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Survey of theHORTICULTURE SECTOR2003
AFGHANISTAN
Survey of theHORTICULTURE SECTOR
2003
AFGHANISTAN
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Contents
Foreword vii
Acknowledgements v
INTRODUCTION 1
BACKGROUND 2
MAIN FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS 3
RECOMMENDATIONS 5
NATIONAL SURVEY OF RESEARCH STATIONSAND FRUIT NURSERIES 7
■ Research stations 7
■ Nucleus fruit nurseries 8
■ Private fruit nurseries 12
NATIONAL SURVEY AT THE VILLAGE LEVEL 15■ General village and rural family information 15
■ Occurence of natural disaster and manmade calamities 15
■ Irrigation systems 15
■ Farm power 15
■ Land use in horticulture and crop management 16
■ Cultivation of vegetables 16
■ Fruit crop production 18
■ Status of production of the main grown fruit species 20
■ Orchard management practices 23
■ Marketing horticultural crops 24
■ Handling, packaging and marketing pratices 25
ANNEX 1
SURVEY METHODOLOGY 29■ Phase I 29
■ Phase II 29
■ Phase III 29
■ Data collection tools 29
ANNEX 2
SURVEY QUERIES 32
MapsMAP 1Active and non-active research stations in Afghanistan
MAP 2Number of fruit species in the nucleus nurseries/district
MAP 3Nucleus nurseries/districts with the highest number ofindigenous varieties of apricot
MAP 4Number of active private fruit nurseries per province
MAP 5Number of local varieties of apricot in the privatenurseries/provinces
MAP 6Province/private nurseries having species with the highestnumber of local varieties
MAP 7Province/private nurseries with the highest number of trees(local varieties) in the stock plant block
MAP 8Number of trees with the highest number of exotic varietiesin the stock plant block of private nurseries/province
MAP 9Number of trees of exotic varieties of almond in the stockplant block of private nurseries/province
MAP 10Number of apple trees (exotic varieties) in the stock plantblock of private nurseries/province
MAP 11The most common vegetables grown in the provinces
MAP 12The most fruit species grown (number of trees and jeribs)by province
MAP 13Area (jeribs) surveyed and covered with horticultural cropsby province
MAP 14Number of jeribs of grape by province
MAP 15Provinces with the highest apple area (in jeribs)
MAP 16Number of almond trees (local varieties) in the stock plantblock of private nurseries
FiguresFIGURE 1Altitude (m) of research stations in Afghan provinces
FIGURE 2Size of active research stations (in jeribs) in Afghan districts(February 2003)
FIGURE 3Main crops grown in Afghan research stations (February2003)
FIGURE 4The altitude of Afghan nucleus nurseries (m)
FIGURE 5Natural disasters and manmade calamities that affected theAfghan nucleus nurseries from 1997 to 2002 (in percentageof responses)
FIGURE 6Natural disasters and manmade calamities affecting fruitand vegetables in Afghanistan (1997-2002)
FIGURE 7Farm power in Afghanistan (spring 2003)
FIGURE 8Vegetable species with more than 2 500 jeribs (500 ha) inthe monitored villages (spring 2003)
FIGURE 9Vegetable species with less than 2 500 jeribs (500 ha) in themonitored villages (spring 2003)
FIGURE 10Fruit species (excluding grape) with more than 1 000 jeribs(200 ha) in the monitored villages (spring 2003)
FIGURE 11Fruit species with less than 1 000 jeribs (200 ha) in themonitored villages (spring 2003)
FIGURE 12Main problems of Afghan farmers (in percentage ofresponses) related to crop management (spring 2003)
FIGURE 13Seed sources in Afghanistan (spring 2003)
FIGURE 14Importance (in percentage of responses) of local varieties inAfghanistan (spring 2003)
FIGURE 15Marketing trends: comparison of the Horticulture Survey1996 with the Survey of the Horticulture Sector 2003
FIGURE 16Kinds of markets used by the Afghan villages (spring 2003)
FIGURE 17Various marketing problems cited by Afghan farmers inmarketing their horticultural crops (spring 2003) (inpercentage of responses)
FIGURE 18The most important cash crops in Afghanistan
FIGURE 19The priority of importance (in terms of percentage ofresponses) of various Afghan cash crops (spring 2003)
FIGURE 20Percentage of fruit crops marketed at the village level(spring 2003) (Total crop area per province > 5 ha)
FIGURE 21Percentage of vegetable crops marketed at the village level(spring 2003) (Total crop area per province > 5 ha)
Acknowledgements This report is the result of a collaborative processundertaken by the Afghanistan Ministry ofAgriculture and Animal Husbandry (MAAH) and boththe FAO Emergency Operations and RehabilitationDivision (TCE) and the FAO Crop and GrasslandService (AGPC). The Government of Italy is alsoacknowledged for its generous contribution thatmade this survey and report possible.
We would like to acknowledge the dedicated work ofmore than 90 brave field staff in Afghanistan whoconducted the survey despite adverse climaticconditions and the chronically insecure situation. Veryspecial thanks are addressed to Mr Abdul Wahab, theNational Survey Assistant, Mr Mir, National SurveyCoordinator and Mr Etienne Careme, FAOInternational Information Officer, in Afghanistan andthe team of data entry clerks for their invaluablecontribution and tireless work.
FAO would like to thank the dedicated work ofMessrs. Gul Ahmad, M. A. Asifi, G.R. Samadi, Z.Noor, A.S. Nazari, A.R. Shinwari and M. Morad.
FAO would also like to acknowledge the invaluableefforts of Giuseppe De Bac, project coordinator of thesurvey and this report.
