Afghanistan 2021 Harvest
Since 2003, the rebuilding of Afghanistan's agricultural export economy has been at the forefront of Roots of Peace activities. Despite the political and economic crises facing the country following the August 15, 2021 regime change, our programs have remained actively working to support Afghan farmers and agribusinesses in building income and prosperity.
Domestic sales are the backbone of the agricultural economy, providing income to farmers and agribusinesses, as well as food for the Afghan people. Our client agribusinesses reported domestic sales of $4.5 million during this period. They received training in value-added processing and food safety as well as business linkages to expand their customer base. This speaks to the resilience of ROP programs in getting food to consumers even during a time of social upheaval.
While Afghan cities were undergoing profound social and political changes, in the rural districts our trainers continued to improve the skills and knowledge of farmers, training 6,600 farmers in advanced horticultural practices. They learned techniques on proper irrigation methods, pruning and fertilization, as well as advanced methods of drying apricots to avoid waste and increase incomes. Overall, we've provided training for nearly 200,000 Afghan farmers in a wide variety of horticultural skills.
Afghanistan is currently experiencing severe drought in 80% of the country, with farmers of wheat and other cereal crops being most at risk. Roots of Peace continued working to help interested farmers convert their fields into high-value orchards with training and support in installing irrigation systems that will provide a bulwark in periods of low rainfall. Thousands of saplings were distributed, with preparations underway for hundreds of thousands more in the spring.
Our field workers were also busy procuring tools and equipment for the introduction of trellising to improve the quality and output of Afghan grape vineyards. So far, more than 840 hectares of vineyards have been converted to trellises through our efforts.
In Afghanistan, Roots of Peace remains open for business. Our team of more than 250 local staff (including 20 women) are committed to ensuring that our programs continue to support our mission of promoting peace through agriculture, even in the most challenging times.