Irrigation project to boost Paktika farms

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

07.30.2011

Story by 1st Lt. Ryan DeCamp 

Combined Joint Task Force 1 - Afghanistan

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The Paktika Provincial Reconstruction Team met with Sultani Village elders July 30 to set the plans in motion for a new water conservation project which promises to improve farming and economic conditions there.

The Sultani Erosion Control and Watershed Restoration Project will allow more water to sink into the ground, helping the local farms grow more food, said Matt Duvall, Paktika PRT U.S. Department of Agriculture representative.

“The lack of water available for farming year-round in this village creates food insecurity, so much so, that many people go hungry three to four months of the year,” Duvall said. “The limiting factor is the availability of irrigation late into the growing season.”

Scheduled to begin around Aug. 30, the project will employ at least 80 percent of the workers from within 20 kilometers of the village.

It includes 450 check dams that will pool running water. The project will also involve more than 22 miles of hillside trenches to collect water. The trenches and dams are designed to slow the running water long enough for it to seep into the ground and be used for farming.

“Paktika has a short monsoon or wet season and a very long dry season, which leads to the issues where people go hungry for certain parts of the year,” Duvall said. “During the heavy rains, the water tends to roll off the land so after the rains, the farming is very good. However, during the dry season, it can be difficult to grow crops.

“The dams and trenches will slow that water down long enough for it to be absorbed into the ground. The intent is that because there’s more water under the ground, it can be used later during the dry seasons, helping farmers grow more so they have food year-round. Ideally, they’ll even be able to grow a surplus they can sell in a market.”

According to Afghan Agriculture trainer Jahrullah Safi, the project can also prevent monsoon damage to fields.

“The water comes very fast and damages your farms and fields,” Safi said while speaking to elders at the meeting. “There will be check dams that will slow down the water speed so it doesn’t damage your farms.”

The fast-moving rains or spring snow melts can carry sediment away, stripping the fields of the nutrients needed to grow food, Duvall added.

For workers, the PRT will add an additional benefit, by teaching workers how to read and write.

Village elder Haji Salam said the talk between the almost 30 people at the shura was beneficial. He said the literacy training was a good idea too and they appreciated everything that was being done for them to help the village.

• Date Taken: 07.30.2011
• Date Posted: 08.01.2011 18:27
• Story ID: 74650
• Location: PAKTIKA PROVINCE, AF