Japan pledges $9.5 million for agriculture sector

KABUL (Pajhwok): The government of Japan has provided $9.5 million aid to strength agriculture, irrigation and food security in Afghanistan, according to a statement on Monday.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the Government of Japan, facilitated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has launched a four–year project with a budget of USD 9.5 million, the statement said.

The project aims to increase the amount of irrigated land, boost local food production and strengthen the food security and livelihood resilience of more than 12 600 poor food insecure men, women and children in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan.

The project will rehabilitate the existing Nurgal irrigation canal in Kunar province, improving both the quantity and reliability of irrigation water for agricultural production and increasing the total command area – the agricultural land irrigated by the canal – by 70 hectares to a total of 643 hectares, leading to both increases in overall agricultural production and increases in productivity of at least 12 percent.

The project will also deliver benefits to communities, helping to protect more than 2 000 hectares of fragile rangelands through improved and adapted plant varieties, and recharging vital groundwater resources.

The project builds on and enhances the Green Ground Project initiated by Dr. Tetsu Nakamura and Peace (Japan) Medical Services (PMS) to build irrigation systems in the Kunar River Basin from 2003.

By 2023, the PMS project has transformed 23 800 hectares of abandoned arid farmlands back to green fields.

While addressing the attendees at the project signing ceremony today at the ICON compound, H.E. Takashi Okada, the Japanese Ambassador to Afghanistan, stated, "The drastic change by the Green Ground Project brought not only food, water and livelihood but also hopes to people.

The success is a testimony to the hard work and resilience of the Afghan people. Japan will work together with FAO on this Dr. Nakamura’s legacy project to enable local communities to manage precious water resources and develop sustainable agriculture.

Japan will continue to support Afghans to help themselves so that they can rebuild their livelihood and once again stand on their own feet."

“FAO appreciates the continuous and timely support of the Government of Japan in advancing agriculture, supporting irrigation, bolstering food security, and enhancing livelihoods of local communities across many parts of Afghanistan”, said Richard Trenchard, FAO Representative in Afghanistan.

Water is food.  Access to irrigation is ever-more important across Afghanistan, particularly for poor food insecure rural households.  Given the evolving impacts of climate change impacts on rural areas, Japan’s generous assistance will significantly boost the agricultural productivity of the most vulnerable, marginalized and food insecure farmers, strengthening both food security and livelihood resilience, and will help protect fragile rangeland and groundwater resources.

Moreover, empowering local communities to address water management challenges not only improves social cohesion but also reinforces community ownership and the sustainability of project outcomes,” he added.

Pr/nh