Thanks also go the consultant editor, Barbara Hall,consultant graphic designer, Filippo Maiolo, CD-Romspecialist, Ivan Grifi, FAO Operations Officer, MarcoMiagostovich and FAO Art Editor for their valuableefforts, Marina Criscuolo.
vi
vii
Foreword
Agriculture is essential in establishing a stable and prosperous society inAfghanistan. The country has been devastated by conflict over the past 23 yearsand by several years of drought from 1999-2002. Prior to this period of drought
and war, 70 to 80 percent of the country’s population was engaged in agriculture.Despite its difficult terrain, adverse climatic conditions and limited arable land,Afghanistan was largely self-sufficient in food and a significant exporter of someagricultural products in the early 1970s.
Horticulture is one of the areas of greatest challenge and opportunity in Afghanistan.The environmental conditions are highly favourable for the large number of endemichorticultural crops. Afghanistan is a unique centre of genetic diversity and of great valueto the international horticulture community. Carrot, radish, cherry, plum, apricot, peach,pear, apple, walnut, pistachio, fig, grape, pomegranate, honeydew melon, and almondare among the species present across the country, providing a unique array of usefulagro-botanical traits.
In 1972, horticultural commodities supplied 40 to 60 percent of all export earnings.Afghan dried fruit accounted for 60 percent of the world's market. Now horticulturalproduction is drastically less than 1972 levels. Many fields are abandoned, many orchardsdestroyed, and tree nurseries, seed sources, water, input and knowledge are limited ornon-functional.
Afghan farmers show an increased interest in cash crop production, which has acomparative economic advantage over the production of traditional subsistence crops.Horticulture crops are in a stronger position to sustain food security, to providealternative livelihoods to opium poppy cultivation, and to support the rehabilitation ofthe Afghan rural economy.
The survey results should be used not only by the people of Afghanistan, but also by alldonor countries, private investors and international organizations looking for facts andfigures. The aim is also to highlight the need for a long-term development programme torehabilitate the Afghan horticulture sector.
Serge VerniauFAO Representative
Afghanistan
1
Introduction
Anational horticulture sector survey on the state of Afghan horticulture wasconducted in spring, 2003 by a team of 90 national technicians and 1international survey coordinator in 1 808 villages in 327 districts and all 32
provinces, covering more than 99 percent of the representative horticultural areas in thewhole country.
This booklet contains a summary of the field survey data analysis and provides mainfindings and conclusions. It is accompanied by a CD-Rom, which provides the electronicversion of the booklet with hyperlinks to the databases, a compendium of all theessential technical data collected at the district and province level.
At the beginning of the war in 1979, the horticultural sector was one of the pillars ofthe Afghan economy because it was contributing over 40 percent to total exportearnings due to the production of quality fresh and dry fruits. This sector utilized only 6percent of the total cultivated land and about 12 percent of permanently irrigated crops.The following 25 years of war and civil strife contributed dramatically to the decline ofthe sector, which destroyed orchards and nurseries as well as most of the irrigationsystems and infrastructures. Consequently, the post-harvest technology and marketingchannels were completely disrupted. In addition, the recent four years of droughtcontributed to the almost total collapse of the horticulture sector, which is based onfruit, nut and vegetable production.
In 1996, FAO carried out a national survey of the horticulture sector in 79 districts,which covered 7 000 villages. The results indicated that in spite of the conflict situation,which considerably impeded production and marketing activities, there was an increasedinterest from farming communities in developing horticultural cash crops. Due to the endof the war, we are now in the rehabilitation phase in which the horticulture sector willplay a critical role in rebuilding the agricultural industry.
In 2003, in response to this need, the Italian Voluntary Contribution to the Immediateand Transitional Assistance Programme (ITAP) 2002/2003 in Afghanistan project(OSRO/AFG/212/ITA) funded this Afghanistan Survey of the Horticultural Sector 2003 ofthe current state and condition of orchards, vineyards, nut plantations and vegetablecrop production throughout Afghanistan. This survey was one of the eight projectswithin this Italian contribution.
It should also be stressed that this survey has been accomplished despite adverse climaticand dangerous security conditions, which frequently hampered the regular execution ofactivities in the country.
Most of the information gathered in this survey refers to technical aspects such as thespecies grown, existing genetic resources, occurrence of calamities, irrigation and cropmanagement. It is expected that this information will provide a basic tool for strategicplanning and for the development of medium- to long-term projects and programmes.
2
Background
This Survey was conducted in three distinct phases according to the timeframe ofthe consultants’ missions and the seasons, in order to ensure a smoothimplementation of the activities at the field level.
Phase I included conducting a national survey for all research stations, nucleus fruitnurseries, and private nurseries, the latter selected according to data gathered fromprevious FAO Afghan horticultural projects.
All the local and exotic fruit trees species and varieties present in the nucleus fruit andprivate nurseries were listed, including the number, age and the phytosanitary conditionsof the trees. Questionnaires were conducted on research station and fruit tree nurserysurveys (A, B, C), using altimeters and Global Positioning System (GPS), and informationwas collected on the elevation and exact position of both the nucleus and the privatenurseries.
Phase I also implemented a test survey of the horticulture sector at the village level. Itwas carried out in December 2002 and January 2003 in three selected provinces (Kabul,Khost, Nangarhar) to avoid any possible technical and logistical constraints for theimplementation of the national horticulture survey. Information gathered on the dataentry of the test survey was analysed.
Phase II focused on launching the Afghanistan Survey of the Horticultural Sector 2003,which was officially launched on 20 February 2003, considered Afghan springtime, theideal season to commence the survey field activities.
The field survey mobilized staff that included 87 field researchers (3 for each province),7 Regional Survey Coordinators and 1 National Survey Coordinator. All the fieldresearchers were recruited through the Afghanistan Ministry of Agriculture and AnimalHusbandry (MAAH) and were assigned to stations in their home provinces.
The questionnaire was divided into four different sections (D1, D2, D3, D4) andincluded questions on farming systems, occurrences of natural disasters and manmadecalamities, farm size, farm power, farm families, the crops cultivated and irrigationsources. In addition, the questionnaire covered the status of horticultural cropproduction, farmer income and problems related to access to the domestic horticulturalproduct market.
