Afghan Women Improve Animal Health
Female para-veterinarians are increasing livestock productivity while supporting their families.
Hirat Province, Afghanistan | Sunday, January 03, 2010
When paraveterinarian Momena Mohammadi drives to villages to treat farmers’ livestock, other Afghan women ask her how they too can become a paravet. Women are not the only ones eager to follow in her footsteps; Mohammadi’s husband and eldest son also want to earn a living through veterinary services.
“Most of the people in Afghanistan are involved in agriculture and livestock, so this has an important role in Afghanistan’s economy and in improving the livelihoods of families,” said 30-year-old Mohammadi. “Strengthening this sector will help all the people and the general economy of Afghanistan.”
With the assistance of USAID, Mohammadi graduated from a paravet course and began running a veterinary field unit (VFU) more than two years ago in Hirat province. Mohammadi has clients in approximately 15 villages and offers services like vaccination, pregnancy tests, de-worming, and castration. Often she will drive her car alone to see clients and treat livestock, but occasionally her husband will accompany her to more remote villages.
Her husband is supportive of the career, and Mohammadi is the sole breadwinner for her family, which includes three sons ranging in age from five to 16. Mohammadi estimates that her gross sales are 20,000 afghanis, or $400, each month.
Mohammadi attended a paravet program for six months to learn about diseases, nutrition, anatomy, and other subjects that enable her to improve livestock health. She also received training in business management to help her manage her VFU. Mohammadi graduated first in a class of 20 men and women. USAID provided equipment, ranging from a refrigerator for medicine storage to surgical instruments, to help her establish her VFU.
Mohammadi is one of several female paravets assisted by USAID. With such support, Mohammadi said women are becoming a growing force in Afghan society. “If you compare the situation with some years ago, it’s much different now,” said Mohammadi. “Women are active in many aspects in life in Afghanistan. They are going to school and operating businesses. Things are changing.”
Panjsher Women Profit from Food Processing
Panjsher women learn to process and market juices and jams made from their region’s bountiful harvest.
Panjsher Province, Afghanistan | Thursday, December 10, 2009
Panjsher Valley’s fruit and vegetable bounty is beginning to nourish people throughout Afghanistan – and may someday make its way to grocery stores around the world. The region’s harvest is gaining value, and economic opportunities are increasing, thanks to a USAID program that teaches women how to process local produce into jams and juices.
A large percentage of Panjsher’s produce is too often lost to spoilage due to insufficient distribution networks. Preserving the fruits and vegetables in the form of nutritious, all-natural juices and jams adds value and saves the region’s harvest – while providing jobs for local women.
USAID and the Welfare and Development Organization for Afghanistan are teaching Panjsher’s women how to select produce from the bazaar, process it, and market the jams and juices they make. For many, this is their first opportunity to earn an income. Lialima, one of the participants, said, “My family is supportive of what I’m learning to do. Before this, I was just a housewife and now I can provide some of our income.”
In time, all seven districts in Panjsher will have a processing center that employs 20 skilled women workers – including widows who have few opportunities to support their families. All of the women take courses in Dari and math, which allows them to read recipes and perform simple bookkeeping.
The Panjsher juices and jams are already in great demand. At an open house held recently in Bazarak, dozens of visitors bought multiple bottles of jam and juice, and the products are currently being sold in local markets.
At the USAID-supported 2009 Kabul International Fresh Fruit and Vegetable AgFair, the jams and juices sold very well to a discerning Afghan and international clientele. The small quantity of product samples were quickly purchased by AgFair attendees. More importantly, three wholesalers in Kabul placed orders for future products. The women of Panjsher now have an excellent opportunity to promote the high quality products of their home region while earning an income to support their families.
This food processing program began through a coordinated effort between USAID and the Panjsher PRT, showing how civil-military cooperation can improve the lives and incomes of Afghans.
Spinning Wheels Help Women Triple Productivity
Foot-powered spinning wheels raise the output of an Afghan company, enabling the owner to provide more jobs.
Kabul, Afghanistan | Thursday, December 10, 2009
Mohammad Nabi, the owner of Sadaqat Wool Spinning Co., has almost tripled the number of women he employs to spin wool yarn in the past year. His company’s rapid expansion stems from the introduction of foot-treadle spinning wheels – simple devices that date back seven centuries and are still proving their value today.
Nabi established his company in Kabul two years ago, employing 50 Afghan women who relied on the traditional method of spinning wool by hand. In the hope of easing the women’s workload while increasing their output, Nabi bought electric spinning wheels with motors. Since municipal power was available for only a few hours every day, he ran a diesel generator that required a continuous supply of expensive fuel to power the machines.
