The ADT has adopted various approaches to helping Afghans  improve their lot. For instance, four olive orchard refurbishment projects have  renewed an estimated 1,700 hectares of land, providing permanent jobs for  maintaining the Afghan government-owned property, Mast said. The fields' renewal will also impact the government-owned  processing plant, which will provide jobs and marketable products from olives  that would otherwise have to be shipped out of the country for processing. "They are able to keep the money here instead of  sending it to Pakistan," Mast said. "This has a direct benefit  here," Likewise, the ADT aims to help experts here share new  agriculture techniques through a new extension service program to be run by the  Afghan government. The planned construction of classrooms and labs at various  district centers will help bring modern farming techniques to rural residents. "This puts the Afghan government out there providing  services," Mast said. "Hopefully, it will increase the agricultural  yield of the province." As National Guard Soldiers and Airmen, many of the ADT  have first-hand experience with the trials of nature Afghan farmers face. Some  own farms back home, while others grew up on farms and still others – such as  Lilleman – have agricultural degrees. He noted that while the unit uses its military skills  every day, helping farms develop is not typical training and the members'  civilian skills were partially why they were chosen for the ADT. "It really gives us a good understanding when we  talk to the farmers over here," Lilleman said. "It's not a foreign  concept to us because of our civilian background and education." Parsons, who in his civilian career is an engineer for a  testing and inspection firm, said a unit with varied backgrounds helps the  mission. "You get a bunch of people who do a bunch of  things," he said. "It's pretty much a wide range of skills you can  find a use for over here." Their experience has also helped with a change in the  bidding process the unit implemented after it arrived in October. Instead of  designing every specific aspect of each community project, the unit requires  each bidder to create their own design based on the needed result, he said. Parson said those contractors who don't have the skills  or don't understand the projects become apparent when they submit subpar  designs. "Anyone can bid, but you really see who knows what  they're doing when you don't put constrictions on them," he said. For instance, Afghan contractors came up with the idea to  use several smaller cooling units for cold storage facilities instead of one  large one. They also recommended using reinforced concrete columns as part of  the project. "They come up with great ideas," Parsons said.  "It's all about giving them power to come up with the most robust way of  doing things." The stability that comes with an improved crop yield,  improved irrigation and improved economic prospects are a key goal of the ADT  efforts. During one recent mission to check the status of wells in the Goshta  District, the ADT presented villages and project caretakers with new hand tools  they can use to care for their land. "I really think we are helping – not just the  [counterinsurgency] fight – but the average Afghan," Parsons said. "I  think we really are making a difference here."
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