Phase III focused on data entry and analysis of the results of this national horticulturesurvey and the national survey for all nucleus fruit nurseries, national research stationsand private nurseries.
The random crosscheck at the field level, which included the monitoring of datacollected in the ten selected provinces, was completed on 30 April 2003. Data entry ofthe horticultural survey was completed in June 2003. The data analysis included queriesand was analysed using Microsoft Access and Excel programs to assist with numericoperations and graph design. Further, Arc View software was utilized for drawing maps.
3
Main findings and conclusions
Alarge number of agricultural areas were monitored in order to assess the statusof fruit and vegetable cultivation at the household level and not just inspecialized areas. In fact, the areas for fruit and vegetable production intended
to supply local markets and export have almost completed disappeared, apart fromnegligible scattered pockets of lands. Most production is presently for self-consumptiononly.
Results for all the nucleus fruit nurseries and private nurseries indicated that the fruitsector collapsed during the last five years. The number and quality of fruit trees availablefrom and marketed by fruit nurseries at the private level have decreased. Nevertheless,the nurseries remain the only reliable source for the collection of fruit tree materials.
The survey also provided the following main findings:
• The nucleus fruit and private nurseries have a valuable collection of local geneticresources. In the case of apricot and grape, the collection is totally represented byindigenous varieties.
• The development of horticultural crops is limited by the poor level of post-harvestpractices. The entire sector has been depressed by the highly perishable nature ofmost horticultural products associated with poor grading practices, the absence ofcold storage facilities, a lack of adequate packing material, and the total absence offarmers’ organizations to market their produce.
• Afghan farmers are increasingly interested in vegetable crop production, which givesa more immediate and greater source of cash than do traditional subsistence crops.Horticultural crops are therefore in a strong position to support food security and therehabilitation of Afghan rural economy.
• Afghanistan is mostly rural with a total number of 128 407 farming families, equal to89 percent of the total number of families in the areas surveyed. The number offarming families would have been higher had it been taken into account that indistricts with villages near largely populated cities, such as Mazar-I-Sharif, Jalalabadand especially Kabul, the percentage of farming families is reduced as a result of thealternative job opportunities offered by the urban centres.
• The rate of families with their own land is obviously high, being 91 percent of all thefamilies interviewed. The rate of land ownership in the remote rural areas far fromthe biggest urban centres is close to 99 percent.
• A deficit in irrigation water is reported in 20 percent of the surveyed areas, and isconsidered by the farmers as the main limiting factor to the development ofhorticultural crops. Irrigation is carried out through furrows (54 percent). The mainwater sources are “karez” (underground channels) (17 percent), springs (21 percent)and wells (8 percent).
• The development of agricultural and horticultural crops is severely limited by the very
4
low level of farm power. Indeed, animal traction is still the main farm power option for42 percent of the farmers, followed by mechanized power (32 percent) and manuallabour (26 percent).
• Within the range of natural disasters and manmade calamities that have affected thevillages from 1999 to 2002, drought has been reported as the most common calamity,followed by civil unrest. In response to these disasters, humanitarian agencies offeredassistance to 45 percent of the surveyed villages.
• On average, 13 percent of the arable land and 25 percent of the irrigated land wereused for the cultivation of horticultural crops. These figures are therefore indicative ofthe increasing role being played by horticultural crops in the rural economy despite thedifficult agro-economic reality of the country.
• The most common fruit species grown in Afghanistan are grape, apple, almond, apricotand pomegranate. Main vegetable species are watermelon, honeydew melon, onion,potato, tomato, carrot and turnip. In the fruit orchards and the grape vineyards, only 44percent of the farmers practise pruning, 78 percent chemically control pests anddiseases, and 53 percent use chemical fertilizers.
• Production quality still remains at a low standard despite the country’s highly suitableclimate for producing high quality fruits. This results in a lower market value for thefruits and lost opportunities for farming families to increase their income.
• Low plastic tunnels (LPVs) are mainly used by the farmers in Loghar and Balkh Provincefor the production of early vegetable crops. These farmers are more innovative andinclined to invest in the application of this remunerative practice.
• Farmers have recently been paying more attention to the management of short cyclecrops such as vegetables, as compared to that of fruit orchards.
5
Recommendations
Major parts of the country continue to be severely affected by the unstable securitysituation. In a few districts and particularly in the western and central-easternprovinces, the horticultural sector is presently in a more advanced stage of
development. Future technical assistance programmes on horticulture should then focus onthese areas, involving a wider participation of farming communities.
An irrigation water deficit remains a very serious limiting factor to crop production. Therehabilitation of irrigation structures and the training of farmers on improved waterresources management practices should be considered top priorities as part of integratedprogrammes for crop production development.
Farmers show an evident lack of horticulture technical know-how; a long-termhorticulture programme should aim at the development of community-based extensionschemes promoting a farmers’ field school approach and “Integrated Production andProtection” (IPP) practices.
The country possesses a valuable collection of local genetic resources of fruit species,which are still preserved in the collection block of the nine identified nucleus nurseries. Anyfuture intervention in the horticulture fruit sector should therefore give priority to theconservation of the indigenous resources, their characterization, evaluation and furthermultiplication.
Once a stable level of security in the country has been established, reactivation of thelocal fruit trees market will be facilitated. Immediate assistance should be given to privatefarmers who are willing to rehabilitate their fruit nurseries, providing them with theappropriate technical training on fruit tree propagation and management.
Most farmers face difficulties in accessing quality agricultural inputs and farm equipmentat affordable prices. Assistance will be required to monitor this market sector in order toprovide information to private entrepreneurs and community organizations on technicalspecifications and sources of agricultural inputs.
