Celebrating a Decade of Agricultural Success with Afghan Traders at Gulfood 2013 Expo
The world’s biggest annual food expo will feature Afghan fruits supported by Roots of Peace.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACTS: USA: Mrs. Heidi Kuhn, ROP CEO, +1 415 455 9404 heidi@rootsofpeace.org UAE /AFGHANISTAN: Mr. Shafi Anwary, ROP Spokesperson +971 56705548 / +93 799181313 shafi.anwary@rootsofpeace.org
Celebrating a Decade of Agricultural Success with Afghan Traders at Gulfood 2013 Expo
The World’s Biggest Annual Food Expo will feature Afghan fruits supported by Roots of Peace
February 25, 2013—Dubai, United Arab Emirates—Roots of Peace, an international humanitarian non-profit organization, will celebrate a decade (2003–2013) of agricultural, marketing export success with Afghan farmers and traders gathering this week in Dubai for Gulfood; The World’s Biggest Annual Food Expo. Afghanistan is a country in which 80% of the land is dependent upon agribusiness. During the past decade, Roots of Peace has empowered over one million Afghan farmers to grow high value & sustainable crops on war-torn lands, which has resulted in doubling/tripling the income to poppies for proud Afghan families living in 34 of the 34 provinces.
A PRESS CONFERENCE will be held at Dubai World Trade Center, Zabeel Hall, Booth #Y-E 80. AFGHAN TRADERS BOOTH featuring a ‘Taste of Afghanistan’—fruits, dried nuts, etc. On February 25, 2013 at 11:00 AM/Dubai.
Attendees of this press conference will include Mrs. Heidi Kuhn, Founder/CEO Roots of Peace and thirty Afghan traders—including seven women traders/business leaders. “Since 2003, Roots of Peace has strengthened markets for Afghan fruits by focusing on the proper post harvest management and meeting market requirements,” stated Kuhn: “by training Afghans on value chain from farm to fork, we are empowering Afghan families to re-discover the fruit basket in the Heart of Asia.”
Roots of Peace is an international humanitarian organization working to unearth dangerous landmines in war-torn countries and empowers the local communities scarred by these indiscriminate weapons. Working to build sustainable crops on land once too dangerous to traverse is how we transform the scars of conflict into the Roots of Peace.
Afghan Grape Farmers
"Mines to Vines" Turning mine fields into bountiful vineyards in Afghanistan
Our top ten accomplishments in the last ten years in Afghanistan...and much more to come!
Raised funds to remove over 100,000 landmines & unexploded ordnance (UXO)
Planted over 5 million trees
Operates in 34 of the 34 provinces—nationwide
Trained over 1 million Afghan farmers & families to grow high value crops
Doubled/tripled the income for Afghan farmers by facilitating trade & export
Raised 50 million "pennies" to build schools and soccer fields for Afghan children
Established over 1000 potato storage facilities
Facilitated export of more than 10,000 metric tons of fruits to regional markets
Funded/audited by USAID, USDA, DOD, EU, GTZ, ADB, and The World Bank
Serving as a world-wide model to DEMINE~REPLANT~REBUILD in war-torn countries