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08!Automne(

S a m u e l ' H a l l ' 'Q a l a , e , F a t u l l a h , ( S t r e e t # 5 (K a b u l , ( A F G H A N I S T A N (h e r v e . n i c o l l e @ s a m u e l h a l l . o r g ((!

Assessing(Income(Generating(Activities(in(Zare(and(Kishindih(

Survey'commissioned'by'PIN'(People'in'Need)'

Table(of(Contents(

(1.(Introduction(...................................................................................................................(3(

1.1.(Background(......................................................................................................(3(1.2.(Project(Description(..........................................................................................(3(1.3.(Research(Tools(&(Field(Work(............................................................................(4(

1.3.1.$Geographic$Scope$.............................................................................................................$4$1.3.2.$Tools$Used$........................................................................................................................$6$1.3.3.$Fieldwork$Team$................................................................................................................$7$

1.4.(Structure(of(the(Report(....................................................................................(7(

2.(Selection(of(Income(Generating(Activities(......................................................................(8(2.1.(Economic(Overview(.........................................................................................(8(2.2.(Preselected(Activities(......................................................................................(11(2.3.(Selection(Criteria(............................................................................................(11(2.4.(Matrix(of(Income(Generating(Activities(...........................................................(15(2.5.(Selected(Income(Generating(Activities(............................................................(16(

2.5.1.$Almonds$(“Satar$Bahee”)$................................................................................................$16$2.5.2.$Apiculture$.......................................................................................................................$19$2.5.3.$Caraway$(“Black$Kajak”)$.................................................................................................$22$2.5.4.$Potatoes$(“Sabz$Gul”)$.....................................................................................................$25$2.5.5.$Poultry$(“Golden$Layers”)$...............................................................................................$29$2.5.6.$Saffron$............................................................................................................................$33$2.5.7.$Sheep$(“Qaraqul”)$..........................................................................................................$36$

3.(Scenarios(and(Lessons(Learned(.....................................................................................(39(3.1.(Scenario(1:(Improving(the(Yield(of(the(Existing(IGA(.........................................(39(3.2.(Scenario(2:(Diversifying(the(Sources(of(IGA(.....................................................(40(3.3.(Lessons(Learned(..............................................................................................(41(

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Annexes(............................................................................................................................(44(Annex!1:!Perception!Survey!and!Market!Needs!Assessment!in!Zare!...............................................!44!

Annex!2:!Perception!Survey!and!Market!Needs!Assessment!in!Kishindih!........................................!45!

Annex!3:!Examples!of!IGA!Implementation!Plans!.............................................................................!46!

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It$is$better$to$have$a$permanent$income$than$to$be$fascinating.$!

Oscar!Wilde!!

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!

Background(!

Afghanistan!has!taken!steps!towards!political!and!economic!stability!in!the!past!few!years,!starting!to!

overcome!decades!of!war!and!suffering!under!the!Taliban.!While!progress!is!being!made,!pervasive!

poverty! and! a! fragile! economic! situation!mean! that! is! a! long!way! from! a! satisfactory! standard! of!

living!and!functioning!state.!

People$ in$Need’s! (PIN)!permanent!mission! in!Afghanistan!was! founded!at! the!end!of!2001! to!help!

introduce! longTterm!solutions!and!develop!education,!health!and! income!generating!activities.!PIN!

was! the! first! NGO! to! start! work! in! Zare! District! in! 2001,! after! devastating! droughts! and! years! of!

conflict.! PIN! conducted! an! initial! pilot! returnee!programme! for! IDPs! in! cooperation!with! IOM!and!

WFP!in!January!2002.!Several!other!programmes!subsequently!followed!supporting!the!reintegration!

(financed!by!FAO,!WB,!UNICEF,!DFID!and!UNHCR).!!

Following! the! same! logic,! PIN! carries! out! longTterm! intensive!work! in! selected! rural! communities,!

combining!elements!of!education!and!community!development!with!specialized!technical!assistance.!

PIN’s!technical!assistance!focuses!on!solving!the!most!urgent!material!problems!of!the!community,!

especially! the!critical! lack!of!drinking!water!and! the!very!poor! level!of! sanitation.! In!each!of! these!

projects,!PIN!works! in!close!cooperation!with! local!residents!and!the!emerging! institutions!of!state!

administration.!

Currently!PIN!has!started!an!European!Community!funded!Food!facility!project!in!Zari!and!Kishindih!

districts! of! Balkh! province! with! the! objective! of! increasing! resilience! of! local! population! towards!

price! instability! through! introduction! of! improved! agricultural! production! and! introduction! of!

alternative!income!generation!activities.!

!

1.2.(Project(Description((

!

To!extend!its!impact!and!mitigate!food!insecurity!in!the!remote!areas!of!Northern!Afghanistan,!the!

PIN!MazarTeTSharif!office!will!increase!food!availability!and!accessibility!in!Balkh!province!through:!1)!

a! direct! support! to! both! individual! producers! and! SMEs;! 2)! a! contribution! to! the! improvement! of!

local! infrastructure;! 3)! capacity! building! of! local! authorities.! In! these! different! regards,! the! PIN!

project!aims!to!enhance!income!generating!opportunities!in!two!districts:!Zara!and!Kishindih!(Balkh!

1.(Introduction((

08!Automne(

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province),! through! training,! knowledge! sharing! and! joint! business! strategies.! To! this! aim,! PIN!

commissioned!an!independent!consultant/researcher!to!conduct!a!market!research!in!the!districts!of!

Zara!and!Kishindih.!The!assessment!consisted!of:!

• Assessment!of!the!two!target!districts!(cities!of!Sholgara,!Kishindih!Bala,!Chalcana,!Agkupruk,!

Zari,! Amrakh,! Maqsagh,! and! Sang! Charak)! and! development! of! sustainable! alternative!

income!generation!activities!to!bring!the!most!benefit!to!the!target!beneficiaries:!7!activities!

were! preTselected,! based! on! their! capacity! (costTefficiency)! to! be! allocated! to! the! total!

number!of!800!beneficiaries.!!

• A!practical! implementation!plan! including!set!up!of!sector!associations!of!beneficiaries!and!

market!access!strategies.!

!

(1.3.(Research(Tools(&(Field(Work((

(1.3.1.(Geographic(Scope((

1.3.1.1.(Balkh(province(profile((Balkh! Province! is! located! in! the! North! of! the!

country! –! approximately! 7! hours! drive! from!

Kabul.!It!is!bordered!by!DaryaTeTAmu!(Amu!River),!

which! forms! the! national! border!with! Tajikistan,!

Uzbekistan! and! Turkmenistan.! Balkh! is!

surrounded! by! the! province! of! Kunduz! to! the!

Northeast,!Samangan!to!the!East,!SarTI!Pul!to!the!

South! and! Southwest,! and! Jowzjan! to! the!

Northwest.!Divided!into!15!districts,!Balkh!covers!

a! landmass! of! 16,186! square! kilometers.! The!

region!possesses! rich!natural! resources! including!

mineral!deposits!and!natural!gas.!!

Balkh! Province! hosts! 1,169,000! people! (5th! most! populous! province! in! the! country)! with! a! large!

majority!of!Tajik.!One!third!of!the!total!population!of!Balkh!lives!in!the!district!of!MazarTeTSharif.!An!

estimate!70%!of!the!population!lives!in!rural!areas.!!

The! excellent! geographical! location! of! Balkh! makes! the! province! a! significant! trade! hub! both!

domestically,! and! with! Central! Asian! states! (particularly! Tajikistan! and! Uzbekistan).! The! Hairaton!

border!provides! the!government!with! large! incomes! from!taxes!on! importing!and!exporting!goods!

(including!oil)!to!and!from!Afghanistan!via!Uzbekistan.!The!province!has!a!relatively!good!investment!

climate,!with!reasonable!levels!of!security!(compared!to!the!rest!of!the!country),!and!this!has!already!

attracted! many! investors! and! donors.! A! range! of! financial! services! is! also! available! in! the! urban!

areas.!

Balkh’s!economy!is!known!as!one!of!the!least!agrarianTbased!in!Afghanistan!and!twoTthirds!of!urban!

households! derive! income! from! trade! and! services.! However,! this! reality! mostly! corresponds! to!

((((((Map(1:(Balkh(Province(

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MazarTeTSharif,!where!the!majority!of!the!trade!is!done!in!vibrant!markets!and!shops.!MazarTeTSharif!

is! the!only! city! in!Afghanistan!with!almost!24!hours!of!electricity,!and!has! several!wellTestablished!

schools!for!girls,!and!a!central!university.!There!are!existing!processing!and/or!packaging!facilities!in!

MazarTeTSharif!but!most!of!them!are!outdated.!Some!of!them!could!be!rehabilitated!and!others!built!

to!absorb!existing!production!and!encourage!production!growth.!Such!facilities!could!be!developed!

in!coordination!with!efforts! to!enhance!the!quality!and!the!quantity!of!products!at! the!production!

level.!However,!most!of!them!are!poorly!run!and!in!desperate!need!of!modernization,!and,!as!in!the!

rest!of!the!country,!the!incentives!to!stay!‘informal’!tend!to!dominate!in!the!private!sector.!

The! past!wealth! of! Balkh! Province—formerly! known! as! the! fruit! basket! of! Afghanistan—! could! to!

return! when! proper! irrigation! and! agriculture! structures! are! rehabilitated! and! built.! Agribusiness!

assistance!in!this!province!is!already!targeting!international!markets,!particularly!for!dried!fruits!and!

nuts.!However,!the!province!suffers!from!a!degradation!of!its!irrigation!and!agricultural!structures!as!

well! as! from! devastating! pest! waves.! Chimtal! and! Dawlat! Abad,! even! without! the! future!

enhancement!of!the!irrigation!structures,!present!the!highest!potential!for!development.!The!socioT

economic! development! of! the! two! most! remote! districts! (Kishindih! and! Zare),! however,! is! much!

more!problematic.!

(

1.3.1.2.(Targeted(districts(profile:(Zari(and(Kishindih(

Kishindih!and!Zare!are! the! southernmost!districts!of!Balkh!province,! located!between!Sari!Pul! and!

Samangan! provinces.! Kishindih! and! Zare! are! largely! mountainous! and! rainTfed! landscape.! The!

southern!part!of!the!district! is!mountainous,!with!very!poor!villages!that!are!hard!to!access!due!to!

the! lack! of! road! paved! or! reinforced! roads.! According! to! the! last! CSO! data! (2008T2009),! these!

districts!host!3%!of!the!Balkh!Province!population.!There!is!no!urban!center!in!this!district!and!almost!

no!economic!activity!of!production!or!transformation!(aside!from!agriculture!and!livestock!sectors).!!

Most!of!the!agricultural! land! is!rainTfed!(95%!approximately).!The!particular!topography!(high!hills)!

prevents! the! easy! construction! of! irrigation! schemes! along! the! river,! of! which! the! banks! are! too!

narrow!to!be!cultivated!on!important!surfaces,!except!in!three!small!areas.!Agriculture!is!thus!shaped!

by!its!landscape:!families!usually!own!between!15!and!20!jeribs!of!rainTfed!hills,!and!essentially!grow!

wheat.! In!the!limited!irrigated!areas,!wheat,!corn,!cotton,!rice!and!tomato!are!grown.!Some!niches!

are!also!developed:!in!Chalcana,!for!instance,!pistachios!are!grown!on!4!large!fields!of!2000!jiribs,!but!

the!harvest!is!still!traditional!and!there!is!neither!processing!nor!marketing.!Most!farmers!use!animal!

traction! in! the! reachable! areas,! and!handTtools! in! the! areas!of! greater! slope! (sometimes! shovels).!

Fertilizers! are! used! when! the! weather! seems! to! be! favorable! for! a! good! harvest.! Seeds! are! not!

usually!bought,!but!kept!from!the!previous!harvest.!!

(

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1.3.2.(Tools(Used((The!survey!involved!both!quantitative!and!qualitative!research!methods!including!document!review,!

quantitative! interviews!of!the! local!population,!and! inTdepth! interviews.!The!quality!of! information!

gathered!with!the!proposed!tools!is!guaranteed!by!the!direct!involvement!of!both!international!and!

national! consultants! with! a! strong! expertise! in! socioTeconomic! research! in! Afghanistan.! The! data!

collection!methodology!steps!and!tools!selected!for!this!project!were:!

• Secondary(research(and(desk(review(–!A!deskTbased!review!was!first!conducted!to!gather!all!the!documents!and!indicators!pertaining!to!PIN!as!well!as!the!Central!Statistics!Office!(CSO).!

This! desk! review! also! included! the! review! and! assessment! of! official! reports,! available!

documentary!sources!and!the!history!and!trends!of! indicators!used!in!programming!efforts!

by!different!stakeholders.!As!such,!additional!information!on!a!selected!number!of!national!

and! international! stakeholders! was! thus! collated! (Mission$ East,$ GTZ,$ USAID[ASAP,$ USAID[RAMP,$Solidarites,$MADERA,$and$Aga$Khan$Foundation).!These!stakeholders!were!defined!by!their!influence!on!programming!at!the!national!level,!their!presence!locally!and!their!ability!

to! provide! quality! and! reliable! information.! The! main! objective! of! this! first! step! was! to!

benchmark!successful!information!and/or!initiatives!developed!by!other!implementing!NGOs!

in!other!Afghan!provinces!(namely!in!Balkh,!Takhar,!and!Badakhshan!provinces).!

!

• Key( informant( interviews( –! Zara! and! Kishindih! districts! were! covered,! through! a! 8Tday!qualitative!interview!field!work!in!the!cities!of!Sholgara,!Kishindih,!Chalcana,!Agkupruk,!Zari,!

Amrakh,!Marghzar,!and!Sang!Charak,!to!meet!with!all!stakeholders!relevant!to!the!topic!of!

the! assessment:! starting! with! government! representatives! to! local! shuras,! relevant!NGO/international!organization!representatives,!implementing!partner!staff,!and!local!social!

or!economic!leaders.!A!special!questionnaire!was!built!for!each!representative!–!depending!

on! their!area!of! specialization!and! their! responsibility! in! the!political,! social,!and!economic!

cycle.! The! goal! was! to! provide! PIN! with! adequate! recommendations! and! evaluate! their!

alignment!with!both!local!needs!and!PIN!general!objectives!and!guidelines.!These!interviews!

were! led! using! a! semiTopen! questionnaire! and! lasted! about! 1! hour.! These!meetings!were!

conducted! inTperson,! by! an! international! and! a! national! consultant!with! the!help!of! a! PIN!

facilitator!to!reaching!the!target!communities.!

(• Quantitative( Survey( –( Before! carrying! out! the! qualitative! fieldwork,! the! 2! national!

coordinators!trained!a!team!of!PIN!interviewers!(or!partnering!organization!already!present!

in!the!targeted!districts)!to! lead!a!comprehensive!beneficiary!survey! in!order!to!record!the!

views! and! perceptions! of! the! potential! target! beneficiaries.! PIN! offered! a! strong! support!

during! this! field! research!during! the!NRM!workshops!organized! in! each! community! of! the!

project! between! MidTApril! and! May! 2010.! The! quantitative! questionnaire! included! 40!

questions,!for!interviews!lasting!no!more!than!20!minutes.!During!the!course!of!the!project,!

a!total!sample!of!191!individuals!was!interviewed,!as!shown!in!the!table!below.(

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!

((((((((((((((((Table(1:(Quantitative(Sample(Description((breakdown'by'gender)'((((((1.3.3.(Fieldwork(team(((The!project!lasted!for!6!weeks!and!the!fieldwork!took!place!in!the!districts!of!Zari!and!Kishindih.!The!

research! team! consisted! of! one! international! consultant,! two! national! consultants! from! Kabul,!

selected!on!the!basis!of!their!thorough!experience!leading!surveys!and!their!detailed!knowledge!of!

the!local!area.!!

(!!