Peri-urban horticultural crop production creates job opportunities for urban and peri-urban populations while also contributing to the alleviation of poverty and malnutrition inthese areas. Farmers show a very strong interest in cultivating high value vegetable crops,which could provide a good source of immediate income, and in innovative agriculturalpractices to achieve better yields. Support should be given to vegetable crop production inperi-urban areas be considered a concomitant component in any horticultural cropproduction programme.
6
Active research stations
Non-active research stations
MAP 1. Active and non-active research stations in Afghanistan
7
■ RESEARCH STATIONS
Twenty-eight research stations were covered bythe survey, sixteen of which are presently eitheractive in research or in other agriculturalactivities. The data collected give the exactlocation and altitude of the research stations,land size, type of prevailing soil and thecondition of the irrigation system. It alsoincluded information on the main crops grownand the type of ongoing and past technicalassistance received from UN agencies.
• Figure 1 shows the altitude of the researchstations, 40 percent of which are above 1 500a.s.l. The average size of the research stationsis 322 jeribs (64 ha)1 (see Figure 2). The largest research station is located inTurnak, having 5 800 jeribs (1 160 ha).
• Drought was the main limiting factor in thelast four years for about 40 percent of theresearch stations.
• The research station in Faizabad located inBadakshan Province is the only one that wasaffected by floods within the last five years.
• As Figure 3 below indicates, the main cropgrown at the stations is cereal (wheat),followed by fruit trees and vegetables.
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
Kab
ul
Kab
ul
Kab
ul
Kab
ul
Kab
ul
Pakt
ya
Pakt
ya
Pakt
ya
Pakt
ya
Nan
garh
ar
Nan
garh
ar
Bada
khsh
an
Bagh
lan
Kun
duz
Kun
duz
Kun
duz
Balk
h
Balk
h
Hira
t
Hel
man
d
Nim
roz
Kan
daha
r
Kan
daha
r
Pakt
ika
Kho
st
Kho
st
Gho
r
Takh
ar
FIGURE 1. Altitude (m) of research stations in Afghan provinces
74 60150
400
7025 5 40
164
500
174
515
30
140
245
30
1000
800
134
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Bagh
i-Zak
hira
Darula
man
Shish
am B
agh
Shish
am B
agh
block
7
Bada
m B
agh
Quarg
ha V
eget
ables
Quarg
ha Fr
uit
Centra
l Gree
en H
ouse
Bagh
Mar
kazi
Tera
Urtabu
laqi
Chard
ara
Posi-
Esha
n
Shar
ana
Farm
Push
ti Ba
ghBo
lan
Kohka
ran
Uurdu
khan
Sham
al Ba
gh
FIGURE 2. Size of active research stations (in jeribs) in Afghan districts (February 2003)
71%
5%
24%
Cereal Potatoes Fruits Vegetables
FIGURE 3. Main crops grown in Afghan research stations (February 2003)
National survey of research stationsand fruit nurseries
1 A jerib is 2 000 square metres, or one-fifth the size of ahectare.
8
■ NUCLEUS FRUIT NURSERIES
Nucleus fruit nurseries represent the main centresof fruit tree multiplication and distribution in thecountry. The general status of each nursery wasassessed, the irrigation system was monitored,and estimates were provided on all different fruittree species, varieties, the number of trees andtheir condition.
There are 11 nucleus fruit nurseries inAfghanistan, all of which are located ongovernment land. In the past, all of thesenurseries received technical assistance from FAO.Now, the Afghanistan Government with theassistance of FAO intends to re-launch theactivities of fruit training and propagation insome of these nucleus nurseries.
The survey indicates the following:
• The nucleus fruit nurseries represent the maincentres of in-situ germplasm fruit treecollection in their respective provinces and arethe main distribution source to the privatesatellite fruit nurseries for improved fruit trees.
• Each nucleus fruit nursery has a mother plantcollection block and is generally divided intotree blocks - rootstock, budwood and stockplant block, the latter of which is inaccuratelynamed locally as “sapling block”.
• The most common species in the nurseries areapricots, apples and plums, the former ofwhich also has the highest genetic diversity.The collection of indigenous varieties is wideand most of them are still considered valuableby growers.
• Seventy percent of the nurseries havemechanized power (four-wheel tractors).
• The drought severely affected 80 percent ofthe nurseries in the past four years with a 30percent loss of fruit trees.
• The nucleus fruit nurseries are located atdifferent altitudes to cover the different agro-climatic conditions from north to south andwest to east (Figure 4). They therefore includea wide range of temperate fruit tree speciesand varieties in their collections.
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
Met
ers
Asmar
Paghm
an
Khwaja o
mar
i
Behso
od (jala
l abad
)
Mih
tarla
m
Asad ab
ad
Maz
ar
Jawzja
n Cen
ter
Gozara
Arghan
dab
Mat
un
Nucleus Nurseries
FIGURE 4. The altitude of Afghan nucleus nurseries (m)
55%
18%
18%
9%
Drought Pests/Diseases Civil unrest None
FIGURE 5. Natural disasters and manmade calamities that affected the Afghan nucleus nurseries
from 1997 to 2002 (in percentage of responses)
9
MAP 2. Number of fruit species in the nucleus nurseries/district
No. of indigenous varieties of apricot
MAP 3. Nucleus nurseries/districts with the highest number of indigenous varieties of apricot
10
■ PRIVATE FRUIT NURSERIES
Despite the recent civil unrest and drought, 62percent of the private fruit nurseries are stillactive. Results of the survey include:
• Wardak is the province with the highestpresence of active private fruit nurseries,followed in order by Farah, Hirat and Paktika.
• The average size of the private fruit nurseries is1.5 jeribs (.3 ha), and they occupy 17 percentof the farmland.
• Most of the private fruit nurseries include arootstock block, budwood block and stockplant block. However, due to inefficient cropmanagement, the condition of trees is poorand skilled technicians are very scarce.
• Almond is largely grown in the Ghazni andWardak Provinces. Paktika is the main centrefor the production of almond landraces.
