FARAH, Afghanistan (April 17, 2010) – Members from Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Farah met with Farah agriculture officials in an effort to assess the current agriculture situation in Farah, Afghanistan, April 17, 2010.
Members of the PRT, to include Darren Richardson, United States Department of Agriculture, visited the Farah City Agricultural School, the Farah Farmers Union, and the Department of Agriculture.
“The main reason we came today is to check on the farming crops that the ARD (Agriculture and Rural Development) have been working on. We want to see how they are progressing,” said Richardson.
During the visit to the Department of Agriculture, Richardson and other members of the PRT were shown the landscape of the compound, where a wide variety of crops are being farmed by ARD, a United States Agency for International Development implementer. The techniques used to cultivate the crops are available to local farmers, as a way to provide farmers insight on alternative methods to their techniques.
“They (Department of Agriculture) use different irrigation types and new techniques to try to get the farmers to physically see something, to see how it all works,” said Richardson, “It’s a good concept and this is a nice area. It’s a huge compound here”
Over 140 local workers recently spent several months cleaning up the area, to prepare for new crops. A majority of them will be ready for harvest next fall.
At the Farah City Agricultural School, Richardson and other members of the PRT provided an assessment of the crops currently being cultivated. Grapes, strawberries, and wheat account for a wide variety of crops at a place where young men are taught how to become productive farmers.
The current construction of a new facility for the Farah Farmers Union will eventually consist of shops, offices, lodging, and a restaurant.
No comments:
Post a Comment