By Sgt. Jessica Barnet and 2nd Lt. Matt Lucht, Adjutant General’s Department Public Affairs
TOPEKA, Kan. -- As the hanger doors in 680 parted, the Agribusiness Development Team 3 marched in proudly as they were greeted by loud heartfelt cheers from family, friends and fellow service members during their home coming ceremony from Afghanistan, Oct. 23, 2011.
Approximately 60 members of the Kansas Army and Air National Guard deployed to Afghanistan under the command of Col. Howard Wheeler in November 2010.
The Agribusiness team worked with numerous agencies within Afghanistan’s Laghman province to assist in building capabilities for increased agricultural production, training and services, and improving the safety of food and other agricultural products that are produced and distributed to the Afghan people. The team also provided assistance in developing sustainable agriculture and other related enterprises in hopes of increasing the economic well-being of the Afghans.
“We [ADTs] are really laying the foundation for the overall mission in Afghanistan,” said Wheeler. “We are out dealing with the local farmers and local people making personal contact with those folks. They get to see Americans one-on-one and understand that we are here to help. As far as counter insurgencies goes, we work with farmers and most insurgencies are fuels by farmers so, anything we can do to turn their opinion, that’s where it really helps.”
These members arrived on Christmas day of 2010 and hit the ground running. They were able to affect and enhance the lives thousands of Afghan people with low cost projects that will have an enormous impact for many years to come. The team was able to put thousands of acres of underutilized land back into production and established several new agribusinesses. These expert guardsmen were able to pass agricultural knowledge to student and farmers that spread to 126 villages and over 8000 citizens.
“The Guard is a great fit for this mission,” stated Wheeler. “We have so many folks that have some sort of an agriculture back ground. What we are really doing is applying our civilian background in a military environment so being guardsmen allows them the ability to go out and operate in a military environment and still apply there civilian skills.”
The Kansas National Guard while partnering with Kansas State University continues the ADT missions to build continuity and relationships with local Afghan leaders and citizens. The Agribusiness Development Team program is a joint effort of several federal government agencies and the National Guard. Information about the program and its goals can be found at http://www.army.mil/aps/08/information_papers/other/ARNG_Agribusiness_Development_Team.html