1.4.(Structure(of(the(Report((This! report! is! divided! into! three! chapters! and! structured! as! follows.! The! introduction! provides!

background!and! contextual! information,! as!well! as! the!methodological! approach! that!was!used! to!

gather! qualitative! information! and! quantitative! data.! The! second! section! sets! out! the! assessment!

matrix!that!was!used!to!define!a!list!of!potential!income!generating!activities!in!the!targeted!areas,!

and! details! each! of! the! different! activities! that!were! identified! during! the! course! of! the! fieldwork!

phase.!The!third!and! last!section!provides!PIN!with!alternative!scenarios!as!well!as! lessons! learned!

from! desk! review,! qualitative! interviews,! quantitative! questionnaires! as! well! as! fieldwork! direct!

observations.!!

($

Respondents! Kishindih! Zare! Total!

Male! 81! 88! 169!(88.5%)!

Female! 10! 12! 22!(11.5%)!

Total! 91! 100! 191!

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(

!

(2.1.(Economic(Overview(

!

Economic(Activity(–!The!economic!activity!in!the!targeted!districts!and!8!market!places!is!mostly,!if!

not!exclusively,!agrarian.!From!the!PIN!“Rapid$Market$Research$2008”! report,! the!main! sources!of!

income! stem! from! cereal$ crops! including! wheat! (40%),! barley,! sesame,! and! maize! for! animals;!

livestock!meat$and$dairy$products! (30%),!vegetable$oil$ production! (20%),!qarakul$ /$ sheepskin! (5%),!and!vegetable$and$ fruit! cultivation! (5%).!Common!cited!significant!high!value!agricultural!products!

include!potato,!walnut,!dried!apricot,!dried!yoghurt,!peach!(to!a!lesser!degree),!onion,!melon,!animal!

oil,! eggs,! and! mulberry! (dried,! jam).! Common! cited! significant! nonTagricultural! products! include!

carpets,! embroidery,! cotton! thread,! wool! thread,! bricks,! carpentry! products,! iron! products!

(blacksmith),!and!qarakul.!Traders!(mainly!from!Sholgara!and!Mazar)!often!buy!agricultural!products!

from!secondary!markets!that!they!resell!in!the!main!bazaars!of!Sholgara,!Sang!Charak,!Mazar!or!Zare.!!

(

Market( Prices( –! However,! it! is! worth! noting! that! Zare! and! Kishindih! are! not! a! single! unified! and!homogenous!market,!with!identified!dynamics!and!trends.!During!the!course!of!the!assessment,!the!

review! team! surveyed! the! average! prices! of! 44! agriculture! and! livestock! local! productions! in! the!

seven!main!bazaars!(Amrakh,!Aqkoprok,!Kishindih,!Margzagh,!Mazar,!Sholgara,!and!Zare)!and!found!

out!that!there!were!some!significant!differences!between!local!markets.!Charts!4!and!5!below!show!

the!average!prices!of!agricultural!(Wheat,!Caraway,!Almonds,!and!Potatoes)!and!livestock!(qarakul!–!

male,!female!and!kid)!productions.!It!clearly!suggests!that:!

1) Most! market! prices! are! heterogeneous,! as! markets! are! isolated! from! others! (Amrakh,!

Marghzar,!Cholgara,!etc.),!which!leads!to!significant!price!differences,!logics,!and!dynamics;!!

2) Depending!on!local!scarcity!in!supply,!some!products!can!get!a!significant!premium!(Qarakul!

in!Amrakh,!Caraway!in!Kishindih,!Honey!and!Potatoes!in!Marghzar);!

3) Some! significant! differences! can! also! be! explained! by! the! intrinsic! quality! of! the! surveyed!

productions.!For!instance,!almond!prices!can!vary!a!great!deal!on!the!same!market:!in!Zare,!

100! AFA! for! 1kg! of!Morawaji! (traditional! low! quality! almonds),! 170! AFA! for! small!mixedT

khasak,!200!AFA!for!big!mixedTkhasak,!and$230!AFA!for!Satar$Bahee!zirati.!!

Lastly,!based!on!our!field!observations,!it!seems!that:!1)!there!is!a!scissor!effect!between!agricultural!

volumes! (increasing)! and!prices! (strongly!decreasing);! 2)! there! is! a!parallel! increase!of! both!prices!

and!volumes! in! the! livestock!market.! These!observations!were!made!by!all! the!market!players!we!

met! (individual! interviews!or! focus! groups),! in! all! the!places!we! visited:! “Last! year,!we!had!a! very!

good!weather!and!the!pastures!were!good!as!well.!It!had!a!positive!impact!on!sheep!and!cows!in!our!

district.!I!sold!my!Arabi!sheep!5,000!to!5,500!AFA,!whereas!in!2007!I!had!sold!them!for!only!2,500”!

(Najibullah,!Farmer,!Kishindih).!!

2.(Selection(of(Income(Generating(Activities((

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((((((((Chart(1:(Average(prices(of(selected(agricultural(products(in(6(markets((3(respondents(per(product)(

!

!

Chart(2:(Average(prices(of(selected(livestock(products(in(6(markets((3(respondents(per(product)(

!

0!

20!

40!

60!

80!

100!

120!

140!

160!

180!

Wheat,(Potato,(Caraway,(and(Almond(Average(Market(Prices((in(AFA)(

Wheat!(7kg)!

Potatoes!(7kg)!

Caraway!(1kg)!

Almonds!(1kg)!

0!

1000!

2000!

3000!

4000!

5000!

6000!

7000!

8000!

9000!

10000!

Sheep(Qarakul(Average(Market(Prices((in(AFA)((

Male!Adult!–!3!years!

Female!Adult!–!3!years!

Female!–!less!one!year!

Wool!!

! !!!10!

Socio,Economic(Environment(–!Moreover,! to!capture! the!economic!climate!of!both!districts,!NRM!

workshop! interviewees! were! asked! to! rank! the! main! obstacles! to! the! development! of! their!

respective!district!on!a!5Tpoint! scale.!As! shown! in! the! two!charts!below,!most!of!Kishindih!district!

respondents!prioritized!basic!needs,!like!access!to!water!(4.6/5),!land!(3.7/5),!and!electricity!(3.6/5);!

likewise,! among! the! Zari! respondents,! access! to!water! (4.3/5),! land! (4.3/5),! and! electricity! (3.6/5)!

were!considered!as!the!topT3!priorities.!Access!to!market!and!transportation!were!not!identified!as!

obstacles:! “We$ think$ locally.$ Of$ course,$ the$ more$ we$ sell$ in$ the$ bazaar,$ the$ better$ it$ is$ for$ the$household.$ But$we$ are$ focused$ on$ the$ short[run,$ because$ of$ all$ the$ uncertainties$we$ have$ to$ deal$with,$like$crop$diseases,$drought,$extreme$cold,$etc.”$(Muzaidin,$Elder$of$the$Bazaar,$Zari).!If!we!keep!in!mind! that!most! interviewees!were! representative!of! the! local!“middleTclass”,! these!answers!are!

quite! indicative!of!the! lack!of!an!actual!economic! interaction!between!local!producers!and!primary!

bazaars:!“We$mostly$sell$our$production$to$middlemen$(jalaba),!who$sell$sesame,$wheat,$vegetables,$or$dried$fruits$in$the$markets$of$Mazar,$Sholgara,$and$Sang$Charak”$(Esmatullah,$Trader,$Amrakh).!!!

!

To!corroborate!this!first!approach,!respondents!from!both!districts!were!asked!to!name!the!essential!

priorities! for! the! social! and! economic! development! of! their! district.! If!water! supply! and! access! to!

electricity!are!far!behind!education!and!named!as!often!as!health,!transportation!do!not!represent!a!

priority,!as!people!tend!to!consider!that!access!to!primary!markets!relies!on!middlemen!(jalaba).!!!!!!!

Chart(5:(Essential(services((191(respondents)((((((((((((

!

((((Charts(3(&(4:(Obstacles(to(the(development(of(Zari(and(Kishindih(districts((191(respondents)(

!!! ! !

! !!!11!

(2.2.(Pre,Selected(Activities(

!

During!the!preliminary!meetings!with!the!PIN!team!(MazarTeTSharif!office),!a!shortlist!of!23!activities!

was!decided!to!gauge!suitability!for!further!analysis.!The!preselected!activities!were!chosen!for!the!

potential!adequacy!with!the!local!socioTeconomic!environment.!The!specific!agrarian!profile!of!both!

targeted!districts! and! the!absence!of! an!existing! trade! and! service!market! led! to!preselect! almost!

fourTfifth! of! agriculture! and! livestock! activities.! Today,! Afghan! agriculture! is! largely! subsistenceT

oriented!but!it!could!be!leveraged!in!such!a!way!as!to!facilitate!both!significant!economic!growth!and!

SME!development.!

!

2.3.(Selection(Criteria(!

After!carefully!defining!potential!income!generating!activities,!a!second!step!of!the!initial!workgroup!

with!the!PIN!staff!consisted!in!identifying!a!set!of!criteria,!which!were!applied!to!each!activity.!

⇒ Program(Strategy:(

Long,Term( Adequacy:( Does! the! activity! fit! into! People! in! Needs’! longTterm! vision! for!

Afghanistan?!

Short,Term(Adequacy:( Is! the!activity! in! line!with!PIN’s!2010T2011! implementation!plan! for!

Afghanistan?!

⇒ Implementation:(

Skills(Required:(Does!the!activity!require!realistic!skills!from!beneficiaries?!

Technical(Feasibility:(Is!the!activity!technically!feasible!in!the!defined!time!span?(

Resilience(to(Bad(Weather(Conditions(or(Land:(Could!the!activity!be!developed!in!the!hard!weather!(drought,!cold!winters)!and!land!(mountainous,!rainTfed)!conditions?((

⇒ Impact(Assessment:(

Ecological(Impact:(Is!the!activity!in!line!with!a!sound!Natural!Resource!Management?!

Social(Acceptability:(Is!the!activity!likely!to!be!accepted!by!local!populations?!!

Input( Cost:( Are! the! input! costs! (fixed! and! variable! costs)! of! the! activity! in! line! with! the!predefined!bracket!(200US$!/!beneficiary!on!average)?!!

Income(Generation:(Does!the!activity!generate!satisfactory!shortT!and!longTrun!incomes!for!

the!household!(+30%)?!

! !!!12!

!

• Sustainability:(

Self,Sufficiency:(Would! the! beneficiary! be! able! to! autonomously! develop! the! activity! at!

year+1!or!year+5?(

Marketability:( Is! the!activity! likely! to! contribute! to! the!development!of! a!more!developed!

and!complex!economic!life!(district$bazaar,$provincial$market,$exportations,$etc.)?!

Overall( Sustainability:( Does! this! activity! enhance! the! longTterm! ecologic,! social,! and!

economic!development!of!the!district!(through$income$generation,$diversification,$etc.)?!

The!final!selection!of!income!generating!activities!was!mostly!based!on!community!focus!groups,!inT

depth! interviews! with! local! shuras,! as! well! as! direct! field! observations.! As! a! result,! the! chosen!methodology! provides! PIN! with! an! ex[post! selection,! based! on! a! very! practical! and! concrete!experiment!of! each! specific! village! cluster.! For! each!of! the! above! criteria,! activities!were! assigned!

scores! between! 1! (low)! to! 5! (high).! As! shown! in! the!matrix! below,! balancing! up! high! scores! and!

potential,! 7! final! activities! were! subsequently! selected! by! the! research! team! for! both! districts:!

Almonds! (Satar$ Bahee),! Apiculture,! Caraway! (Black! Kajak),! Potatoes! (Sabz$ Gul),! Poultry! (Golden!Layers),!and!Saffron,!and!Sheep!(Qaraqul).!

Of!course,!the!numerical!barrier!(below!or!above!50)! is!purely!formal!and!all!the!selected!activities!

were! first! and! foremost! selected!because! they! truly!match!our! field!observations.!As! no! selection!

process!can!be!absolutely!or!objectively!unbiased,!this!mix!of!quantitative!assessment!and!practical!

wisdom! (based! on! discussions! and! direct! observations)! was! probably! the! best! way! to! define! a!

reliable! selection!process.! Before!elaborating!on! the! selected! activities,! let’s! first! discuss! the!main!

reasons!why!the!review!team!did$not$select!other!potentially!promising!activities.!!

• Sheep! Arabi! (49):! The! choice! between! Arabi! and! Qaraqul! was! mostly! based! on! the! local!

cultural!context.!Sheep!Qaraqul!are!more!sensitive!to!climate!and!slightly!more!demanding!

in!terms!of!food!quality.!However,!the!review!team!considered!that!Qaraqul!were:!1)!more!

in! adequacy! with! the! traditions! of! the! two! targeted! districts! (where! Qaraqul! were! very!

popular!until! 2007!drought!and!had!not!been! reintroduced!yet);! 2)!more! likely! to!develop!

additional!value!chains!in!the!future!(not!only!meat!but!also!wool);!3)!marketable!at!a!much!

higher!price!on!both!secondary!and!end!markets.!Those!are!the!main!reasons!why!Qaraqul,!a!

traditional!variety!of!Afghan!sheep!that!is!almost!only!present!in!the!province!of!Balkh,!was!

preferred!to!Arabi.!!

!

• Goats!(46):!Goats!could!have!a!very!interesting!potential!in!both!targeted!districts.!They!are!

the!most! resilient! caprine! to! local! climate! (cold,! drought,! lack!of! pastures,! etc.).!However,!

there!are!already!many!different!species!of!goats! in!the!two!districts!and!their!potential! in!

terms!of! income!generation! and! longTterm!economic! development! remains! to! be! seen.! In!

these! regards,! despite! their! immediate! impact! on! local! livelihoods,! the! review! team!

considered!that!goats!were!not! in! line!with!PIN’s!short!and! longTterm!social!and!economic!

development!strategy!in!the!targeted!districts.!

!

! !!!13!

• Cows!(46T47):!The!introduction!of!cows!is!technically!feasible!and!could!generate!both!short!

and! longTterm!income!for!the!selected!beneficiaries.!However,! two!main!obstacles!remain:!

1)!cows!are!a!very!important!asset!in!rural!Afghanistan!and!their!average!value!(50,000!AFA!

to! 80,000! AFA! for! a! good! milkTcow)! could! seriously! distort! local! social! equilibrium! by!

providing!a!very!significant!economic!advantage!to!a!few!members!of!the!community!only;!

2)!cheaper!cows!(watani!–! local)!would!not!be!adequate!(as!they!are!not!a! longTterm!asset!

but!only!provide!meat)!and!only!the!most!expensive!cows!(milk!cows)!would!be!interesting!

for!the!IGA!program!(80,000!AFA,!to!be!compared!with!PIN’s!average!beneficiary!“voucher”:!

10,000!AFA).!

!

• Milk!processing!(38):!Milk!processing!could!only!be!developed!if!milkTcows!were!introduced.!

However,!it!would!require!important!costs!(see!below)!and!longTterm!investments!(probably!

2! to!3!years)! to!get!some! interesting!results.! It! is!of!course!not! in! line!with!PIN!shortTterm!

strategy.!

!

• Wool!processing!(39):!Wool!processing!was!successfully!developed!in!many!remote!districts!

in! Badakhshan! and! Kunduz,! for! instance.! However:! 1)! it! would! depend! on! the! preT

introduction!of!good!sheep!(mostly!Qaraqul)!which!would!require!some!time;!2)!the!activity!

is! extremely! timeTconsuming! and! women! would! need! a! solid! (6! months! to! 18! months)!

training!to!be!able!to!design!and!sell!some!marketable!carpets!or!clothes;!3)!the!absence!of!

market! linkages! in! the!area! remains!a!crucial! issue!and! is!an!absolute!prerequisite.!On! the!

longTrun!(3!to!5!years),!wool!processing!could!thus!be!an!option,!but!given!PIN’s!short!and!

longTterm!strategies!it!does!not!appear!to!be!a!priority.!

!

