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Snapshot
USAID is helping more
than 800 farmers to
plant more than 300
hectares of the
important fodder crop
on their farmland.
Alfalfa Sprouts Afghan Agribusiness
Photo: USAID/ASAP
A farmer examines his crop of alfalfa
grown with the support of USAID.
“I have already harvested
my alfalfa field six to
eight times this year”
Livestock, both for traction and for sustenance, are crucial to
the development of a country’s agriculture. Afghanistan suffers
from a shortage of fodder crops that are preventing the country’s
farmers from realizing their full potential. The solution may
lie in the production of alfalfa which is widely recognized as an
important crop for its resilience, yield, and use as high-protein
and high-fiber feed for farm animals.
In various provinces throughout Afghanistan, USAID is implementing
a fodder program to increase production of alfalfa and
to create agribusiness opportunities in the crop. Farmers are
beginning to reap the benefits.
“I have already harvested my alfalfa field six to eight times this
year, and it is still growing so I hope to have three more harvests
as well,” noted Said Shah, a farmer from Charkh District
of Logar Province in eastern Afghanistan.
Shah is just one of the more than 800 beneficiaries of the project.
In close coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation
and Livestock, USAID is providing all of the farmers
participating in the program with certified alfalfa seed and training
on commercial alfalfa production. They are trained on proper
seedbed establishment, fertilization, irrigation, harvest, and
post-harvest handling and processing.
The Agency also provides the farmers with vouchers that allow
them to purchase items like fertilizer through their local AgDepots
(USAID-supported farm stores) at a reduced price. In return,
they are expected to keep their plots open for visiting
group members to encourage others to grow the valuable crop.
Farmers will also be provided with access to equipment and
machinery that will allow them to open up agribusinesses with
their alfalfa crops.
“The farmers of Logar are very happy with the assistance,”
Shah said. “We hope to get more assistance and training so
we can continue with development of our agriculture.”
USAID provides strategic support to public and private sectors
nationwide with the overarching goals of improving agricultural
production, increasing sales and exports, generating new jobs,
and introducing modern agricultural technologies.
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