Going Green: Nangarhar agriculture officials implement an organic pesticides initiative

LOGAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

10.15.2011

Courtesy Story

Combined Joint Task Force 1 - Afghanistan

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Annually, farms across Afghanistan are plagued with the devastating effects of common pests such as aphids and mites. These pests often render hundreds of thousands of hectares of crop land virtually unusable due to severe infestation. In response to a recent aphid infestation, the Surkh Rod Plant Protection Office, with the support of the Nangarhar Agribusiness Development Team, devised a plan to better control pests through organic means, while also safeguarding the district’s valuable water resources.

“Providing our farmers with the resources to effectively implement low-cost organic methods to combat pest infestation is a top priority,” said U.S. Army Capt. Gary Chura, agribusiness specialist. “In conversations with the Surkh Rod Plant Protection Manager Abdullah, we ascertained that the farming community needs a wealth of reliable information to support the decision making process. The key factor in our coordinated planning was sustainability. Will farmers be able to design and replicate low-cost pesticide regiments? Another issue at hand was implementing processes that have little, if any impact on local water resources.”

Water sources in Afghanistan are particularly vulnerable to pesticide contamination because they are usually located in close proximity to, or on agricultural land. Pesticides, whether chemical or organic, have the potential to seep into the soil and enter groundwater sources during recharge, or to wash away from the application site, carrying the pesticide to surface water sources such as canals. These factors coupled with the porous, sandy soil, and relative shallow depth of the majority of wells makes water and soil contamination a serious issue in Afghanistan.

In a timely and direct response to a locally identified agricultural need, Surkh Rod Plant Protection Manager, Abdullah, consulted with several local researchers and used the reach back capabilities of the ADT to develop proven non-toxic organic pesticide recipes to combat various pest infestations. These pesticides use a variety of common ingredients such as ground tomato leaves, peppers, onion, garlic, and soap mixed with water, which are delivered using hand pump sprayers.

“Projects such as the organic pesticide program have a big impact on protecting the livelihoods of the farmers and communities I serve,” said Abdullah. “These efforts enhance the capabilities of our agricultural extension office to provide needed services to the community. These services are developing necessary links to community members. There is so much pride in creating local solutions to our problems.”

A main component of this project is education. Classes held across the district will train farmers to conduct field assessments and survey their land for a variety of common pests. Training provided to the farmers of the community will allow citizens to better determine their best course of action. At the end of the training session farmers will know how to better assess their land; understand varying degrees of infestation; identify key indicators of common pests; be provided a list of simple and inexpensive recipes to combat pests; and have access to hand pump sprayers provided by the Surkh Rod Agricultural Extension Office.

“Our goal is to empower farmers to make informed decisions on application, concentrations, and methods; while also encouraging them to use agribusiness knowledge to weigh outcomes against possible economic damage,” said Abdullah.

The Nangarhar ADT is committed to focusing efforts on building the capacity of the Nangarhar Directorate of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock. Through the development, refinement and adoption of formal and informal governance capabilities the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) will continue to prosper and grow with negligible support from coalition forces.

“Aligning meaningful actions along with well coordinated community responsive initiatives is our key to success,” said Chura. “Programs such as the organic pesticide initiative show a credible responsive GIRoA that truly supports and values local participation.”

• Date Taken: 10.15.2011
• Date Posted: 11.03.2011 20:14
• Story ID: 79535
• Location: LOGAR PROVINCE, AF