• Fisheries! (35):! The! difficult! and! changing! weather! conditions! as! well! as! the! technical!

feasibility! (for! the! current! PIN! staff)! are! significant! obstacles! to! the! development! of! this!

activity.!As!observed!in!other!provinces!(Badakhshan),!fishery!projects!can!easily!be!victim!of!

harsh!winters,!which!is!a!knockout!factor!for!PIN!short!and!longTterm!strategies!in!Zare!and!

Kishindih.!Lastly,!PIN!staff!has!no!experience!of!fishery!projects!and!it!may!take!time!(1!to!2!

years)!before!they!actually!take!the!technical!ownership!of!it.!!!!

!

• Greenhouse!Gardening!(43):!PIN!has!already!a!solid!experience!of!greenhouse!gardening!and!

could!easily!develop!this!activity!in!the!targeted!districts!and!tailor!it!to!the!specific!weather!

and!land!conditions!of!each!village!cluster.!However,!greenhouse!gardening!is!not!an!income!

generating!activity!per$se,$even!if!it!clearly!reduces!the!expenses!of!the!household:!instead!of!purchasing! tomatoes,! potatoes! or! onions! at! the! bazaar,! families! grow! these! different!

products!at!home.!More!importantly,!kitchen!gardening! is!often!considered!as!a!secondary!

activity!and!it!was!observed!that!many!households!do!not!work!seriously!enough!to!develop!

their!kitchen!garden.!In!these!regards,!bef!pedagogic!and!technical!!

!

• Tomatoes!(38)!and!Strawberries!(31):!Tomatoes!and!Strawberries!can!hardly!be!considered!

as!activities!per$se,!as!they!are!way!too!sensitive!to!climate!and!land!conditions.!Moreover,!

the!difficult!access!to!market!remains!a!major! issue!for!such!fragile!productions! (quality!of!

the!roads,!physical!access!to!secondary!markets,!transportation!conditions,!packaging,!etc.).!

Lastly,!the!demand!cannot!absolutely!be!ascertained!at!both!district!and!provincial!levels.!In!

! !!!14!

these! different! regards,!we! consider! that! the! probability! of! success! is! really! low! for! these!

activities.!!

!

• Sesame!(47):!Sesame!could!of!course!be!a!very! interesting! income!generating!opportunity.!

However,! the! review! team! took! into! account! two! parameters! to! choose! between! sesame!

and! caraway:! 1)! the! opportunity! cost! (as!most! beneficiaries!would! have! to! replace!wheat!

with! caraway! or! sesame);! 2)! the! existing!market! opportunities! (price! of! improved! sesame!

compared!with!improved!caraway!in!the!main!surveyed!markets).!From!both!points!of!view,!

it! seems! that! caraway! has! a! more! promising! economic! potential.! However,! it! is! worth!

mentioning!that!the!introduction!of!sesame:!1)!would!be!technically!easy;!2)!would!generate!

a!significant!income!(+15!to!20%!of!ROI).!!

!

• Carpentry! (36)! and! Construction! (36):! In! both! districts,! there! is! no! existing! or! potential!

market!for!modern!carpenters!or!construction!workers:!“Of$course,$it$would$be$better$to$use$modern$techniques$to$make$our$doors$and$windows,$to$build$our$houses.$But$nobody$will$pay$for$it.$Traditional$techniques$are$still$good$enough$and$you$don’t$need$skilled$workers$for$it”$(Shura$Leader,$Zare).$Once!again,!in!such!a!specific!context,!an!idea!is!good!when!it!is!realistic!and! tailored! to! the! actual! demand.! For! the!moment,! there! is! unfortunately! no!market! for!

carpentry!or!construction!activities!in!Zare!and!Kishindih!districts.!!!

!

• Restaurant!(40)!and!Shop!keeping!(40):!Shop!keeping!activities!(and!Restaurants,!to!a!lesser!

extent)! could! play! both! a! social! and! an! economic! role! on! local! community! developement!

(especially!in!Kishindih,!where!the!construction!of!the!new!road!has!led!to!the!destruction!of!

3!shop!and!2!chaeTkhana).!Moreover,! this!kind!of!activity! is! fairly!easy! to!start!and!set!up.!

There!is!however!two!financial!obstacles:!1)!the!cost!would!be!significantly!higher!than!the!

average!cost!per!IGA!(10,000!AFA);!2)!PIN’s!role!would!not!be!clear!inasmuch!as!they!would!

play!the!role!of!a!finance/charity! institution,!with!no!control!on!the!products,! investments,!

etc.!In!these!regards,!we!recommend!to!develop!shop!keeping!activities!through!SHGs:!in!the!

remote!districts!of!Bangi!and!Khash!(Takhar),!shopTkeepers!received! interesting! loans! from!

SelfTHelp!Groups,!which!helped!them!start!their!activity.!PIN!could!easily!play!the!role!of!a!

facilitator!here.!

!

• Blacksmith!(38):!An!interview!with!Kishindih!Bala! local!blacksmith!showed!that!there!was!a!

local!market! (for!water! tanks,! boilers,!bukhari,! doors,! etc.).! The! blacksmith!was!willing! to!

expand!his!business!and!sell!his!products!in!Sholgara!and!Arqupruk.!According!to!him,!to!be!

fully! equipped,! he! needed! 80,000! AFA! (for! the! blacksmith! machine,! the! anvil,! scissors,!

hammer,!etc).!In!terms!of!income!generation,!it!is!a!worthwhile!activity:!it!costs,!for!instance,!

2000!AFA!to!make!a!door!that!will!be!sold!for!3000!AFA!and!require!2!days!of!work.!Thus,!

there! is! clearly! a! potential! for! 5! to! 10! blacksmiths! in! the! surveyed! districts.! However,! the!

review! team!still! believes! that! the!actual! and! longTterm! local!market! capacity! is!unknown.!

Moreover,!considering!the!financial!cost!involved!in!developing!this!activity!(tools!+!training!

+! short! market! study)! and! the! uncertainties! about! the! actual! return! on! investment,! PIN!

would!take!a!significant!risk,!which!is!not!in!line!with!its!shortTterm!strategy.!!!!

!

! !!!15!

2.4.$Matrix$of$Income$Generating$Activities$$

! PIN$9$Program$Strategy$ Implementation$ Impact$Assessment$ Overall$Sustainability$ Total$

M&E$CRITERIA$ Long(Term!Adequacy!

Short(Term!Adequacy!!(1!yr)!

Skills!Required!

Technical!Feasibility!

Resilience!to!Climate!and!

Land!

Ecological!Impact!(NRM)!

Social!Acceptability! Input!Cost! Income!

Generating!Self(

Sufficiency! Marketabilty! Sustainabilty! TOTAL!SCORE!

Sheep$(Qaraqul)$ 4$ 3$ 5$ 5$ 4$ 3$ 5$ 4$ 5$ 3$ 4$ 5$ 50$Sheep$(Arabi)$ 3! 3! 5! 5! 5! 3! 5! 5! 3! 4! 5! 3! 49!

Goats$(Watani)$ 2! 2! 5! 5! 5! 3! 5! 5! 2! 4! 5! 3! 46!

Cows$(Watani)$ 3! 2! 5! 5! 5! 3! 5! 3! 3! 4! 5! 3! 46!

Cows$(Zirati)$ 4! 3! 4! 5! 3! 3! 5! 4! 4! 3! 4! 5! 47!

Milk$Processing$$ 4! 2! 2! 2! 3! 4! 4! 3! 3! 3! 3! 5! 38!

Wool$Processing$ 4! 2! 2! 2! 4! 4! 4! 2! 4! 3! 3! 5! 39!

Poultry$ 4$ 4$ 5$ 4$ 4$ 4$ 5$ 5$ 5$ 4$ 4$ 4$ 52$Bee$Keeping$ 4$ 4$ 4$ 4$ 3$ 5$ 5$ 4$ 5$ 4$ 5$ 4$ 51$Fisheries$ 3! 2! 2! 2! 1! 5! 5! 2! 5! 3! 3! 2! 35!

Almonds$ 5$ 3$ 4$ 4$ 3$ 5$ 5$ 4$ 5$ 4$ 4$ 4$ 50$Greenhouse$Gardening$ 3! 4! 4! 3! 3! 4! 4! 4! 3! 4! 3! 4! 43!

Tomatoes$ 3! 2! 3! 3! 1! 4! 5! 4! 5! 3! 3! 2! 38!

Strawberries$ 2! 2! 2! 2! 1! 4! 4! 4! 3! 3! 2! 2! 31!

Potatoes$ 5$ 4$ 4$ 4$ 4$ 4$ 5$ 5$ 5$ 5$ 4$ 4$ 53$Saffron$ 5$ 4$ 3$ 4$ 3$ 4$ 5$ 5$ 5$ 4$ 5$ 4$ 51$Cumin$(Caraway)$ 4$ 4$ 4$ 5$ 4$ 3$ 5$ 5$ 4$ 4$ 4$ 4$ 50$Sesame$ 3! 3! 4! 5! 4! 3! 5! 5! 3! 4! 4! 4! 47!

Carpentry$ 3! 2! 2! 2! 4! 4! 5! 2! 3! 3! 3! 3! 36!

Construction$ 3! 2! 2! 2! 4! 4! 5! 2! 3! 3! 3! 3! 36!

Restaurant$ 3! 2! 3! 3! 4! 4! 5! 2! 4! 4! 3! 3! 40!

Shopkeeping$ 3! 2! 4! 3! 4! 4! 5! 2! 3! 4! 3! 3! 40!

Blacksmith$ 4! 2! 2! 2! 4! 4! 5! 1! 4! 4! 3! 3! 38!

! !!!16!

2.5.$Selected$Income$Generating$Activities$!

2.5.1.$Almonds$(Satar&Bahee)&!Production$ –! In! spite! of! its! use! of! tradition1bound! almond! production! techniques,! Afghanistan!produces!some!of!the!highest1valued!almonds!in!the!world.!Production!reported!in!2009!by!AISA!by!the!Afghan!government! ranks!Afghanistan! as! the!world's! 4th! largest! producer!of! almonds.!Afghan!almond!trees!have!an!average! life!span!of!20!to!25!years!and!start!bearing!fruits!3!to!4!years!after!planting.! A! PHDP! survey! conducted! in! 2007! found! that! almond! saplings! were! the! second! species!most!represented!in!Afghan!nurseries!after!apricots,!with!4.2!million!trees.!Balkh!province!accounted!for!more!than!one1fourth!of!these!available!almond!trees!in!nurseries!in!2009.!About!40!varieties!of!almonds!are!grown! in! the! regions!of!Kunduz,! Takhar,!Balkh,!Baghlan,!Parwan,!Uruzgan,!Dai!Kundi,!Herat! and! Samangan.! Satar! Bahee! variety! is! the! most! popular! and! profitable;! other! important!varieties! grown! in! Afghanistan! include! Qambari,! Qaharbai( and! Khairodini.! In! Balkh,! the! almond!season! stretches! from! July! until!mid1October.! Almonds! have! a! high!nutritious! value! and! contain! a!high! level! of! calories.! They! are! rich! in! calcium,! phosphorus,! and! potassium.! Presently! only! two!almond! products! are! sold,! in1shell! (2/3)! and! kernels! (1/3).! Almonds! are! also! used! to!make! nakul!candy!in!Afghanistan!(sugared!almond).!!

Marketing$Chain$–!The!marketing!chain!is!rather!simple,!and!is!common!with!other!dried!fruits!and!nuts.! Farmers!usually! sell! their! entire!production! to!middlemen! (Jalaba)! or! local!wholesalers,!who!bring!some!non1food!or!industrial!food!items!from!Mazar!to!the!community!when!they!come!back.!Depending!on!the!sale!arrangement,!either!the!trader!or!the!farmer!pays!for!the!transportation!cost!to! the! nearest!wholesale!market.! The! almonds! are! brought! to! a! regional! wholesale!market,! from!where! they! are! redistributed! to! other! provinces! and/or! exported.!Gross!margins! at! the!wholesale!step!range!from!5!to!15%,!depending!on!the!quality!and!quantity!of!product!available.!Wholesalers!in!Kabul!and!Kandahar!address!both!the!domestic!demand!and!export!needs.!Almonds!share!common!wholesalers,! traders,! and! trading! routes! with! other! dried! fruits! and! nuts,! as! well! as! spices! (e.g.!cumin).!In!Balkh!province,!during!the!full!season!(July!–!October),!approximately!55!tons!of!almonds!are!traded!a!day!in!Mazar1e1Sharif!(both!in!shell!and!kernels).!Traders,!directly!in!the!market!place,!currently! carry! out! the! sorting! &! grading! of! almonds.! This! is! an! informal! service! with! no! quality!control.!The!quality!of!the!sorting!&!grading!is!thus!of!inconsistent!quality!and!there!are!often!stones!and!bitter!almonds!mixed!in!with!the!Satar!Bahee!to!increase!the!weight.!The!sector!also!has!limited!present! capacity! to! add! value! in! the! production! area,! due! to! disorganized! production,! a! lack! of!infrastructure!(electricity,!machinery)!and!inconsistent!volumes.!Moreover,!there!is!no!attention!paid!to! hygiene,! and! no! formal! production! line.! Packaging! consists! of! large! bags! (351! 105! kg)! for! bulk!transport,!but!there!is!no!‘consumer!friendly’!packaging.!!

Supply$and$Demand$–!Agriculture!price!sensitivity!to!extreme!price!volatility!is!a!major!concern!for!farmers'!livelihoods:!in!2009,!almond!production!in!Afghanistan!had!increased!by!over!20!percent!on!2008,! but! the! price! had! gone! down! by! over! 40! percent,! according! to! Balkh! provincial! officials;! in!2010,!almond!prices!have! increased!a! lot.!A! farmer! interviewed! in!Zare!said! that!he!had!“sold(one(kilogram(of(in6shell(almonds(for(100(AFA(two(years(ago,(60(AFA(last(year,(and(110(AFA(today,(which(

prevents([him](from(developing(its(current(business(as( it( is( impossible(to(make(plans(for(the(future”(

(Mohammed(Bashir,(Farmer(and(Trader,(Zare(Bazaar).(

! !!!17!

Exportations$–!Afghanistan!farmers!grow!many!almond!landraces!of!excellent!quality,!which!have!an!excellent! potential! for! the! export!market! (mostly! to! Pakistan! and! India),! according! to! a! Survey! of!Afghanistan's! horticulture! sector! by! the! UN! Food! and! Agriculture! Organization! (FAO).! Almonds!contributed! to!25%!of!2009!Afghan!horticultural!exports,! according! to!AISA.!However,!"because(of(the(lack(of(processing,(packaging(and(marketing(facilities(at(home,(most(of(Afghanistan's(high(quality(

almonds(and(dried(fruits(are(sold(in(international(markets(under(other(countries'(brands,"(said!Azeem!Mustafa!Hashimi,!director!of!the!Dried!Fruits!&!Vegetables!Export!Promotion!Agency.!!

Calendar$ –$ The! table! below! summarizes! the! Almond! calendar.! As! many! agricultural! productions,!Almonds!are!highly!sensitive!to!weather!changes:!“Last(year,(we(had(a(very(cold(winter,(so(there(was(no(harvest(at(all”((Mohammad,(Shari,(District(Official,(Sang(Charak).!This!aspect!should!of!course!be!taken!into!account,!as!well!as!two!other!key!factors:!1)!almonds!and!bee!keeping!activities!could!be!developed!in!parallel!(as!suggested!in!the!box!above!–!“Roots(of(Peace’s(Experiments(in(the(Almond(

Subsector”);!2)! irrigated! lands!should!be!prioritized,!rather!than!rain1fed! land!(see!the!box!below!–!“Social(Cross6Fertilization(in(the(Almond(Nursery”).!