• Apple is the most common species grown inthe nurseries. Paktika Province has the highestnumber of exotic apple trees in the stock plantblock. It is the most important fruit tree inWardak, as shown by the total number of trees(3 500) in the stock plant block of the sixprivate nurseries.
• Apricot is by far the most common species ofthe indigenous varieties grown by the privatenurseries. The nurseries in Paktika and Ghazniproduced the highest number of trees.
• Regarding the indigenous varieties of grape,the main centre of grape production is in FarahProvince.
• The only source of local varieties of guava,loquat, persimmon, figs and mulberry is foundin Nangarhar Province.
• Peach is grown intensively in the privatenurseries of Hirat and Paktika, the latterproducing the highest number of exoticvarieties.
• The main centre of plum production is in Hirat;nine landraces are commonly grown in thesenurseries.
• Furrow irrigation is the most common systemused.
• Paghman District (Kabul Province) is the onlyone with a karez. The others use canals ordeep wells.
• The nucleus fruit nursery in Nangarhar Provincealso includes sub-tropical species, such asguava and loquats.
• Two nucleus fruit nurseries, in Balkh (Mazar)and in Kandahar (Arghandab), are notpresently active due to civil unrest anddrought.
• The two nucleus fruit nurseries of KunarProvince have the highest number of fruit treespecies in their collections, 15 species in AsadAbad and 13 in the Asmar District.
• Gazara District in Hirat Province has thehighest number of indigenous grape varieties(32) and is the only one with a collection ofwild pistachio landraces.
• The nucleus fruit nursery in Khwaja OmariDistrict has the richest collection of indigenousvarieties of apricot (17) and plum (7).
• Loquat and orange exotic varieties are availablein the Matun District (Central Bagh nursery) inKhost Province.
• Mitharlam has a valuable collection ofindigenous varieties of fig and pomegranate.Exotic varieties of other fruit species alsorepresent a high portion of available geneticmaterial in the district.
• Gozara District in Hirat Province is the maincollection centre for exotic varieties of apples,pears, apricots and plums.
• The district nurseries of Mitharlam, followed byAsada Abad and Gozara, have the highestnumber of exotic almond varieties (five). Avaluable citrus (orange and lemon) collection ofexotic varieties is also present in the Beshoodnursery in Jalalabad.
11
MAP 4. Number of active private fruit nurseries per province
12
MAP 5. Number of local varieties of apricot in the private nurseries/provinces
MAP 6. Province/private nurseries having species with the highest number of local varieties
13
MAP 7. Province/private nurseries with the highest number of trees (local varieties) in the stock plant block
14
MAP 9. Number of trees of exotic varieties of almond in the stock plant block of private nurseries/province
MAP 8. Number of trees with the highest number of exotic varieties in the stock plant block of private nurseries/province
15
MAP 10. Number of apple trees (exotic varieties) in the stock plant block of private nurseries/province
16
17
A total of 1 805 villages covering 327 districts inall 32 provinces were monitored. (Two districtswere not included due to adverse weatherconditions and insecurity.) The survey coveredinformation on farming systems, horticulturecrops, and the occurrences of natural disastersand manmade calamities. Questionnaires alsofocused on farm size, farm power, landlessfamilies, crop management, and irrigationsources. The analysis was conducted taking intoaccount the different sections outlined in thequestionnaires (D1, D2, D3, D4) and groupedaccording to selected queries (see Annex II).
■ GENERAL VILLAGE AND RURALFAMILY INFORMATION
For each village surveyed, information wascollected on the number of farming families andthe relative number of landless familiessustaining their livelihood through land rent.Information was also collected on the altitude ofthe village, such as lowland or mountainousarea, as well as on the collocation of theagriculture system in a well-defined agro-climaticarea.
According to the total villages monitored, 89percent of all families were rural farming families(128 407). Ninety-one percent of all the familiesinterviewed own their own land.
The areas near big cities and in districts closeto the country’s borders show a higher numberof families renting land because of theavailability of alternative job opportunities for thelandowners and the emigration of land tenants.
■ OCCURRENCE OF NATURALDISASTERS AND MANMADECALAMITIES
The importance of the incidence, type, andimpact of natural disasters and manmadecalamities from 1999 to 2002 and theirrelationship to horticultural practices (seeFigure 6) were assessed. Monitoring wasperformed on the eventual assistance given byhumanitarian, organizations international andnon-governmental organizations.
National survey at the village level
47%
8%
29%
16%
Flood Pests/Diseases Civil unrestDrought
FIGURE 6. Natural disasters and manmade calamities affecting fruit and vegetables in Afghanistan (1997-2002)
Animals Tractor Manual labour
26% 42%
32%
FIGURE 7. Farm power in Afghanistan (spring 2003)
■ IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
The situation of the present irrigation system wasassessed and the main problems in relation towater deficiency were addressed. Farm powerwas also monitored, as well as the extent towhich this it can be a limiting factor to cropproduction development.
Fifty percent of the farmers irrigate their crops;however, due to four consecutive years ofdrought, 80 percent of the farmers in thetraditionally rainfed areas of the north wereforced to irrigate their lands.
■ FARM POWER
The results show striking evidence of a verysevere deficit in farm power and machinery (seeFigure 7), which greatly limits crop productiondevelopment and efforts to rehabilitate the land.
18
■ LAND USE IN HORTICULTUREAND CROP MANAGEMENT
The proportion of irrigated and rainfed arableland being used for growing horticultural cropsand its prospects for horticultural cropproduction development were analysed.
On average, 13 percent of total arable landarea (both irrigated and rainfed) was used forhorticultural crop cultivation, of which 6.3
percent was cultivated for orchards and 6.7percent for vegetable crops (including potato).Only 25 percent of the irrigated land was usedfor horticultural crop cultivation.
