Helping Afghan Farmers Build Better Lives

Feb 26, 2017 | Mohammad Hassan Ibrahimi
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Mohammad Ibrahimi is a messenger between local farmers and the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL). That’s his role as provincial coordinator of the National Horticulture and Livestock Project (NHLP) for Daykundi Province. He leads agricultural trainings, visits farmers, oversees all project activities in the province—there is no typical day. He is constantly working to understand and help improve the situation of Daykundi’s farmers. He learns a lot from his interactions with farmers—one of the favorite parts of his job is when farmers share the wisdom they’ve gained farming the land for generations.

Most of the farmers NHLP works with are very poor, and it is easy to see the direct impact their work has in improving their livelihoods and lives. In teaching basic horticultural skills, creating sustainable livelihoods, and giving farmers the resources they need, NHLP is helping rebuild Afghanistan from the grassroots. With support from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), NHLP works to promote the adoption of improved horticulture practices and spark grassroots efforts that will be self-sustaining beyond the direct work of their projects. Since NHLP launched in Daykundi Province in 2014, they have established 1,400 jeribs, or 280 hectares, of grapes, almonds, apples, and apricots, and are working to build 18 water harvesting structures to improve irrigation across the province.