Table$2:$Almond$Calendar$(Satar$Bahee)$$$

$

$

$

Activity$ Jan( Feb( Mar( April( May( June( July( Aug( Sep( Oct( Nov( Dec(

TransJPlanting$

$ X$ X$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

Irrigation$ $ $ X$ X$ X$ X$ X$ X$ X$ X$ $ $

Harvest$ $ $ $ $ $ $ X$ X$ XX$ X$ $ $

Marketing$ X$ X$ X$ $ $ $ $ X$ XX$ XX$ X$ X$

Social$crossJfertilization$in$the$Almond$Nursery$

Making!the!switch!from!wheat!to!almonds!is!not!simple!and!does!not!happen!quickly,!but!the!bump!in!income!is!substantial.!For!a!farmer,!trying!out!a!new!type!of!crop!can!feel!like!a!big!gamble,!even!if!the! new! crop! is!much! higher! value.! By! provided! farmers!with! free! almond! trees! (5! to! 7! year1old,!bought!in!local!nurseries),!as!well!as!the!fertilizer!and!tools!needed!to!keep!them!healthy,!PIN!would!greatly!reduce!the!start1up!cost!of!changing!over.!In!return!for!receiving!free!supplies,!farmers!would!have!to!serve!as!community!leaders!by!using!their!farm!as!a!demonstration!plot!where!other!farmers!can! come! to:! 1)! see! how! the! transition! out! of! commodity! crops! was! realized;! 2)! receive! other!agricultural!technology!trainings,!such!as!orchard!layout!and!tree!pruning.!

! !!!18!

Assessment$ –! Almonds! have! a! strong! potential! in! both! districts,! in! irrigated! lands! only! (which!excludes!Chalcana)!and!with!mild!weather!conditions!(which!excludes!Marghzar!and!Amrakh!as!well).!Considering! the! quality! of! their! irrigated! land,! Zare! and! Agqupruk! productions! could! be! strongly!increased!providing!that!a!provincial!market!for!it!is!enhanced.!!

Table$3:$Village$Selection$(Almonds)$$$Selected$Villages$$ Beneficiaries$ Remark$KISHINDIH$ 50%! Increasing!demand!for!quality,!from!both!Mazar!and!Sholgara!

markets.!No!pesticides,!no!fertilizer.!ZARE$ 50%! Strong!demand!and!expectations!for!upgraded!types!(large(

Satar(Bahee).!Could!be!developed!with!bee!keeping!activities!$

TOTAL$$

100%$Significant$development$potential$but$a$current$lack$of$quality$standards$and$favourable$access$to$markets.$

$

Cost$Analysis$and$Income$Generation$–$The!following!table!provides!an!analysis!of!the!predictable!costs!related!to!the!development!of!the!Almond!activity! in!the!targeted!districts.!These!costs!were!calculated! using:! 1)! a! benchmark! of! different! organizations! that! have! successfully! implemented! a!almond! program! in! Afghanistan! (AKF1EDP,! AAIDO,! ROP,! Mission! East);! 2)! direct! interviews! and!observations!from!the!7!bazaars!and!8!cities!visited!by!the!review!team.!

Table$4:$Cost$Analysis$(Almonds)$$$

ALMONDS$J$Satar$Bahee$

COST!ANALYSIS!

Total!Cost!Per!Beneficiary!(USD)! 215$

Description! Unit!Quantity! Cost!

Per!Beneficiary! Unit!Cost!USD! Activity!Cost!USD!Almond!Tree!(5!yr)! pieces! 15! 11! 165!Fertilizer!Urea! kg! 20! 0,4! 8!Fertilizer!DAP! kg! 30! 0,4! 12!Tools!&!Materials! pieces! 1! 20! 20!Fungicide!Vetavax! kg! 20! 0,5! 10!!! !! TOTAL! 215!

Income!per!beneficiary!after!1!year! Estimated!Amount!(USD)!1!year!

Average!production!per!almond!tree!(in!kg)! 12!Average!price!of!Satar!Bahee!almonds!! 1,5!TOTAL!INCOME! 270!NET!INCOME! 55!

RETURN!ON!INVESTMENT! 26%$!

!

!

! !!!19!

!

2.5.2.$Apiculture$&$Production$–!Beekeeping!has!traditionally!always!been!a!successful!part!of!Afghan!agriculture,!with!many!fruit!and!oilseed!crops!requiring!pollination!by!bees.!Despite!the!lack!of!resources,!beekeeping!remains! a! livelihood! option,! because! bees! are! available! and! equipment! can! be! made! locally.!Therefore,! for!most! implementing!NGOs,!beekeeping! is! a!major! success! story! in!Afghanistan.!GTZ,!Mission! East,! Aga!Khan! Foundation,!USAID!ASAP,! etc.! have! all! succeeded! in! developing! the!honey!production!in!the!provinces!where!they!operated.!In!Zare!and!Kishindih,!PIN!has!developed,!through!the!ISNA!component,!a!specific!expertise!in!this!area!that!could!be!leveraged!for!PIN’s!“food!facility”!and!income!generating!activity!component.!In!this!section,!we!will!thus!exclusively!insist!on!potential!areas!of!opportunity!for!the!future!extension!of!PIN’s!beekeeping!activities!by!summarizing!the!main!findings!collected!in!both!districts!as!well!as!other!provinces!(from!other!NGOs).!!

Calendar$–!“When(it(comes(to(apiculture,(the(key(factor(of(success(is(the(calendar.(If(you(respect(the(

reproduction(cycles,(you(can(multiply(the(number(of(your(beehives(by(10(in(18(months”((Besmullah,(

Mission( East’s( beneficiary,( Takhar( province).! Based! on! our! interviews,! it! seems! that! this! comment!was!not!exaggerated.!If!the!bees!are!introduced!between!late!February!and!early!June,!their!number!increases!quickly!(by!2,!on!average)!until!the!harvest!(from!late!July!to!late!September).!!

Assessment$ –$Beekeeping! is! relatively! easy! to! implement! and!most! communities! strongly! support!the!activity!(known!for! its! income!generating!activities):!“GTZ(started(a(bee(keeping(activity( in(Tunj(district.(It(is(good(for(people(there,(but(why(did(they(forget(us?(In(Agkopruk,(many(people(would(like(

to( get( some( beehives.( Of( course!( Everybody( knows( that( one( can( easily( get( a( lot( of( income( from(

apiculture”((Alawddin(Tonj(Avea,(Shura(elder,(Agkopruk).!Moreover,!aside!from!Chalgara!(too!dry),!all!the!surveyed!communities!could!develop!apiculture!and!seemed!willing!to!do!so.!However,!there!are!obstacles!to!tackle:!!

• Productivity!is!still!low;!!• Honey!quality!can!be!improved!(based!on!a!benchmark!between!4!Afghan!honeys!produced!

in!the!provinces!of!Balkh,!Badakhshan,!Takhar,!and!Samangan);!!• Direct!access!to!market! is!often! impossible!and!most!sellers!complain!about!the! low!prices!

they!get!from!their!production!(“I(have(no(choice(but(to(sell(one(kilogramme(for(200(AFA.(It’s(

a( pity.( I( cannot( reach( the( market( so( I( cannot( bargain( and( discuss( with( middlemen”(

Hamidullah,(Bee(Keeper,(Marghzar).!

Therefore,!PIN’s!main!challenges!consist!of:!1)!the!development!and!enhancement!of!PIN’s!technical!know1how!to!target!new!communities!and!increase!both!quality!and!productivity!(see,!for!instance,!the!box!below!–!“Roots(of(Peace’s(Experiments(in(the(Almond(Subsector”);!2)!the!creation!of!a!solid!and!sustainable!network!of!local!sellers!to!increase!their!bargaining!power!and!the!marketability!of!their!honey!production.!

!

!

!

! !!!20!

!

!

Table$5:$Bee$Keeping$Calendar$$Selected$Villages$$

Beneficiaries$ Remark$

MARGHZAR$ 25%! Possible!capitalization!on!the!existing!ISNA!project.!!AMRAKH$ 10%! A!punctual!development!before!a!potential!extension!of!the!

beekeeping!activity.!KISHINDIH$ 25%! Strong!potential!(and!easy!access!to!Mazar!and!local!markets).!ZARE$ 40%! A!“dual”!IGA!Almond/Honey!could!be!pilot!tested!and!then!

extended!to!other!communities.!$

TOTAL$$


$

$Cost$ Analysis$ –$ The! following! table! provides! an! analysis! of! the! predictable! costs! related! to! the!development!of!the!Beekeeping!activity!in!the!targeted!districts.!These!costs!were!calculated!using:!1)!a!benchmark!of!different!organizations!that!have!successfully!implemented!a!beekeeping!program!in!Afghanistan!(GTZ,!AKF,!USAID1ASAP,!Mission!East);!2)!direct!interviews!and!observations!from!the!7!bazaars!and!8!cities!visited!by!the!review!team.!

!

!

Focus$on$Roots&of&Peace’s$Experiments$in$the$Almond$Subsector$

In!November!2009,!the!American!NGO!Roots!of!Peace!(ROP)!began!introducing!bees!to!almond!growers!after!several!seasons!of!promoting!the!idea.!Initially,!many!Afghan!almond!growers!have!mistakenly! assumed! that!bees!were! responsible! for!REDUCING!almond!production!by! "sucking!the!life!from!the!almond!flowers."!However,!ROP!was!able!to!demonstrate!the!dramatic!impact!of! bees! on! almond! yield! per! tree.! The! increase! in! yield! was! large! enough! to! be! obvious! and!impressive!to!the!farmers:!40%!improvement!in!their!yields!can!result!from!the!use!of!bees!to!aid!pollination!of!the!almond!flowers.!The!Afghanistan!Almond!Industry!Development!Organization!(AAIDO,!a!new!industry!group!set!up!under!the! leadership!of!Roots!of!Peace)! is!now!spreading!the!word!among!Afghan!farmers.!PIN!could!easily!build!on!this!experiment!to!integrate!Almond!and!Beekeeping!activities!in!a!common!IGA!“dual!kit”:!it!would!increase!the!productivity!of!each!beehive!and!also!improve!the!taste!and!quality!of!the!honey.!!

! !!!21!

!

!

Table$6:$Cost$Analysis$(Bee$Keeping)$$

APICULTURE$

COST!ANALYSIS!

Total!Cost!Per!Beneficiary!(USD)! 334,5$


Per!Beneficiary! Unit!Cost!USD! Activity!Cost!USD!Beehives! pieces! 2! 100! 200!Empty!Hive! pieces! 1! 25! 25!Honey!Extractors! pieces! 0,1! 180! 18!Protective!Equipment! pieces! 2! 11! 22!Feeders! pieces! 2! 8! 16!Sugar! kg! 15! 1,3! 19,5!Medicine! set! 1! 4! 4!Hive!tools! set! 1! 30! 30!!! !! TOTAL! 334,5!

Income!per!beneficiary!after!1!year!Estimated!Amount!(USD)!

1!year!Average!income!per!beehive!(in!USD)! 210!Number!of!beehives! 2!TOTAL!INCOME! 420!NET!INCOME! 85,5!

RETURN!ON!INVESTMENT! 26%$$$$

! !!!22!

!2.5.3.$Caraway$(Black&Kajak)&

!Production$–$Cumin! (caraway! for! the!black! type)!plays!an! important! role! in! the! farming! system! in!Afghanistan,!as! it! is!a!crop!that! is! largely!exported!and!generates! ready!cash! for!even!the!smallest!farmers!without! interference! from! lenders!and! landlords.!Cultivation!of! cumin! requires!a! long,!hot!summer!of!314!months,!with!daytime! temperatures!around!30°C;! it! is!drought! tolerant,!which! is! a!strong!asset!in!the!Afghan!climatic!environment.!Cumin!needs!fertile,!well1drained!sandy!loam!soil.!It!can! be! rain1fed! cultivated! and! grows! well! between! 3001400!mm! annual! rainfalls,! but! is! relatively!sustainable! for!dry!areas.!Cultivated!cumin! is!an!annual,!winter1sown!crop! that! is!harvested!4! to!5!months! after! sowing.! There! is! a! strong! international! demand! for! varieties! such! as! Afghan! green!cumin,!which! is!highly!valued! in! India! for! instance.!Afghan!green!cumin! is!an!expensive!and!highly!scented!variety,!found!at!high!altitudes!in!Kandahar!and!Badakhshan!provinces.!It!represents!14%!of!the!Afghan!production!and!is!mainly!used!in!Indian!cooking!and!the!pharmaceutical!industry.!White!cumin!is!the!most!widely!available!and!consumed!type!of!cumin,!which!account!for!an!estimate!75%!of!the!national!production.!It!is!slightly!more!yellow!than!the!international!varieties!of!cumin.!Lastly,!black!cumin!can!be!found!in! Iran,! India,!Pakistan!as!well!as!Northern!Afghanistan!(and!especially! in!the!Balkh!province).!It!accounts!for!11%!of!the!local!production!and!is!mostly!exported!to!India!and!Pakistan.!Black!cumin!is!also!traditionally!known!as!caraway!(Zira6e6Kajak).!

Marketing$ –! As! for! many! dry! fruits! or! crops,! farmers! usually! sell! their! entire! production! to!middlemen!(Jalaba)!or!local!wholesalers.!Cumin!is!then!brought!to!a!regional!wholesale!market,!from!where!it!is!redistributed!to!other!provinces!and/or!exported.!Kandahar!is!the!primary!trading!centre!in!Afghanistan!accounting! for!around!40%!of! the!cumin!trade! in!Afghanistan!with!strong! links!with!India!and!Pakistan.!Mazar1e!Sharif,!Herat,!Taloqan!are!other!substantial!trading!centers;!Kabul!acts!as!a! transit! hub.! The!main! issue! in! the!Afghan! value! chain! is! that! the!major! value! adding! steps! take!place!outside!Afghanistan.!However,!Afghanistan!lacks!cumin!cleaning!and!sorting!equipment,!which!means! that! cumin! is! sold! at! low! prices! and! that! Indian! and! Pakistani! traders! capture!most! of! the!added!value.! Finally,!Afghanistan’s! cumin! suppliers!have! little!power! in! the! cumin!market!because!they!are!fragmented!and!have!little!market!information.!!

Supply$and$Demand$–!Returns! from!cumin!can!be!high,!with!only!3%!of!yield!required!for!seeding!the!next!crop.!Recent!CORDAID!trials!where!farmers!were!given!sowing!seed!found!they!easily!could!repay! the! seed! back! from! their! harvested! seed,! in! addition! to! keeping! some! for! sowing! for! next!season! and! selling! the! majority! on! the! market.! Moreover,! at! 500kg/ha! for! irrigated! land,!Afghanistan’s! yield! has! room! for! improvement! (up! to! 2,250kg/ha,! potentially)! through! improved!irrigation!techniques,!fertilizer!and!pest!and!weed!control.!

! !!!23!

Calendar$–$The!table!below!summarizes!the!Caraway!calendar.!!

Table$7:$Caraway$Calendar$$


Sewing$ X$ X$ X$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

Harvesting$ $ $ $ X$ XX$ XX$ X$ $ $ $ $ $

Marketing$ $ $ $ $ X$ XXX$ XXX$ XX$ X$ X$ X$ $

$Assessment$–$There!are!different!varieties!of! caraway! (zira)!available! in! the!market!and!almost!all!the!surveyed!communities!sell! local!productions.!However,! in!most!bazaars,!there!are!no!improved!seeds!and!the!quality!is!still!poor:!the!lack!of!fertilizers!and!pesticide!prevents!local!production!from!reaching! a! higher! productivity! level! as! well! as! its! market! potential.! Therefore,! there! is! a! clear!opportunity! to! improve! the! current! local! caraway!production! in! terms!of! quality! and!productivity.!Local!producers! from!Marghzar! (and! surroundings,!Balkhab),!Kishindih!and!Agqkupruq!could!easily!develop!their!existing!skills! in!both!rain1fed!and! irrigated! land!and!sell! their! improved!and!fragrant!black!caraway!to!local!cooperatives!(for!Mazar!market!or!export!at!a!later!stage).!!

