Green Initiative for Afghanistan’s Agriculture (GIAA)

Up to 80% of the Afghan population depend fully or partially on agriculture for their livelihoods, giving the sector a crucial role for the development of the country. However, uncontrolled grazing, pastureland encroachment, illegal logging and the loss of forest and grass cover are not only reducing agricultural productivity, but also worsening drought conditions and increasing disaster risks such as mudslides and flooding.
Low productivity and unsustainable practices are exacerbated by a lack of knowledge and practical skills among farmers, extension workers and other actors involved in the agricultural sector. Existing capacity-building opportunities for natural resource management (NRM) professionals are often not sufficiently practice-oriented, not adapted to local conditions and rarely systematic.

Poor families in rural areas improve their livelihoods thanks to enhanced Afghan professional and institutional capacity for sustainable management of land and water resources.

Direct stakeholders are natural resource management field practitioners and professionals from government institutions, universities, colleges, NGOs and the private sector.
Indirectly the project will benefit the Afghan farmers and their families.

Outcome 1: Women and men farmers manage their natural resources more sustainably, thanks to better qualified Natural Resource Management professionals.

Outcome 2: Afghan institutions improve and apply sustainable natural resource management policies.

Expected results:  

O1.1: Project partners are aware of the existing capacities and gaps in the rural advisory systems.

O1.2: Improved or new modular needs-based curricula and training material with local relevance are jointly developed with partners

O1.3: Students and graduates acquired practical NRM-knowledge through internships

O1.4: Rural advisors gained new knowledge and improved their knowledge about key NRM-topics and demonstrate application in the field

O1.5: Afghan NRM-students can pursue advanced studies at home or abroad (if requested by partners)

O2.1: Policymakers and other rural advisory services actors have access to documentation about field experience and evidence about policy implementation, made available systematically and regularly

O2.2: Government officials and teaching staff (universities, colleges) acquire practical NRM-knowledge through exposure visits

O2.3: Functioning community of practice established

O2.4: Process of institutionalization of GIAA supported through national NRM conferences of rural advisory services actors

Results from previous phases:  

Baselines will be established at project start.

Agridea

• SDC livelihood projects (SLSD, ILRC, LIPT) and other projects of GIAA partners
• NGOs and donors active in Natural Resource Management and agriculture
• Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, in particular the General Directorate for Natural Resource Management
• Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency
• National Agriculture Education College
• Universities of Kabul, Bamyan and Takhar, in particular their agriculture faculties

Phase 1 01.07.2016 - 30.06.2020   (Completed)