Horticultural crops therefore continue to playan increasing role in the rural economy. Peri-urban districts showed a higher percentage ofland used for horticultural crop cultivation thandid rural areas.
■ CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES
The total area of vegetable crops grown in each ofthe selected villages and cultivation preferences ofvegetable species, both for home consumption andmarket purposes, were included. Special emphasis wasalso given to queries on aspects of crop managementsuch as pests, diseases and fertilization applications,and on horticultural constraints.
The survey yielded the following findings:
• Afghan farmers presently focus more on short-cyclecrops that can produce immediate income such asvegetables, rather than on fruit orchards, dueprimarily to the uncertain socio-economic situation.
• Only villages in Laghman Province (23.4 percent)used plastic tunnels for early vegetable cropproduction.
• Sixty-six percent of the farmers used chemicalfertilizers, 9 percent used manure, and 78 percentcontrolled pests and diseases. Farmers make a muchgreater use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides onvegetable crops than on fruit orchards, reflectingthe recent trend of farmers choosing to invest in avegetable crop production that can guarantee analmost immediate and more reliable income.
• Only a limited number of villages use “improved”vegetable seeds. While the farmers are familiar withthese seeds from local varieties, in most cases, thevarietal purity is very poor.
• The first and most relevant problem encountered inand associated with horticultural crop managementwas lack of irrigation water (Figure 12). The secondwas the prevalence of diseases, followed by insectdamages, a lack of improved vegetable seeds andfruit varieties, insufficient marketing facilities andthe need for farmers’ cooperatives.
• As Figures 8 and 9 show, in descending order, thetop six vegetable crops grown nationally arewatermelon (123 000 jeribs or 22 600 ha), the mostfrequently grown vegetable in eight provinces,followed by honeydew melon (73 000 jeribs or
14 600 ha), onions, potatoes, tomatoes and carrots.Other vegetables with a limited area of cultivationwere turnips, (with less than 9 500 jeribs or 1 900ha) and pumpkin (with about 6 500 jeribs or 1 300ha), which ranked seventh and eighth, respectively.
• Farming communities lack awareness of thetechnical and economic advantages of growing andconsuming a diversified range of vegetable productsin order to increase farm income and improve thenutritional status of their families.
• Where water is available, Afghanistan has both anexcellent climate for growing all kinds of vegetablecrops and considerable potential to promotevegetable crop production.
• The data indicates that honeydew melon is verycommon in Farah, Zabul, Uruzgan and BaghlanProvinces, and is widely spread elsewhere. Onionsare largely grown in Kapisa, Nangarhar, Kunar,Badakhsan, Logar and Kandahar, and potatoes inGhor, Nimroz, Parwan and Bamyan. Beans are themain crop cultivated in Nuristan, followed bypotatoes.
• Farmers demonstrate the most diversity in theirvegetable cultivation in Nangarhar, Kabul and HiratProvinces.
19
MAP 11. The most common vegetables grown in the provinces
0
20 000
40 000
60 000
80 000
100 000
120 000
140 000
Wat
erm
elon
Melo
n
Pota
to
Onion
Tom
ato
Carro
t
Turn
ip
Pum
pkin
Squas
h
Okra
Jeribs
ha
FIGURE 8. Vegetable species with more than 2 500 jeribs (500 ha) in the monitored villages (spring 2003)
0
500
1 000
1 500
2 000
2 500
3 000
Pepper
Spin
ach
Radish
Caulif
lower
Garlic
Cucum
ber
Birinjel
Brocc
oli
Lettu
ce
Cabbag
ePe
as
Jeribs
ha
FIGURE 9. Vegetable species with less than 2 500 jeribs (500 ha) in the monitored villages (spring 2003)
20
■ FRUIT CROP PRODUCTION
The status of fruit crop production by species wasassessed, future production trends evaluated andfurther support requirements identified. The levelof the most basic orchard management practiceswas examined as well as the possibilities for theirimprovement.
Findings of the survey are as follows:
• The country analysis (data of all villagesanalysed) showed that grape, followed byapples and almonds, pomegranates and apricotsrepresent the highest percentage of orchardarea for fruit species (see Figures 10,11).
• Grapes are the major cultivated fruit species inmore than 15 provinces, representing 48 percentof the country.
• Apple is the most cultivated crop in Wardak aswell as in four other provinces.
• Almond is the fruit tree farmer’s first choice inUruzgan Province.
• Pomegranates with their valuable nativevarieties are commonly grown in Balkh, Nimrozand Kapisa Provinces.
• Mulberries are mainly grown in Badghis.
• Nangarhar is the sole province where farmersgrow subtropical trees due to the favourableclimatic conditions and to its proximity toPakistan.
• Orange trees are the most common fruit crop inNangarhar.
• Data on ages of tree, including those from 0-10years old and those older than 10 years old,show a moderately high incidence of fruitorchards younger than 10 years old (58 percent).These figures indicate an encouraging, positivetrend of fruiticulture despite Afghanistan’srecent instability, which certainly did not favourthe establishment of new orchards or theflourishing of market opportunities. This alsomeans that the Afghan farmer considers fruit avital part of the country’s traditions as well as amajor crop in the daily diet.
• It is particularly difficult to estimate the actualland area covered by orchards throughout thecountry due to how some fruit species aregrown. Most fruit trees are inaccessible, placedextensively in marginal areas such as alongirrigation canals and in home backyardsenclosed by walls. Therefore, it is extremelydifficult and subjective to estimate the actualnumber of trees. Nonetheless, an estimate ofthe number of trees per jerib and ha wasincluded in the questionnaire.