Table$8:$Village$Selection$(Caraway)$$$

$Cost$Analysis$and$Income$Generation$–$The!following!table!provides!an!analysis!of!the!predictable!costs!related!to!the!development!of!the!Caraway!activity!in!the!targeted!districts.!These!costs!were!calculated! using! direct! interviews! and! observations! from! the! 7! bazaars! and! 8! cities! visited! by! the!review!team!as!well!as!key!informant!interviews!from!majors!key!informants!in!the!sector!(CORDAID,!MAIL).! It$ is$ important$ to$ consider$ that$ caraway$ cultivation$would$ require$ additional$ opportunity$costs:$ allocating$ some$ land$ for$ caraway$ cultivation$ would$ also$ mean$ that$ farmers$ would$ not$cultivate$wheat$on$this$land$anymore.$$

Selected$Villages$$

Beneficiaries$ Remark$

MARGHZAR$ 40%! Marghzar!and!its!surrounding!communities!(like!Balkhab)!are!renowned!for!their!production.!It!still!needs!to!be!developed!in!terms!of!productivity,!quality!(lot!of!diseases,!poor!quality,!etc.).!

KISHINDIH$ 40%! The!local!market!is!already!saturated!with!caraway!but!there!is,!however,!a!room!for!improved!varieties!of!Black!Kajak!providing!that!pesticides!are!also!provided.!

CHALCANA$ 20%! Potential!development!(and!improvement).!Local!farmers!could!accept!to:!1)!improve!the!quality!of!their!current!caraway;!2)!switch!from!wheat!to!caraway.!

$

TOTAL$$


! !!!24!

Table$9:$Caraway$Calendar$$

CARAWAY$J$Black$Kajak$

COST!ANALYSIS!



Per!Beneficiary! Unit!Cost!USD! Activity!Cost!USD!Caraway!Improved!Seeds! kg! 4! 4! 16!DAP/UREA! kg! 25! 0,7! 17,5!Tools!&!Materials! pieces! 1! 15! 15!Pesticide!Vetavax! kg! 10! 0,5! 5!Compost!Training! pieces! 1! 5! 5!

!! TOTAL! 58,5!


1!year!Average!production!per!jerib!(kg/jerib)!! !! 45!Cultivated!Land!with!5kg!of!seeds!(in!jerib)! 1!Average!price!per!kg!(in!USD)! 2!TOTAL!INCOME! 90!NET!INCOME! 31,5!RETURN!ON!INVESTMENT! 54%!$

! !!!25!

!2.5.4.$Potatoes$(Sabz&Gul)&

!

Production$–$Potato! is!often! viewed!positively! for! its!potential! role! in!both!poverty! reduction!and!nutrition,!and!is!an!increasingly!important!food!crop!and!commodity!in!Afghanistan.!According!to!the!FAO:!“the(potato(produces(more(nutritious(food(more(quickly,(on(less(lands,(and(in(harsher(climates(

than( any( other( major( crop”1.! Over! recent! years! Afghanistan! has! been! cultivating! potatoes! at! an!increasing!rate,!particularly!with! its! ideal!mountainous!and!climatic!conditions.!Now!the!third!most!important!cash!crop2,!potatoes!are!produced!across!Bamiyan,!Maidan!Ghazni!and!Kabul.!In!Bamyan!district,!a!high!proportion!of!(irrigated)!cultivatable!land!is!used!for!potatoes,!occupying!at!least!50160!per!cent!of!the!irrigated!land!(and!more!in!some!locations).!Potatoes!are!found!across!all!parts!of!Bamyan!except! in!higher!altitude!villages!where! rain1fed! farming!predominates.! In!Balkh,!potatoes!are! found! in! 4! main! districts:! Dehdadi,! Balkh,! Sholgara,! and! especially! Zare.! In! the! North! of!Afghanistan,! the! potato! season! stretches! from! September! until! the! end! of! November.! There! is!limited!formal!processing!activity!taking!place!in–country!(e.g.!potato!crisps).!Since!Afghanistan!lacks!a!good!seed!producing!system,!good!quality!seed!is!difficult!to!find!and!the!quality!of!the!local!potato!could!thus!be!easily! increased.!However,!the! local!variety!(Sabz(Gul)! is! tastier!and!more!expensive,!even!if!volumes!are!small.!Derived!from!the!Indian!variety!Kufra(Chandramukhi,!the!Sabz!Gul!(literally!“green!flowered”)!was!recently!re1introduced!under!the!ICARDA!&!FAO!programme!and!extended!by!Solidarités!between!2005!and!2007.!!

Supply$and$Demand$–$At!the!time!of!this!survey,!a!typical!small!producer!sold!around!600!kg!a!year!in! the! market.! At! the! local! market,! the! shopkeeper! paid! the! producer! 15! AFA! per! kg,! and! the!shopkeeper!resold!it!for!20!AFA!per!kg.!Demand!is!high!for!this!product!and!often!outstrips!supply!in!certain!seasons,!especially!for!local!Sabz(Gul.!However,!it!is!worth!noting!that!in!most!of!the!surveyed!bazaars,!people!buy!potatoes!but!do!not!know!how!to!cultivate!it:!“I(am(not(reluctant(to(it(but(I(don’t(

know(how(to(dot(it.(I(think(it(is(too(complicated(and(I(am(not(sure(that(I(can(have(a(good(income(with(

it.(Someone(started(to(grow(potatoes(in(Marghzar(with(seeds(imported(from(Bamyan,(but(the(quality(

is( poor( and( the( potatoes( are( too( small”( (Abdul( Bari,( Trader,( Marghzar( Bazaar).( An! awareness!campaign!needs!to!be!developed!in!most!of!the!targeted!districts!to!educate!people!and!make!them!accept! this! income! generating! and! alternative! activity.( Potatoes! are! available! year1round! on! the!market!but!predominantly!from!October!1!December.!They!are!sold!at!the!local!and!regional!markets.!At!the!next!stage,!they!are!exported!through!Jalalabad!to!Pakistan,!and!Mazar!to!the!Central!Asian!States.!!

Marketing$ –$ The! Mazar! wholesale! potato! (and! onion)! market,! Mullah! Ali! is! located! near! Tasadi!Kamaz!in!Mazar,!and!is!considered!the!second!largest!potato!wholesale!market! in!Afghanistan.! It! is!said!to!have!doubled! in!size! in!terms!of!potatoes!traded!since!2005.!There!are!a!total!of!80!potato!stores!(rented!or!land!purchased!by!traders),!and!20130!large!traders!/!commissioners!active.!!During!the!main!Afghan!harvest!season!(mid!May!to!mid!January),!around!251!30!trucks!arrive!each!day!from!the!core!producing!locations!in!Bamyan!(most),!Baghlan!and!Farayab,!as!well!as!from!Zare!district!(to!a!very!limited!extent).!Subsequently,!as! in!Kabul,!the!‘Pakistan’!season!(mid!January!until!mid!May)!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 FAO!(2008)!SALEH(Assessment(on(Potato(Storage(Facilities(in(Bamyan,!March!2008. 2! Ekin,! T.! (2006)! Assessment( of( Agricultural( Horticultural( and( Livestock( Market( Chains( and( Facilities( for( Processing(

Agricultural(Products(in(Bamyan,(Balkh(and(Herat(Provinces(June(2006(and(Project(Discussion(Paper,(USAID!AALP.!

! !!!26!

begins!with!up!to!50!trucks!arriving!a!day.! In!the!market,! the!commissioner!charges!3!to!5!AFA!for!every!ser!of!potatoes!traded.!Onward!destinations! include!the!Northern!provinces,!and!Uzbekistan!and!Tajikistan.!For!produce!destined!for!Uzbekistan!(through!Hairatan!border!town),!traders!repack!potatoes! in!Mazar! into!50kg!bags.!At! the!time!of! the!study!wholesale!prices! in!Mazar!have!ranged!from!100!to!140!AFA!per!ser! (to!be!compared!with!2008:!75!to!90!AFA).!The!Bamyan!and!Baghlan!potatoes!are!considered!the!best!quality!potatoes.!!

Calendar$–$The!table!below!details!all!the!specific!steps!of!the!Potato!calendar.!$Table$10:$Potato$Calendar$$

!!Assessment$ –! The! potato! market! could! be! strongly! developed! in! both! districts! and! generate! a!continuous!and!sustainable!income!for!the!communities.!In!Marghzar,!the!price!of!local!potatoes!(in!spite!of!frequent!diseases!and!a!reduced!size)!ranged!between!150!and!160!AFA,!whereas!the!price!of!Pakistani!potatoes!was!between!110!and!120!AFA.! It!clearly!suggests! the!actual!potential!of! the!potato!activity!in!the!district,!providing!that!the!activity!is!developed!on!irrigated!land.!However,!it!is!important!to!keep!a!good!balance!between!potatoes!and!other!activities!on! irrigated! land!(see!the!box! below! –! “Sound(Management”).! In! Sholgara! and!Marghzar,! for! instance,! some! attempts! have!been! made:! “Before,( we( used( to( purchase( potatoes( from( Samangan.( Today,( the( volumes( are(

increasing(and(the(quality( is(better(than( imported(ones.(However,( the(quality(of( the(seeds(could(be(

improved( and( we( do( not( cultivate( as( many( potatoes( as( we( could.( In( Bamyan,( they( are( more(

professional,( they( use( fertilizers,( pesticides,( and( their( potatoes( are( bigger( and( tastier”( (Khair(

Mohammad,(Shura(Elder,(Sholgara).((


Irrigation!&!1st!Cultivation!

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ XXX$ XX$ $ $

Farm!Yard!Manure!

$ XXX$ XX$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

2nd!Cultivation!

$ $ XXX$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

Planting! $ $ $ XXX$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

Irrigation!(14!days)!

$ X$ $ $ XX$ XX$ XX$ X$ $ $ $ $

Earthing!Up!and!Fertilizer!

$ $ $ $ XX$ X$ $ $ $ $ $ $

Collecting!Haulms!

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ X$ $ $ $ $

Harvest! $ $ $ $ $ $ $ XXX$ X$ $ $ $

Marketing!&!Storage!

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ XXX$ XXX$ $ $

! !!!27!

(

Table$11:$Village$Selection$(Potato)$$$Selected$Villages$$ Beneficiaries$ Remark$MARGHZAR$ 45%! Increasing!demand!for!quality!(Bamyan!seeds,!“Sabz!Gul”).!Poor!

productivity:!no!pesticides,!no!fertilizer.!AMRAKH$ 15%! Potential!development!in!parallel!with!Marghzar.!ZARE$ 40%! Strong!demand!in!the!bazaar:!“200(additional(producers(could(not(

match(the(demand”((Trader,(Zare).!$

TOTAL$$

100%$Quality$would$need$to$be$improved$(example:$Bamyan$–$“Solidarites”)$and$productivity$as$well$(fertilizer$and$pesticide).$

!

$

Cost$ Analysis$ –$ The! following! table! provides! an! analysis! of! the! predictable! costs! related! to! the!development!of!the!Potato!activity! in!the!targeted!districts.!These!costs!were!calculated!using:!1)!a!benchmark! of! different! organizations! that! have! successfully! implemented! a! potato! program! in!Afghanistan!(“Solidarites”,!AKF);!2)!direct!interviews!and!observations!from!the!7!bazaars!and!8!cities!visited!by!the!review!team.!

Sound$Management?$$

In! Yakawlang! and! Bamyan,! the! expansion! of! potato! cultivation! has! not! only! taken! place! at! the!expense!of!fodder!legumes!and!pulses,!but!it!has!also!lead!to!a!reduction!in!the!area!sown!to!wheat.!!To!some!extent!this!has!been!possible!as!the!result!of!the!increase!in!wheat!yield!/!jerib!experienced!after!the!change!over!from!traditional!spring!wheat!to!the!higher!yielding,!disease!resistant!autumn!sown!cold!tolerant!(Pamir!94,!Gul!96).!However,! it!should!be!noted!that!reducing!the!area!sown!to!wheat!has!also!reduced!the!amount!of!fodder!available!for!livestock!as!chopped!wheat!straw!makes!up!the!bulk!of!winter!fodder.!Up!until!the!steep!rise!in!the!price!of!wheat!in!2008,!additional!income!from!sale!of!potatoes!allowed!villagers!to!buy!flour!in!the!market!to!make!up!their!domestic!shortfall.!However,!given!that!the!farm!gate!price!of!potatoes!in!2008!has!not!risen!to!match!the!high!price!of!wheat,!or!of!other!agricultural!inputs!such!as!fertilizers,!the!situation!has!been!altered!unfavorably.!!

!

! !!!28!

Table$12:$Cost$Analysis$(Potato)$$$

POTATOES$J$Sabz$Gul$COST$ANALYSIS$



Per!Beneficiary! Unit!Cost!USD! Activity!Cost!USD!Potato!Seeds!(Sabz!Gul)! Kg! 100! 0,8! 80!Fertilizer!Urea! Kg! 50! 0,4! 20!Fertilizer!DAP! Kg! 50! 0,4! 20!Shovel!&!Equipment! Pieces! 1! 14! 14!Pesticide!Vetavax! Kg! 20! 0,5! 10!!! !! TOTAL! 144!


1!year!Average!production!per!jerib!(kg/jerib)!! 3000!Cultivated!Land!with!100kg!(in!jerib)! 0,3!Average!production!per!beneficiary! 900!Average!price!per!kg!(in!USD)! 0,2!TOTAL!INCOME! 180!NET!INCOME! 36!


!

The&White&Gold&of&Bamyan,&A&comprehensive&examination&of&the&Bamyan&potato&value&chain&from&production&to&consumption$(Holly$Ritchie,$Anthony$Fitzherbert,&Solidarités,$2008)$$

In! Bamyan! district,! farmers! estimated! yields! of! approximately! 3.7!MT! per! jerib! in! 2008,! contrasting!with!approximately!5!MT!per!jerib!in!2007!(slightly!lower!than!DAIL!reports),!a!decrease!on!average!of!25130%.! ! Meanwhile,! in! Yakawlang,! yields! in! 2008! were! given! at! approximately! 3.2! MT! per! jerib,!contrasting!with!approximately!4.7!from!2007,!a!decrease!again!on!average!of!25130!per!cent.!There!were!cited! to!be!a!mixture!of! reasons! for! these!declines! including!water!availability! (in! some!areas),!excessive! seed! use! (or! use! of! poor! quality! or! infected! seed),! disease! and! pests,! and! perhaps,!most!common! of! all,! a! reduction! in! fertilizer! use! (particularly! for! poorer! households).! Where! clean! and!improved!seed!was!used,!together!with!adequate!fertilizer!and!water,!however,!excellent!yields!were!obtained.!The!availability!of!good!quality! (and!certified)! seed!at!affordable!prices! for! ‘resource1poor’!farmers!is!cited!as!“an!important!pre1requisite!for!increased!and!improved!potato!production”.!

!

! !!!29!

2.5.5.$Poultry$(Golden$Layers)$!

Production$–$From!a!nutritional!point!of!view,!poultry!eggs!and!meat!are!a!good!source!of!animal!protein,!and!they!can!be!traded!or!sold!for!cash.!There!is!an!estimated!flock!of!15!millions!chickens!in!Afghanistan!(slightly!more!than!0.5!animals!per!capita!to!be!compared!with!2!animals!per!capita! in!Pakistan)! and! an! estimated! 300! million! commercialized! eggs! (with! only! 1/3! of! local! production).!Consumer! research! shows! that! locally!produced!eggs!and! live! chickens!are!preferred!over! imports!and! frozen! chicken! and! Afghans! are! willing! to! pay! a! 20! percent! premium! for! them.! However,!commercial!poultry!activities!are!still!very!limited,!and!the!local!production!does!not!meet!domestic!demand!as!most! chicken!meat!and!eggs! consumed! in! the!cities!are! imported! from!Pakistan! in! the!East!and!Iran!in!the!West.!Frozen!meat!originally!comes!from!the!USA!and!Brazil!through!brokers!in!Dubai!and!Turkey.!Lastly,!in!2008,!Chemonics!estimated!that!99%!of!the!poultry!in!Afghanistan!was!raised!on!a!backyard!scavenger!system.!Productivity!of!such!a!system!is!low!and!losses!are!high!with!50%!a!mortality!rate.!!