To expand Sadaqat’s production capacity while reducing the company’s rising energy costs, USAID provided 120 foot-treadle spinning wheels as well as chairs and temporary shelter. The wooden foot-treadle spinning wheel is powered by the spinner’s foot rather than a motor or the spinner’s hand. The spinner sits and pumps a foot pedal that turns the wheel, leaving both hands free to handle the wool yarn. USAID also provided Sadaqat with training in the use and maintenance of this simple, yet effective, device.
Using the foot-treadle spinning wheels, the women have improved the quality of the wool yarn and more than tripled their production – from 1,200 kg to 4,200 kg each month. “The foot-powered spinning wheel is easier and faster,” said Bibi Sabar, an Afghan woman who has worked at Sadaqat for the past year and a half. “I don’t get tired. I think it’s like driving a car.”
In turn, Sadaqat’s sales have jumped from $1,200 per month to $8,200 per month, allowing the company to increase the number of women employed from 50 to 120. Sadaqat sells its high-quality wool yarn to carpet producers in Kabul and Mazari Sharif, but Nabi is eyeing other markets as well. He hopes to export the wool to India and neighboring countries one day.
“There is a huge difference with the new spinning wheels,” said Nabi. “We are very grateful. Without this support from the United States, we would have been struggling.”
Afghan Cashmere Reaches International Markets
High-quality cashmere satisfies UK market and provides income for Afghan farmers.
Hirat, Afghanistan | Saturday, October 24, 2009
Despite a slumping demand for luxury goods in the world due to the economic crisis, international markets are waking up to opportunities in Afghanistan’s nascent cashmere industry. Until recently, the value of cashmere was not recognized in the country, and much of its potential was lost when herders sheared their goats for wool. That all changed when USAID launched a nationwide campaign to increase awareness and educate male and female goat herders on how to harvest the product.
In tandem with efforts to teach herders to collect cashmere by combing their goats to harvest the fine hair, USAID began supporting regional cashmere collection warehouses to serve goat herders while lining up international buyers.
In May 2009, Sodis Masood Co. Ltd, an Afghan cashmere trading company based in Hirat that buys quality cashmere from regional goat herders, sold 20 metric tons of the product to Cashmere Fibers International Ltd. in the United Kingdom. At $6.50 per kg, the deal was worth $130,000.
“At the beginning of the year, we were worried that the global economic recession might also affect the Afghan cashmere industry, but such deals show that there is a strong demand for Afghan cashmere,” said Haji Ghulam Mohammad Habibzada, owner of Sodis Masood Co. Ltd.
Cashmere Fibers will work with Hirat-based Macao Company to scour and disinfect the cashmere. Previously, Afghanistan lacked the technology needed to scour and disinfect cashmere, forcing international buyers to send the product to other countries in the region. Processing the product in-country is an encouraging step in promoting the cashmere industry to locals and foreigners alike.
“This is a very good deal, and I think it is the beginning of a good start for the Afghan cashmere industry. Such deals will definitely encourage farmers and traders to promote this valuable commodity,” Habibzada said. “I would like to thank everybody who helped promote and revive the Afghan cashmere industry.”
Afghanistan Exports First Apples to India
USAID helped open India’s booming market to Afghan apple farmers.
Wardak Province, Afghanistan | Thursday, November 12, 2009
In early November 2009, Afghan farmers made history with the first-ever export of their apples to India. The country’s farmers now have the opportunity to introduce their apples – some of the crunchiest, sweetest, and largest in the region – to the biggest market in South and Central Asia. USAID worked with a local trader to facilitate a trial shipment of three metric tons of apples to India. The apples are now shipped on Air India through special rates that USAID negotiated with the airline. Up to 75 metric tons of apples will be exported each week from apple-growing regions like Wardak and Paktya provinces until the end of December.
India requires a pest risk analysis for apple imports to prevent infestations by dangerous pests. In partnership with Afghanistan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, USAID completed the analysis, which details methods to prevent infestations, and submitted the document to India’s Ministry of Agriculture. India can require up to a year to process the document, but USAID expedited approval through visits with officials in New Delhi.
“I’m really happy about this,” said Gul Amin Khan, an apple farmer from Wardak. “We can now sell our apples, which are famous for their sweetness, at a good price to India.”
The opening of the Indian market comes just as Afghan farmers, like Khan, harvest their apples. USAID, in partnership with Coalition Forces, provided the farmers with training to improve the quality and quantity of the apples and to introduce proper sorting, grading, and packaging procedures. As a result of the partnership, farmers are also using cold storage facilities that allow them to wait for optimal prices before selling the fruit.
A drought has reduced India’s apple harvest, and Afghanistan will fill a surging demand. Afghan farmers will likely receive far higher prices in India as compared to Pakistan and the local market. “I’m expecting to sell our apples at a good price in India,” said Abdul Masood, a farmer who received training from USAID. “That, in turn, will encourage us to grow more apples, export them to India, and get more money, which can contribute to the local economy.”
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