0
200 000
400 000
600 000
800 000
1 000 000
1 200 000
1 400 000
No
. of
tree
s
Apple
Almond
Pom
egra
nate
Apricot
Mulb
erry
Peac
hPlu
m
Waln
utPe
ar
Sorb
s
FIGURE 10. Fruit species (excluding grape) with more than 1 000 jeribs (200 ha)
in the monitored villages (spring 2003)
0
10 000
20 000
30 000
40 000
50 000
60 000
No
. of
tree
s
Fig
Orange
Cherry
Pine n
ut
Pista
chio
Juju
be
Loquat
Persi
mm
on
Man
darin
Lem
on
Quince
FIGURE 11. Fruit species with less than 1 000 jeribs (200 ha) in the monitored villages (spring 2003)
21
MAP 12. The most fruit species grown (number of trees and jeribs) by province
MAP 13. Area (jeribs) surveyed and covered with horticultural crops by province
22
■ STATUS OF PRODUCTION OF THEMAIN GROWN FRUIT SPECIES
In general, the domestic fruit market is veryrestricted by current economic instability, limitedsecurity, harsh climate, water scarcity, and poorroads, which impede market accessibility. Thedomestic market for dry fruits, on the otherhand, is quite active, because the product is notperishable and can be easily transported andmarketed despite poor roads.
Grape In the 327 districts surveyed, grape cultivation isthe primary fruit species being produced in thecountry, accounting for 48 percent of the totalfruit-growing area. However, these figuresfluctuate significantly from district to district. Inmost districts, grapes are not cultivated forcommercial purposes, but mainly for family self-consumption. This is because grape production isspecifically affected by low yield, low localmarket demand, difficult market accessibility andmarket disadvantages. Further, due to unstablemarket prices and a dramatic reduction of grapedrying houses, many farmers are obliged to selltheir production of fresh grapes in a pre-determined period of the season.
The country has indigenous grape geneticresources of excellent quality that are cultivatedalmost everywhere. The core of the local varietiescollection is in selected nucleus nurseries andresearch stations. The production of seedlessgrape varieties (called “kismish”), which aredried for the raisin export market, is stillcommon, especially in the southern region.Unfortunately, this activity was badly affectedduring war with the destruction of a largenumber of grape drying houses (“kismishkhanas”). As a consequence, many farmers areselling their produce as fresh grapes but withminimal benefit, since local fresh markets aresaturated at the time of grape harvesting.
In addition, the average grape yield fluctuatesgreatly and most of the production is nowreduced to subsistence production. The low yieldis mostly due to the traditional growing practicesas well as farmers’ reluctance to invest in a cropthat does not produce a reliable source ofincome.
Most vineyards are irrigated and grown usingthe tree training system, and in the case of theespalier system, pruning is not practisedregularly. In some cases, the vines lie against an
earth embankment, which inclines at about 35to 40 degrees. This produces a saw-tooth seriesof alleys and the vines lie on the supportingslope. Moreover, grapes vines are grown on oldtrees, using them as natural supports; in the fewcases where artificial supports are used, they aregenerally not renewed. The result is a low yield(generally from 9 000 to 18 000 kg/ha in themain grape growing areas) and poor quality.
In the case of green grapes production, there isusually a raisin-drying house in the centre of thevineyard. This structure is made out of mumbricks and has lattice curtain walls to allowadequate ventilation for the drying of the fruit.When the raisins are harvested, they are placedon bamboo trellises to dry inside the house.Those raisins that fall to the ground are takenoutside and dried on the mud floor, becomingthe red raisins that make up the bulk of theprocessed raisins exported. The traditional dryingtechnique takes 60 days to produce a raisin.However, if the grapes were dipped in a solutionof potassium carbonate, the drying time couldbe reduced to 8 days.
Apple Afghanistan has proven favourable climaticconditions for the production of apple trees.Apples are still an important fruit in the countrydespite conditions limiting the domestic market.The more accessible areas and local marketshave heavy competition from imported fruitsfrom Iran and Pakistan. Nevertheless, cultivationis still widespread and mainly aimed at satisfyingthe small rural local markets and the farmers’subsistence production. The current appleproduction in the country largely depends on thefew exotic varieties imported 20 years ago.
ApricotThe cultivation of apricots is oriented towardslocal varieties, which Afghan farmers traditionallyconsider more valuable than the imported(exotic) cultivars. The quality of these varieties isexcellent; some even better than theMediterranean commercial cultivars in terms oftaste and resistance to pest and diseases.
Production is very common but cropmanagement is poor. Most of the trees left afterthe drought and the long conflict did not receivecare, thus resulting in low yields and poorquality. In spite of these constraints, apricots arecertainly one of the most promising fruit specieswith the highest future potential for
23
MAP 14. Number of jeribs of grape by province
MAP 15. Provinces with the highest apple area (in jeribs)
24
MAP 16. Number of almond trees (local varieties) in the stock plant block of private nurseries
25
development due to the farmers’ familiarity withtheir cultivation, the excellent quality ofindigenous genetic resources, and easy to drycharacteristics of their varieties. There is a goodpotential in increasing the value-added aspectsof the product through improved production,processing and marketing practices.
Almond Afghanistan farmers grow many almondlandraces of excellent quality, both hard shell andsoft shell, which have an excellent potential forthe export market. In addition, the favourableagro-climatic conditions of the country are idealfor the development of almond production in awider number of districts. At present, almondproduction is mainly concentrated in Uruzgan,Kunduz, Balkh, Saripul and Kandahar Provinces.
PomegranateAfghanistan can be considered the country ofthe pomegranate fruit, not only because of thetraditional cultivation of this species, but alsobecause of the excellent quality of the landracesgrown. In fact, the local varieties grown in themain production area of Kandahar Province(4 032 jeribs or 806 ha) are known for their highquality and productivity. Farmers reportedaverage yields ranging from about 1 720 kg/jerib(344/ha) in Dand District to more than 3 800kg/jeribs (760 kg/ha) in Arghandab District. FarahProvince is also well known for pomegranateproduction and the high quality of its fruits, asindicated in the targeted villages by the survey(1 097 jeribs or 219 ha). Pomegranate rankssecond as its main fruit crop.