Marketing$Chain$–!As!for!all!sectors,!the!poultry!value!chain!is!developed!locally!mostly!because:!1)!there!is!a!lack!of!electricity!and!good!roads,!as!well!as!a!limited!access!to!land!for!business!expansion;!2)!credit!for!working!capital!and!fixed!assets!is!not!accessible!for!small!entrepreneurs;!3)!veterinary!services! and! vaccinations! to!mitigate! poultry! diseases! endemic! to! Afghanistan! are! absent,! and;! 4)!cold! weather! implies! heating! costs! that! are! prohibitive! for! most! of! the! small1scale! producers.!Because!of! low! levels!of!production!using! the!backyard! system,!women!sell! their! few!surplus!eggs!and!the!occasional!live!birds!not!needed!for!household!consumption!on!an!ad(hoc!basis.!Production!levels!hardly!present! incentives!for!women!to!form!producer!associations!to!market!their!eggs!and!buy!feed!collectively.!Traders!thus!purchase!surplus!eggs!and!chicken!directly!from!households!and!the! rural! village!markets.!They!accumulate! sufficient!product! to! transport! to!urban!centers,!where!they! usually! sell! the! eggs! in! bulk! to! retailers! and! sometimes! directly! to! consumers! in! the! central!market.! Generally! local! eggs! are! available! from! April! to! November! and! are! known! as! “Tukhum6e6

watani”! (local! eggs)! and! are! considered! excellent! quality,! whilst! imported! eggs! are! usually! white!“Tukhum6e6mashini”! (eggs! from! battery! farms! in! Pakistan! and! Iran)! and! are! considered! poorer!quality.!This!is!reflected!in!prices:!typically!white!eggs!cost!3!AFA!whilst!brown!local!eggs!cost!6!AFA.!!

Fraudulent$Labels$and$Vaccines?$An$Assessment$by$USAIDJASAP$in$2008$

One! constraint! specific! to! poultry! and! livestock! production! is! the! lack! of! regulatory! controls! on!imports!of!specialized!feed,!vaccines!and!other!animal!health!medicines.!These!are!imported!(mostly!from! Pakistan)! with! no! quality! checks! or! content! verification,! resulting! in! expired! vaccines! and!fraudulently! labeled! feed! products! sold! to! unsuspecting! farmers.! ASAP! noted! in! 2008! that:! “there(have(been(several(avian( influenza(scares,(apparently(originating(with( imported(birds(from(Pakistan.(

This( is( a( persistent( threat( that( periodically( results( in( the(Afghan( government( closing( the( border( to(

poultry( imports.( Improved(breeds( are( susceptible( to( other( common(and(highly( contagious( diseases(

that(can(be(controlled(and(prevented(with(proper(vaccinations,(medications(and(hygiene(practices—

but(knowledge(of(and(access(to(these(is(not(widespread.”!

!

! !!!30!

Perspectives$ –! There! is! good!market! potential! for! eggs,! live! chicken,! chicken! cuts! and! butchered!chickens!produced! for! the! local!market.! But! careful! production!planning,! execution!and!marketing!are!essential!for!the!success!of!operations.!Several!semi1commercial!ventures!have!failed!in!the!past!few!years!due! to! a! lack!of! technical! skills;! the! cost! and!difficulty!of! securing! timely! inputs! such!as!chicks,!proper! feed!mixes!and!fuel;!and! inattention!to!marketing.!For!the! large!majority!of! farmers!who!use!the!backyard!scavenger!system,!for!instance,!feed!is!not!purchased!(as!the!pullets!eat!what!they!can!scavenge),!which!tends!to!decrease!productivity!rates.!Farmers!included!in!AKF’s!Enterprise!Development! Program,! however,! are! trained! in! feed! production! using! local! ingredients! and!indigenous! technology.! Barley,! wheat,! maize,! fish! powder,! blood! powder! (for! protein)! and! bone!pieces!(for!calcium)!are!ground!together!to!make!high!quality!and!affordable!feed.!But!even!if!several!mills!supported!by!donors!(like!AKF!or!USAID1ASAP)!have!been!started!around!the!country!in!the!past!few!years!in!connection!with!poultry!programs,!very!few!operate!on!a!commercial!basis.!$

Calendar$ –$ There! is! no! good! or! bad! season! for! launching! a! poultry! project.! However,! it! is! worth!taking!into!account!that!chickens!are!quite!sensitive!to!the!weather!and!extreme!climate!conditions:!“after( a( few( attempts,(we( found( out( that(we( had( lost( too(many( pullets( in( the( early( stages( of( our(

programme.( We( now( consider( that( timing( is( a( key( factor.( We( start( between( September( and(

November,( or( between( February( and( May,( so( that( pullets( can( adapt( themselves( to( their( new(

environment”( (Assad,( former( USAID6RAMP( and( ASAP).( A! benchmark! with! similar! projects! in! the!Badakhshan! province! shows! that! failure! to! choose! an! adequate! introduction! period! and! take! into!account!the!weather!factor!can!result!in!severe!losses!(mortality!rates!between!50!to!90%).!For!the!same!reasons,!vaccinations!(see!the!box!above,!“Fraudulent(Labels(and(Vaccines?”).!

Table$13:$Poultry$Calendar$$$

!

Assessment$–!Based!on!focus!groups!with!local!leaders!as!well!as!in1depth!individual!interviews!with!traders!or!poultry!owners,!there!is!a!strong!potential!for!the!poultry!activity!in!almost!all!the!targeted!markets.!Moreover,!many! community! council! elders! insisted!on! the!positive! impact!of! the!poultry!activity! on! local! households:! “Poultry( is( good( for( many( reasons.( It( generates( some( cash( almost(

everyday,(with(eggs(and(newborn(chickens.(It(is(also(an(additional(source(of(food(for(the(household.(It(

is(also(important(for(women(here(in(Kishindih.(They(get(bored(otherwise.(Poultry(activity(can(easily(be(

developed(by(women.(They(can(take(care(of( it(at(home(and(they(enjoy( it”((Makhdom(Fazl(Rahman,(

Shura( Elder,( Kishindih).! Lastly,! if! the! ISNA! project! was! successful! in! the! development! of! a! strong!Income! Generating! Poultry! Activity,! there! are! still! many! lessons! to! be! learned! from! this! first!experience.! For! instance,! in! Chalcana! and! Kishindih,! beneficiaries! (or! poultry! owners)! complained!about! recurrent! diseases:! “We( don’t( have( access( to( modern( medicine.( And( in( spite( of( traditional(

medicine,(all(my(chickens(died,(one(by(one,(in(ten(days.(I(could(not(do(anything,(because(I(am(not(a(

vet,(and(I(did(not(know(what(to(do,(as(I(was(not(trained(for(it”((Ahmad,(Poultry(owner,(Kishindih).(


Introduction$and$Training$$

$ X$ XX$ XX$ X$ $ $ $ X$ XX$ X$ $

Marketing$ X$ X$ X$ X$ X$ X$ X$ X$ X$ X$ X$ X$

! !!!31!

Table$14:$Village$Selection$(Poultry)$$$Selected$Villages$$ Beneficiaries$ Remark$KISHINDIH$ 30%! No!organized!market!but!there!is!an!increasing!demand!

from!Jalabs!(Mazar!and!Sholgara!markets)!AMRAKH$ 13%! No!market,!no!veterinary!assistance,!no!skills.!ZARE$ 30%! Dutch(Committee!can!provide!a!veterinary!assistance.!MARGHZAR$ 13%! Successfully!introduced!through!the!ISNA!project.!CHALCANA$ 14%! No!veterinary!assistance.!$

TOTAL$$

100%$Strong$development$potential$BUT$a$current$lack$of$any$market$and$veterinary$assistance$in$most$villages.$$

$$Cost$ Analysis$ –! The! following! table! provides! an! analysis! of! the! predictable! costs! related! to! the!development! of! the! Poultry! raising! activity! in! the! targeted! districts.! Introduced! through! the! ISNA!project,! the! poultry! activity! has! already! proven! to! be! a! significant! income! generating! activity.!However,!it!is!worth!benchmarking!PIN’s!costs!with!other!program’s!comparable!projects.!To!do!so,!the! following! costs! were! calculated! using:! 1)! a! benchmark! of! different! organizations! that! have!successfully! implemented! a! poultry! program! in! Afghanistan! (AKF1EDP,! GTZ,! USAID1ASAP,! Mission!East);! 2)! direct! interviews! and! observations! from! the! 7! bazaars! and! 8! cities! visited! by! the! review!team;!3)!interviews!with!poultry!program!beneficiaries!in!Balkh,!Takhar,!and!Badakhshan!provinces.!!

Table$15:$Cost$Analysis$(Poultry)$$

POULTRY$J$"Golden$Layers"$COST!ANALYSIS!



Per!Beneficiary! Unit!Cost!USD! Activity!Cost!USD!Pullets!1!"Golden!Layers"! Number! 20! 5! 100!Chicken!Feed! kg! 1! 0,5! 0,5!Vaccines! Ls! 0,1! 6! 0,6!Drinking!Pot! pieces! 2! 4! 8!Feeding!Pot! pieces! 2! 4! 8!Wire!Mesh! Square!meter! 15! 2! 30!Autopsy!kit! sets! 1! 1! 1!Vaccine!Flasks! pieces! 1! 12! 12!Chalk!(chuna)! kg! 1! 0,2! 0,2!!! TOTAL! 160,3!


1!year!!Eggs!! 1600!Average!price!of!a!brown!egg!(in!USD)! 0,12!Sale!of!"Golden!Layers"!to!the!bazar!(1!day!old)! 7!TOTAL!INCOME! 199!NET!INCOME! 38,7!


! !!!32!

$$

!

Focus$on$AKF’s&Enterprise&Development&Program$J$Poultry$Project$in$Badakhshan$$

“The!activity!depended!on!learning!new!skills,!and!adopting!new!practices,!new!breeds!of!birds,!and!obtaining!the!feed!and!medicines!they!required.!Rural!women!would!not!have!been!able!to!access!the!means!of!production!without!the!subsidies;!nor!would!they!have!been!able!to!make!productive!use!of! them!without! extensive! training! and! support.! Female! trainers! trained! village!women! in! six1month!cycles.!At!the!end!of!this!time,!trainees!received!a!starter!kit!of!15!crossbred!chicks,!feeders,!drinkers! and!materials! for! improved! coops,! and!were! organized! into! village! producer! groups.! The!women!were!asked!to!contribute!20!percent!of!the!cost!of!the!15!birds!they!received!to!a!revolving!fund!for!the!village!producer!group.!Originally!the!kit!included!just!12!chicks,!but!it!was!determined!that!this!might!not!be!sufficient!to!meet!household!consumption!and!produce!significant!surplus!for!sale,!once!chick!mortality!and!unexpected!household!economic!emergencies!were!factored!in.!Feed!was! given! at! no! cost! to! each!woman! for! the! first! six!months! of! production.! Each! group! elected! a!leader!to!visit!her!group!members!freely,!as!well!as!travel!to!urban!centers!to!market!their!eggs!and!bring!back!feed!and!medicines.!She!earned!a!commission!for!her!services.!A!district! trainer!trained!each!group!leader!weekly!in!disease!control!and!business!record!keeping.!In!six!months,!the!Baharak!unit!generated!income!of!200,000!AFA!and!the!Jurm!unit!made!194,000!AFA!from!the!sale!of!day1old!chicks! and! eggs.! With! their! earnings,! the! farmers! have! been! able! to! buy! locally! manufactured!incubators! to! further! increase! productivity.! More! importantly,! the! success! was! marked! by! the!complete!substitution!of!imported!eggs!by!local!production.”!

!

! !!!33!

!2.5.6.$Saffron&

!Production$–! Saffron! is! known!as! the!most!expensive! spice! in! the!world.! In!western!countries! it! is!available!as!stigmas!or!as!powder,!with!retail!prices!in!2009!sometimes!fetching!as!much!as!$4,100!per!kg.!Its!spice!consists!of!the!red1gold!stigmas!from!a!small!purple!crocus!(sativus).!The!crocus!has!three! stigmas! up! to! 30! mm! long.! Its! high! price! comes! from! its! scarcity! and! the! labour! intensive!process! needed! to! harvest! these! stigmas.! Saffron! requires! a! specific! environment! to! grow,!characterized! by! cool! to! cold!winters,!with! autumn1winter1spring! rainfall,! and!warm! dry! summers!with!very!little!rainfall.!It!can!withstand!substantial!frosts!(110°C),!and!can!tolerate!occasional!snow!in!the!winter.!Saffron!tolerates!a!maximum!temperature!of!+45ºC.!Afghanistan’s!production!is!very!low!but! rapidly! increasing.!Existing!production!was!reported!as!scarce! in!Kandahar!province! (Maiwand)!and! Ghor! (Shahrak),! but! the!main! focus! today! is! in! Herat! (90%)! where! organized! production! and!trade! already! exist.! In! 2003,! following! successful! preliminary! experiments,! the! Agricultural!Department!of!Herat!province!and!international!NGOs!(DACAAR,!ICARDA)!have!distributed!bulbs!and!started!development!programs!for!the!farmers.!The!programs!now!cover!more!than!500!farmers!in!the!area,!with!small!units! (less! than!one! jerib),!which!usually!produce! less! than!200g!of! saffron.! In!Herat!province,!a!typical!saffron!farmer!only!devotes!300!m2!on!average!to!growing!saffron,!and!from!this! produces! 300! g! of! dry! saffron.! This! fragmentation! of! supply! increases! the! difficulty! for! the!farmers!to!sell!their!saffron!in!wholesale!markets,!since!volumes!are!small!and!also!differ!in!quality.!Access!to!bulbs!is!not!easy!since!Iranian!authorities!strongly!limit!the!export!of!saffron!corm!(bulbs).!However,!in!Herat!new!corms!for!growing!saffron!are!available,!it!is!estimated!that!half!of!them!are!illegally!imported!from!Iran.!!

Supply$ and$ Demand$ –! In! the!medium! and! long! term,! the! returns! to! the! farmer! are! high.! Corms!represent!around!50%!of! the! saffron! farmer’s! costs! (if!we! include! the! labor! costs),! and! the! typical!Afghan!saffron!farmer!could!be!expected!to!invest!$800/jerib!in!corms!each!year.!At!the!end!of!this!period!he!will!be!able!to!reclaim!some!of!the!cost!by!selling!daughter!corms.!Yield!depends!greatly!on!climate,!density!of!planted!corm,!fertilizer,!irrigation!regime,!and!position!in!the!saffron!corm!cycle.!

Marketing$–!Currently!no!regular!quality!tests!are!performed,!which!clearly!hampers!the!marketing!potential!of!the!sector.!Saffron!is!exported!to!Iran!without!understanding!the!full!competitive!nature!of!each!batch!of!product.!The!lack!of!testing!of!Afghanistan!saffron!represents!possible!lost!revenue!(if!the!exported!quality!is!higher!than!thought),!and!stops!creation!of!an!independent!Afghan!brand.!Tests! required! by! the! International! Standards! Organization! (ISO)! include:! quality! measurements!(moisture,!flavor!and!bitterness! levels,!aroma,!color,!microbiological!tests,!detection!of!additives!or!colors,!and!ratio!of!stigmas!to!styles).!This!point!is!critical!to!the!development!of!a!sustainable!saffron!industry!in!Afghanistan.!

Calendar$ –! The! table! below! summarizes! the! Saffron! calendar.! Traditionally! 20130! mt! of! animal!manure/ha!is!applied!before!planting.!Chemical!applications!are!beneficial!and!a!base!dressing!of!80!kg!P/ha!and!30!kg!K/ha!followed!by!a!split!application!of!20!kg!N/ha!in!autumn!and!after!flowering!is!recommended.! In! Afghanistan,! saffron! requires! irrigation! in!mid!October.! In! general,! the! crop! has!very!low!demand!for!water!and!the!irrigation!occurs!at!a!time!when!few!other!crops!are!growing.!If!there!is!no!rain!for!15!days,!the!saffron!should!be!irrigated.!Lastly,!there!are!two!planting!seasons!for!corms:! !April! to!early!June!or! late!August!to!early!September.!Several! thin,! long! leaves!will!grow!in!

! !!!34!

Autumn.! The! corm! should! be! irrigated!mid!October! and! they! flower! from! early! November! for! 20!days.!From!December!to!spring!corms!produce!daughter!corms!and!are!dormant!in!summer.!$$

Table$16:$Saffron$Calendar$$$

$Assessment$–! The!potential! for! Saffron! in!Zare!and!Kishindih!districts! is!quite! significant.!However!such! a! promising! activity:! 1)! would! be! new! for! both! beneficiaries! and…! PIN! staff;! 2)! is! highly!demanding! in! terms! of! skills,! training,! and! input! costs;! 3)! could! not! breakeven! before! 1.3! year.!Therefore,! it! is!suggested!to! launch!some!pilot! tests! in:!1)!communities!with! irrigated! land;!2)!PIN1covered!communities!(for! instance!in!Zare!and!Marghzar!offices,!which!would!allow!for!and!ensure!the!continuous!presence!of!a!Saffron!engineer).!!

Table$17:$Village$Selection$(Saffron)$

$$!!


Planting! $ $ $ X$ XX$ $ $ XX$ X$ $ $ $

Irrigation!! $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ X$ $ $

Harvest! $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ X$ XX$ $

Marketing! $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ X$ X$

Selected$Villages$$ Beneficiaries$ Remark$MARGHZAR$ 50%! !!!People!showed!a!strong!interest!but!need!“some!training”.!The!

!!!land!would!be!ideal!and!irrigated!land!would!be!easy!to!find.!!ZARE$ 50%! Two!private!farmers!tried!to!grow!some!Saffron!in!2009!!!!

(unsuccessful:!lack!of!skills!and!flood).!!$

TOTAL$$

100%$Significant$development$potential$but$a$current$lack$of$quality$$standards$and$favourable$access$to$markets.$

! !!!35!

Cost$Analysis$and$Income$Generation$–$The!following!table!provides!an!analysis!of!the!predictable!costs! related! to! the!development!of! the!Saffron!activity! in! the! targeted!districts.!These!costs!were!calculated! using:! 1)! a! benchmark! of! different! organizations! that! have! successfully! implemented! a!saffron! program! in! Afghanistan! (DACAAR,! ICARDA,! and! MADERA);! 2)! direct! interviews! and!observations!from!the!6!bazaars!and!8!cities!visited!by!the!review!team;!3)!key!informant!interviews!from!majors!key!informants! in!the!sector!(JICA!and!MADERA).! It$ is$ important$to$keep$in$mind$that$Saffron$cultivation$requires$a$very$large$number$of$manJdays,$at$every$stage$of$the$project,$which$would$significantly$increase$the$variable$(running)$costs.$

Table$18:$Cost$Analysis$(Saffron)$$$

SAFFRON$

COST$ANALYSIS$



Per!Beneficiary! Unit!Cost!USD!Activity!Cost!

USD!Onions!(518g)! kg! 1! 400! 400!DAP/UREA! kg! 25! 0,8! 20!Tools!&!Materials! pieces! 1! 20! 20!Compost!Training! pieces! 1! 5! 5!!! !! TOTAL! 445!

Income!per!beneficiary!after!1!and!2!years!(for!0.5!jeribs!of!land)!Estimated!Amount!(USD)!1!year! 2years!

Saffron!Spice! 320! 640!Corms! 22! 44!Dried!Leaves!(livestock!feeds)!! 3! 6!TOTAL!INCOME! 345! 690!NET!INCOME! 1100! 245!

RETURN!ON!INVESTMENT! J22%$ 55%$$

! !!!36!

!2.5.7.$Sheep$(Qaraqul)&

$Production$–$ If!Arabi!and!Turki!sheep!are!the!predominant!sheep!in!most!of!the!Afghan!secondary!and!primary!livestock!markets,!Mazar!is!an!exception,!as!the!Qaraqul!breed!accounts!for!29%!of!the!sheep! present! in! the!market! (Mal! Bazaar),! according! to! a! recent! survey3.! Unlike! Arabi! and! Turki,!Qaraqul!sheep!are!not!raised!for!their!meat!but!chiefly!for!their!skin!and!wool.!The!skin!of!newborn!lambs!is!prized!for! its!softness!and!silk1like!texture!(covered!with!glossy,!tightly!curled!black!coats).!Known!variously!as!“Astrakhan”!or!“Persian!lamb”.!Once!the!lamb!is!a!few!days!old,!its!pelt!loses!the!characteristic!watered1silk!look;!it!dries!out!and!becomes!longer!and!can!only!be!sold!for!a!fraction!of!the!price!of!Qaraqul.!According!to!Mir!Zaman!Popal,!general!manager!of!the!export!office!from!the!Afghanistan!Chamber!of!Commerce!the!country!earned!nearly!14!millions!USD!from!Qaraqul!exports!in! 2008.! The! skins! go!mainly! to!Britain,!Denmark,! Finland! and!China.! The!wool! of!mature!Qaraqul!sheep,!classified!as!carpet!wool,!is!a!mixture!of!coarse!and!fine!fibers,!from!6!to!10!inches!(15!to!25!cm)!long,!of!colors!varying!from!black!to!various!shades!of!brown!and!gray.!Qaraqul!wool!itself!has!important!qualities!that!not!only!affect!the!quality!of!the!carpet!but!also!how!the!wool!interacts!and!takes!dyes,!either!chemical!or!natural.!However,! in!both!Zare!and!Kishindih,! it! is!worth!noting!that!the!Qaraqul!activity!will!almost!have!to!start!from!scratch,!as!the!2007!drought!has!strongly!impacted!the!Qaraqul!flock:!“We(lost(more(than(70%(of(the(Qaraqul(sheep(two(years(ago(and(the(quality(of(the(

wool( last( year( was( thus( really( poor.( And( now( we( don’t( have( enough( sheep( to( develop( a( wool(

processing( activity( and( get( money( out( of( it”( (Ibrahim,( Livestock( trader,( Kishindih).( For! PIN,! the!Qaraqul! activity! would! thus! be! challenging! but! technically! feasible! and! interesting! from! a! socio1cultural!point!of!view!(as!Qaraqul!do!represent!a!strong!local!symbol!in!the!Balkh!province).!!

Supply$and$Demand$–!Today,!thousands!of!people!in!Faryab,!Jowzjan,!Balkh,!Kunduz,!Sar1e1Pol!and!Takhar! provinces! earn! a! living! through!Qaraqul! pelts! and! products.! Afghanistan’s!Qaraqul! exports!generated!50!to!60!million!USD!annually!in!the!1970s!but!production!and!exports!shrank!rapidly!after!the!Soviet! invasion! in!1979!and!subsequent!civil!wars,!before!picking!up!somewhat!after!the!fall!of!the!Taliban!in!2002.!However,!drought!in!Northern!Afghanistan,!conflict!and!lack!of!investment!have!caused!a!20!percent! fall! in! the!export!of!products!made! from! the!Qaraqul! silky! lambskin!between!2007! and! 2008! (from! 10! to! 8! million! USD,! and! adversely! affected! the! livelihoods! of! thousands,!according!to!the!Export!Promotion!Agency!of!Afghanistan!(EPAA):(“We(earn(a(living(from(the(Qaraqul(

but(because(of(the(drought(and(lack(of(buyers(business(has(virtually(finished”!(Aminullah,!Mazar!Mal!Bazaar,!2009).!Farmers!also!complain!about!a!significant!reduction!in!pelt!prices!over!the!past!years.!“In( the( past,( one( pelt( sold( for( about( 5,000( AFA( but( now( it( is( between( 500( and( 1,000( AFA”.! The!Qaraqul!market!had!also!slumped!because!products!had!failed!to!keep!pace!with!changing!consumer!tastes,! according! to! the! EPAA.! However,! in! the! wool1processing! sector! (carpets,! clothes,! etc.),!Qaraqul! sheep! still! have! an! important! growth! potential! in! spite! of! recurrent! problems! due! to!disorganized! production! and! a! lack! of! sustainable! market! infrastructure! (production! and!transformation).!Due!to!the!2007!drought,!however,!both!Zare!and!Kishindih!district!markets!have!to!be!rebuilt!to!redevelop!the!early!stages!of!the!Qaraqul!value!chain.!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!3 Afghanistan(Livestock(Market(Assessment!(USAID1PEACE,!Third!Quarter!Report,!August!2009).

! !!!37!

Calendar$ –$ The! table! below! summarizes! the! Qaraqul! calendar.!Most! interviewees! insisted! on! the!significant! role! played! by! the! calendar! on! the! success! or! failure! of! the! income! generation! for! this!activity:!“It(takes(time(to(buy(a(flock(of(600(Qaraqul( in(a(good(health(condition.(The(transportation(

can( be( an( issue,( as( sheep( can( lose( 30( to( 40%(of( their(weight( in( 86hour( trips.(However,( aside( from(

access(to(market,(the(key(factors(of(success(are(the(calendar(and(the(training.(With(a(good(calendar,(

you(can(have(at(least(3(to(4(lambs(a(year;(with(a(robust(training,(you(can(strongly(increase(the(quality(

of(the(wool”((Aseef,(AKF,(EDP).!!$$

Table$19:$Sheep$Calendar$(Qaraqul)$$$

!

Assessment$–!Based!on!the!qualitative!fieldwork!assessment,!it!seems!that!there!is!a!strong!potential!to!rebuild!the!Qaraqul!market!in!both!districts.!Black!and!brown!Qaraqul!(more!affordable!than!the!White! one,! which! sells! for! 15,000AFA! and! cannot! be! locally! marketed).! Kishindih,! Aqkoprok! and!Sholgara!respondents!(focus!groups!with! local!community!elders!and! individual! interviews)! insisted!on! the! economic! and! symbolic! role! played! by! the! Qaraqul! in! their! markets.! In! Chalcana! and!Marghzar,! there! is! also! a! solid! opportunity,! even! if! the! long1term!development! of! the! activity!will!depend!on!two!key!factors:!1)!weather!conditions!in!Marghzar!where!winters!are!often!very!harsh;!2)!access!to!local!secondary!markets!in!Chalcana.!!!!!

Table$20:$Village$Selection$(Sheep$Qaraqul)$Selected$Villages$$ Beneficiaries$ Remark$KISHINDIH$ 50%! Used!to!be!a!strong!economic!asset!(before!2007).!CHALCANA$ 25%! Brown!and!Black!are!affordable!and!recommended.!MARGHZAR$ 25%! Strong!potential!but!people!have!to!be!convinced.!$

TOTAL$$

100%$Brown$and$Black$Qaraqul,$with$training$and$followJup$(food,$vaccines,$potential$access$to$market)$

!

Cost$Analysis$and$Income$Generation$–!The!following!table!provides!an!analysis!of!the!predictable!costs!related!to!the!development!of!the!Sheep!Raising!Activity!in!the!targeted!districts.!These!costs!were!calculated!using!the!direct!interviews!and!observations!from!the!7!bazaars!and!8!cities!visited!by!the!review!team.! It! is!also!based!on!previous!reports!written!by!the!consultant.!Considering!the!uncertainty!and!the!specificity!of!the!activity,!we!did!not!include!the!potential!revenues!of!the!lamb1


Introduction$$ $ X$ X$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

Pregnancy$ $ $ $ X$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

(Pelt&processing)&

& & & (XX)& & & & & & & & &

Wool$processing$

$ $ $ X$ XX$ XX$ XX$ X$ $ $ $ $

! !!!38!

skinning! activity.! Lastly,! based! on! the! discussions! we! had! with! most! NGO! experts! and! traders,! it!seems! that!a! female!can!give!birth! to!4! to!6! lambs!a!year.! In! the! table!below,!however,!we!chose!more!careful!estimates!(2!lambs!per!female!/!year).!!!

Table$21:$Almond$Calendar$(Satar$Bahee)$$$

SHEEP$–$Qarakul$

COST!ANALYSIS!



Per!Beneficiary! Unit!Cost!USD! Activity!Cost!USD!

Qaraqul!(Fem13yr)! Pieces! 3! 90! 270!Barley! kg! 50! 0,3! 15!

Medicine! set! 1! 10! 10!

!! !! TOTAL! 295!


1!year!!Qarakul!kids!(sold!on!the!bazaar)! 55!Average!number!of!kids!per!female!! 2!Wool!production!(per!female)!! 25!

TOTAL!INCOME! 405!

NET!INCOME! 110!


! !!!39!

!3.1.$Scenario$1:$Improving&the&yield&of&the&existing&IGA&$!PIN’s$responsibilities$

– Reinstatement! of! local! traditional! IGAs! (Qaraqul)! and! enhancement! of! ongoing! ISNA!activities!(Apiculture,!Poultry,!etc.);!

– Introduction! of! improved! techniques! to! optimize! the! quantity! and! quality! of! the!production!or!the!services!offered!through!IGA;!

– Support! to! facilitate! the! access! to! productive! assets! and! necessary! inputs! (fertilizers,!pesticide,!equipment,!etc.);!

– Creation! of! links! between! different! activities! (Almonds! and! Apiculture),! expansion! and!improvement!of!the!local!population’s!position!in!the!chain!of!production!and/or!services;!

– Training!support;!– Support!for!the!organization!of!producer!groups.!

!Cooperatives’$responsibilities$

– Promotion!of!access!to!financial!products?!!– Increase!availability!of!information!on!the!functioning!of!the!market!and!related!services.!!– Strengthening!of!commercial!processes.!!

!Cost$Analysis:$Scenario$1$!

$$$$$$$$$$Table$22:$Cost$Analysis$of$Scenario$1$$$Scenario$1$ Beneficiaries$ IGA$Kit$Cost$ Activity$Cost$Apiculture! 170! 334! 56,780!Almonds! 80! 215! 17,200!Poultry! 150! 232! 34,800!Potatoes! 200! 123! 24,600!Caraway! 150! 44! 6,600!Qaraqul! 50! 325! 16250!TOTAL! 800! 198$ 156,230!

!Geographic$Breakdown:$Scenario$1$$Table$23:$Geographic$Breakdown$(scenario$1)$$$

Communities$ Almonds$ Apiculture$ Caraway$ Potatoes$ Poultry$ Qaraqul$Benef.$/$

Community$

Amrakh$ 0! 20! 0! 40! 20! 0! 80!Chalcana$ 0! 0! 30! 0! 20! 12! 62!Kishindih$ 40! 45! 60! 0! 45! 25! 215!Marghzar$ 0! 45! 60! 80! 20! 13! 218!Zare$ 40! 60! 0! 80! 45! 0! 225!Benef./IGA$ 80! 170! 150! 200! 150! 50! 800!

3.$Scenarios$and$Lessons$Learned$

! !!!40!

3.2.$Scenario$2:$Diversifying&the&sources&of&income&generation$$!PIN’s$responsibilities$

– Promotion!of!new!initiatives!(Saffron);$– Introduction! of! improved! techniques! to! optimize! the! quantity! and! quality! of! the!

production!or!the!services!offered!through!existing!IGA!(ISNA!or!non1ISNA);!– Support! to! facilitate! the! access! to! productive! assets! and! necessary! inputs! (fertilizers,!

pesticide,!equipment,!etc.);!– Creation! of! links! between! different! activities! (Almonds! and! Apiculture),! expansion! and!

improvement!of!the!local!population’s!position!in!the!chain!of!production!and/or!services;!– Training!support;!– Support!for!the!organization!of!producer!groups.!

!Cooperatives’$responsibilities$

– Promotion(of(access(to(financial(products?((

– Increase( availability( of( information( regarding( the( functioning( of( the(market( and( related(

services.((

– Strengthening(of(commercial(processes.((

!Cost$Analysis:$Scenario$2$$

$$$$$$$$$$Table$24:$Cost$Analysis$of$Scenario$2$$$Scenario$2$ Beneficiaries$ IGA$Kit$Cost$ Activity$Cost$Apiculture! 170! 334! 56,780!Almonds! 80! 215! 17,200!Poultry! 150! 232! 34,800!Potatoes! 200! 123! 24,600!Caraway! 150! 44! 6,600!Saffron! 50! 460! 23,000!TOTAL! 800! 204$ 162,980!

!Geographic$Breakdown:$Scenario$2$!Table$25:$Geographic$Breakdown$(scenario$2)$

Communities$ Almonds$ Apiculture$ Caraway$ Potatoes$ Poultry$ Saffron$Benef.$/$

Community$

Amrakh$ 0! 20! 0! 40! 20! 0! 80!Chalcana$ 0! 0! 30! 0! 20! 0! 50!Kishindih$ 40! 45! 60! 0! 45! 0! 190!Marghzar$ 0! 45! 60! 80! 20! 25! 230!Zare$ 40! 60! 0! 80! 45! 25! 250!Benef./IGA$ 80! 170! 150! 200! 150! 100! 800!

!!

! !!!41!

3.3.$Lessons$Learned$!Some! of! the! lessons! learned! that! could! help! improve! the! impact! of! the! ongoing! and! future! PIN’s!Income!Generating!Activity!programme!are:!!!1)$Beneficiary$Selection$Process!should!be!carefully!reviewed,!as!it!is!a!central!phase!of!the!project!cycle!and!a!key!factor!of!success!or!failure.!Universal!recipes!do!not!exist!and!it!is!necessary!to!tailor!the!selection!process!to!each!situation!and!adapt!the!activities!to!the!specific!characteristics!of!the!context.! For! instance,! PIN! cannot! exclusively! rely! on! local! CDCs! and! should! develop! a! systematic!income!generating!activity!needs!assessment!before!starting! its! local!projects.!NRM!workshops!are!only!one!instrument,!among!others,!and!are!not!sufficient.!!

2)$SocioJEconomic$Criteria$should!be!balanced!with!other!aspects:!“it( is(necessary( to(consider( that(the(success(of(IGA(does(not(depend(on(the(type(of(activity,(but(rather(the(abilities(and(the(knowledge(

of( the(person(or(group( that( carry(out( the( IGA(and( the( socioeconomic( context”( (Najib,( Field(Officer,(

Former6ACF).!For! instance,!the!promotion!of! IGAs!is!not!a!suitable!strategy!for!the!most!vulnerable!people,!especially!those!who:!!

— Do!not!have!minimum!knowledge!and!technical!skills!on!which!to!base!the!initiation!and!the!further!development!of!an!IGA;!

— Do!not!have!minimum!financial!resources!to!be!involved!in!the!project!and!take!the!ownership!of! the! IGA! programme:! for! instance,! in! Badakhshan,! AKF! asked! women! to! contribute! 20!percent! of! the! cost! of! the! 15! birds! they! had! received! to! a! revolving! fund! for! the! village!producer!group;!

— Cannot!work!because!of!certain!handicaps,!chronic! illness!or!very!old!age!(in!some!cases!it! is!possible!to!find!mechanisms!to!include!these!sectors!of!the!population).!

!3)$Social$Acceptability! is!fundamental,!as!it!is!better!to!start!with!activities!of!which!the!population!has! cultural! knowledge!and!previous!experience.!Before! the! introduction!of!new! types!of! IGA,! the!reactivation!and!strengthening!of!traditional!or!successful!ISNA!activities!is!recommended!whenever!possible:!the!impact!is!likely!to!be!more!rapid!and!sustainable.!!!4)$Access$to$Market$–$Field!visits!showed!that!local!farmers!and!traders!faced!certain!restrictions!in!access! to!markets! (and!market! information!as!well),! and!missed!out!on! the!opportunities! that! the!market!brings! in! terms!of! participation! in! economic! activity! and! improvement!of! living! conditions.!They! have! no! other! option! but! to! rely! on! jalaba( (middlemen)! who! often! get!most! of! the!margin!between!production!and!distribution!in!this!negotiation.!Therefore,!access!to!market!must!guide!the!IGA!development!plan.!In!those!zones!where!commercial!exchanges!are!scarce!because!movement!is!difficult! due! to! isolation! (Amrakh! or! Chalcana),! IGA! have! a! low! possibility! of! success! and! their!development!should!be!carefully!weighed.!Following!the!same!logic,!the!scale!on!which!to!develop!the!IGA!should!be!taken!into!consideration:!for!example,!to!have!market!access!it!may!be!necessary!to!create!or!strengthen!some!type!of!organization!that!improves!negotiation!capacity.!!

5)$ Activity$ selection$ process$ –! In! both! districts,! the! potential! of! handicraft! (and! non1agricultural!activities)!is!systematically!overestimated:!i)!the!technical!feasibility!is!of!course!an!issue;!ii)!there!is!no! local!market! and!almost!no!demand!at! the!provincial! level! (foreign! competitors! from!Pakistan,!

! !!!42!

Iran,! and! China),! and! iii)! the! initial! capital! required! from! the! population! and/or! PIN!would! be! too!important.! In!many!cases,! the!population! is!already!developing! IGA!and!the!best!option! is!often!to!support! them! in! these! IGA,! helping! to! reduce! the! obstacles! encountered! and! enhance! market!opportunities.!Additional!niches!(like!saffron)!can!be!added,!providing!that!the!technical!feasibility!is!pilot!tested!in!one!or!two!target!communities.!!!6)$ Activity$ crossJfertilization$ process$ –! Connections! between! different! IGA! or!with! other! types! of!initiatives! often! bring! very! positive! results:! almond! and! apiculture! activity! could! be! developed! in!parallel!to!increase!both!productivity!and!quality.!!7)$Training$and$technical$support!is!fundamental!for:!1)!the!development!of!ongoing!IGAs!and,!2)!the!creation!of!new!IGAs.!An!adequate!on1the1ground!training!would!strongly! increase!the!productivity!and! quality! of! any! of! the! targeted! activity.! For! instance,! veterinary! and!medical! services!must! be!associated!with! poultry! or!Qaraqul! activities;! following! the! same! logic,! cooperatives! could! provide!farmers!with!vaccines,!fertilizers,!and!pesticides.!!8)$Cost$and$Income$Analysis! is!a!useful!strategic!tool:!for!instance,!with!the!first!scenario,!the!total!income! generation! of! the! programme!would! reach! 27,7%.! However,! other! significant! parameters!MUST!be!taken!into!account!to!refine!the!analysis!and!guide!a!short!or(long1term!strategy!(a!switch!from!humanitarian!activities!to!early!recovery!or!development!activities):!!

— !The!balance!between! fixed!and!variable! (or! input!and! running)! costs,! as! shown! in! the! table!below;!!

— !Labor!costs,!like!overheads!(salary(costs(and(man6days(being(difficult(to(assess(as(most(of(the(

farming(is(done(by(the(family(unit(and(not(by(individual(employees);!— !Opportunity!costs!(allocating(some(irrigated(land(for(saffron(or(potato(cultivation(would(also(

mean(that(farmers(would(not(cultivate(wheat(or(sesame(on(this(land(anymore).!!Chart$6:$Variable$and$Fixed$Costs$of$Selected$IGAs$

!!

40.5$23.5$

37.5$120.5$

1.6$ 25$ 25$

0%!10%!20%!30%!40%!50%!60%!70%!80%!90%!100%!

Selected$IGA$Fixed$and$Variable$Costs$

Variable!Costs!

Fixed!Cost!

! !!!43!

9)$Income$Generation$–!It!is!important!to!consider!how!profit!will!actually!materialize.!In!most!cases,!it!will! not! be! possible! to! evaluate! it! in! terms! of! liquid! cash,! but! rather! in! terms! of! an! increase! in!productive!capital!and,!sometimes,! in!social!services! (cooperatives).!Following!this! logic,! it! is!worth!asking,! for! instance:! if! we! develop! the! almond! activity! in! the! Zare! cluster,! how!many! vulnerable!people!will!experience!a!direct!and!indirect!increase!in!their!incomes?!!$10)$Income$Generating$Activity$Associations$(Cooperatives)$–$Cooperatives!are!the!conditio(sine(qua(non!to!further!develop!the!socio1economic!environment!of!both!districts!and!add!some!actual!value!to!the!basic!production!stage.!With!the!exception!of!Chalcana!(where!cooperatives!cannot!be!legally!established,! as! there! is! no! irrigated! land),! all! the! surveyed! communities! had! between! 1! and! 2!cooperatives.! However,! they! are! still! an! abstraction! and! were! inactive! at! the! time! of! the! survey.!Moreover,! most! respondents! were! unable! to! explain! the! potential! outcomes! of! cooperatives:! “In(Marghzar,(we(have(one(cooperative,(but(it(is(inactive(and(useless.(It(has(never(helped(us”((Humayoun,(

Bazaar(Trader,(Marghzar).(Therefore,! there! is!an!urgent!need! for!actual! cooperatives,!with!a! clear!mission!statement!and!the!official!support!of!both!local!communities!and!other!NGOs!(GTZ).!Finally,!we!strongly!believe!that!cooperatives!can!only!be!sustainable!and!efficient:!

• If! the! establishment! of! the! cooperative! are! decided! at! both! provincial! (DAIL,(Mazar)! and!district!levels,!to!strengthen!the!link!between!local!and!provincial!markets;!

• If! the! cooperative! plays! a! multi1facetted! role! and! becomes! the! first! interlocutor! of! local!producers! and! traders! (price( information,( sale( of( improved( seeds,( sale( of( pesticides( and(

fertilizers,(technical(advices((through(training(by(the(local(network(of(NGOs);(coordination(of(

individual(productions( to( increase( the(bargaining(power(with(middlemen;( streamlining(and(

planing(of(the(local(production((with(the(DAIL(and(the(technical(support(of(NGOs).!!

!

$$$$$

! !!!44!

ANNEXE$1:$Perception$Survey$and$Market$Needs$Assessment$in$Zare$(

⇒ $ If! we! consider! the! following! economic! activities,! are! they! present! in! your! district?! Are! they!important!for!people?!Do!you!think!that!they!should!be!more!developed?!!!Table$26:$Perception$Survey$(Labour$Market$–$Zare)$$

$

ZARE$$

Present$in$the$district$

Important$for$People$ Should$be$developed$

Agriculture!(production)! 99%! 100%! 99%!Agriculture!(sale)! 94%! 100%! 100%!Livestock!(production)! 100%! 100%! 99%!Livestock!(sale)! 95%! 100%! 100%!Mining! 32%! 65%! 91%!Construction! 54%! 73%! 65%!Sewing! 80%! 98%! 100%!Carpet! 100%! 84%! 91%!Tailoring! 85%! 91%! 99%!Carpentry! 90%! 99%! 100%!Welding! 92%! 99%! 98%!Electricity! 87%! 96%! 32%!Car!repair! 93%! 99%! 29%!Transportation! 82%! 100%! 93%!Retail!Shop! 96%! 98%! 98%!Accommodation! 73%! 76%! 59%!Beauty!Parlour! 0%! 0%! 0%!Decoration/Design! 0%! 0%! 0%!Telecommunication! 98%! 99%! 96%!Computer! 68%! 71%! 10%!Financial!Services! 4%! 23%! 2%!Education! 96%! 100%! 100%!Health! 96%! 100%! 100%!Local!NGO! 100%! 100%! 100%!!

! !!!45!

ANNEXE$2:$Perception$Survey$and$Market$Needs$Assessment$in$Kishindih!(

⇒ $ If! we! consider! the! following! economic! activities,! are! they! present! in! your! district?! Are! they!important!for!people?!Do!you!think!that!they!should!be!more!developed?!!!Table$27:$Perception$Survey$(Labour$Market$–$Kishindih)$$

$

KISHINDIH$$

Present$in$the$district$

Important$for$People$ Should$be$developed$

Agriculture!(production)! 96%! 100%! 100%!Agriculture!(sale)! 95%! 100%! 100%!Livestock!(production)! 100%! 100%! 100%!Livestock!(sale)! 99%! 100%! 100%!Mining! 22%! 41%! 51%!Construction! 23%! 57%! 25%!Sewing! 43%! 96%! 53%!Carpet! 49%! 100%! 43%!Tailoring! 52%! 100%! 54%!Carpentry! 55%! 100%! 54%!Welding! 58%! 97%! 53%!Electricity! 51%! 96%! 33%!Car!repair! 54%! 100%! 45%!Transportation! 82%! 87%! 89%!Retail!Shop! 96%! 81%! 87%!Accommodation! 56%! 84%! 66%!Beauty!Parlour! 0%! 16%! 0%!Decoration/Design! 2%! 22%! 13%!Telecommunication! 86%! 88%! 65%!Computer! 31%! 58%! 29%!Financial!Services! 23%! 60%! 23%!Education! 85%! 95%! 88%!Health! 91%! 100%! 100%!Local!NGO! 95%! 100%! 100%!!

!

!

!

! !!!46!

ANNEXE$3:$Examples$of$Implementation$Plans$!(

⇒ !The!table!below!describes!potential!guidelines! for!different! types!of! IGA!(traditional,!existing,!new).!!

$$Table$28:$Perception$Survey$(Labour$Market$–$Zare)$

!

!

!

!

Type$of$IGA$ IGA$ STRATEGY$ FIRST$STEPS$

Reactivation$of$a$Traditional$Activity$$

Qaraqul$ Reactivate!the!Qaraqul!subsector!by!promoting!selective!breeding!(FAO).!

• Select!breeds!(black,!brown,!fat!tail,!big!heads,!etc.)!adapted!to!climate,!feed!conditions!and!expected!outputs!to!increase!average!yield.!!!

• Strengthen!veterinary!services!through!existing!veterinary!services.!

Improvement$of$an$Existing$Activity$

Almonds$ Focus!on!orchard!improvement!and!increase!the!added!value!by!removing!bitter!almonds!and!improving!sorting.!!

• Assess!existing!trees!to!remove!bitter!almond!trees.!!

• Subsidize!purchase!of!saplings!for!replacement!of!ineffective!trees.!

• Subsidize!fertilizer!and!develop!parallel!activities!(with!beekeeping).!!

• Invest!in!commercial!sorting!/!grading!activity.!

• Training!on!sorting!and!grading!(grade!1!1best!grade!2!1!medium,!grade!3!1!small!–home!only).!

• Facilitate!access!to!20!kg,!100!kg!cloth!bag!packaging.!

• Facilitate!access!to!microfinance!/!speak!with!FINCA/BRAC/AKF!about!options!in!Zare.!

Improvement$of$an$Existing$Activity$

Cumin$ Develop!the!first!step!of!the!value!chain.!(Facilitate!access!to!improved!seeds/!Organization!of!local!demonstration!plots!to!show!seed!/!fertilizer!application!/!techniques,!etc.).!

• Provide!training!and!kits!to!farmers!to!support!them!in!their.!

• Provide!grant!for!cumin!processing!machine!and!install!under!new!Cumin!Export!Association!in!Mazar!(in!association!with!GTZ!and!DAIL)!to!defragment!production!

New$Activity$ Saffron$ Focus!on!working!with!MAIL!and!other!NGOs!(namely!GTZ,!in!Tunj!and!Northern!districts)!to!start!a!saffron!industry.!

• Start!saffron!research!and!demonstration!production!in!Marghzar!and!Zare.!

• Provide!training!and!kits!to!farmers!to!support!them!in!their!first!corm!purchases.!

! !!!47!

!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$Contact:$!!Herve$NICOLLE$Samuel&Hall&Strategy&Director(

[email protected]!Kabul,!AFGHANISTAN!+93!(0)!796!60!60!28!Paris,!FRANCE!+33!(0)!666!48!88!32$$$!!

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