Peach Although peaches can be easily grown in anumber of districts, the development ofcommercial orchards remains limited due to itsfragile and perishable nature that makes itdifficult to market. The main provinces for peachproduction are Takhar and Ghor.
■ ORCHARD MANAGEMENTPRACTICES
Queries in the survey also examined the mostcommon orchard management practices. In thisrespect, the interviewed fruit growers gaveindicative responses related to their problems(Figure 12).
19%
15%
Prevalence of disease Lack of irrigation waterPrevalence of insects Lack of improved fruit varietiesLack of farmers' cooperatives Lack of improved veg. varieties
14%
14%18%
20%
FIGURE 12. Main problems of Afghan farmers (in percentage of responses) related to crop management (spring 2003)
55%31%
10%
1%3%
Farmers' own reserves Relatives/Friends Village seed market
NGO International organizations
FIGURE 13. Seed sources in Afghanistan (spring 2003)
Forest treesEucalyptus, poplar and wild pistachio trees arevery common in the higher areas of northernAfghanistan. However, few farmers are growingforest trees for market purposes, with theexception of Bamyan Province, which has thehighest rate of poplar tree cultivation at thevillage level, with a total of 215 jeribs (43 ha).
Information on sources of vegetableseeds and planting materialsThe survey collected information on sources ofvegetable seeds and planting materials, theavailability of planting material in the localmarkets and all possible constraints related toseed security and to the supply of good qualityseeds. These results were ascertained:
• The formal seed sector is almost absent in theentire country, especially in the remote areas.More specifically, farmers rely completely onthe informal seed sector for the procurementof vegetable seeds (see Figure 13).
26
• Only the farmers who live in areas whereprivate fruit nurseries are established and stillactive are advantaged in procuring fruitplanting material.
• Local adapted varieties of seeds and plantingmaterial are preferred. The most importantcriteria in these choices are high productivity,followed by high market value and “bettertaste” (see Figure 14).
■ MARKETING HORTICULTURALCROPS
Farmers’ access to marketsFigure 15 shows where Afghan farmers sell theirown horticultural products in 2003. To have anindication of the trend in farmers marketing theircrops, responses from the previous NationalHorticulture Survey 1996 have been comparedto the Survey of the Horticultural Sector 2003.Data on the kind of markets used are shown inFigure 16.
There is a great disparity from district to districtdepending on whether the markets are inremote areas or close to cities or borders. Inmost cases, farmers in remote areas market theirproducts at the village level. Farmers oftencontracted their crops to traders. In the case offruit crops and some vegetable crops like potato,the crop is often contracted before harvesting,based on an estimate of the yield, and the tradertakes care of the harvesting and packagingprocesses. In this case, farmers have a verylimited bargaining power and cannot effectivelyestimate the actual yield of their crops. Once thecontractual agreement has been made with thetrader, the farmer tends to pay little heed to themanagement of his crops. Such practices areexplained by the poorly developed marketingsystem and most farmers’ lack of transportfacilities to carry products to the district orprovincial level markets.
It is more common for farmers from peri-urbandistricts to market their products themselves,because they have access to transport and are ina better position to negotiate with differenttraders and wholesalers. However, thesenegotiations always take place on an individualbasis between the farmer and traders; hence, anindividual farmer always has limited bargainingpower against a group of traders.
Farmers from cross-border districts have abetter opportunity to export their products
54%
27%
17%1%1%
High productivity High market value Better taste
Adopted with the climate Drought resistance
FIGURE 14. Importance (in percentage of responses) of local varieties in Afghanistan (spring 2003)
0.067
0.39
0.3
0.33
6%
38%
28%
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
0.35
0.4
0.45
Outside provincemarket
Village market District market Province market
1996 Survey 2003 Survey
FIGURE 15. Marketing trends: comparison of the Horticulture Survey 1996
with the Survey of the Horticulture Sector 2003
27
themselves at a better price, but it appears thatthey do not take full advantage of thiscomparative geographical advantage. This maybe due to the absence of transport and the lackof farmer organizations to market their products(e.g. growers’ associations or cooperatives).
■ HANDLING, PACKAGING AND MARKETING PRACTICES
There is no packaging standard for horticulturalproducts in Afghanistan. However, packaging is avery crucial issue because most horticulturalproducts are fragile and highly perishable.
Survey results show that an average of 49percent of the villages pack their horticulturalproducts in jute bags (mostly for tubers, rootsand bulb vegetables), which shows an increaseof 10 percent over the 1996 survey (38 percent);36 percent are packed in crates (mostly for fruitspecies and vegetables); and 15 percent in
baskets (mostly pomegranate and leafyvegetables).
Packaging of the produce to minimize damageand maximize presentation is not reallyconsidered. Consequently, the depth and volumeof transport containers are often inappropriate,causing severe bruising of produce. Straw isoften used as packing material and tinsel asdecoration for the top of the crate. If packagingrequirements were properly understood andaddressed, spoilage would be substantiallyreduced. However, cardboard packaging is notreadily available in rural areas, so their bestoption is wooden crates, especially during travelon rough roads. Produce quality can be improvedin how the fruit is cushioned in the crates and inkeeping the crates cool on their journey to themarket.
Considering the poor roads, packaging qualityis of paramount importance for horticulturalproducts. Poor roads and the lack of adequatepackaging materials are factors limiting themarket development of fragile horticulturalproducts such as peach, pear, plum, cherry andtomato.
Marketing problems of horticulturalproductsThe problems met by farmers in marketing theirhorticultural products are important indicators inassessing the status of the sector as a whole (seeFigure 17).
The lack of growers’ associations andcooperatives makes it difficult for farmers tonegotiate with traders on a fair bargaining basis.As indicated by Figure 17, 22 percent of farmersattribute the most important problem to limitedbargaining power and 12 percent to middlemen.
Another serious constraint recorded during thesurvey is the limited availability of marketinformation. As stated in the 1996 survey report,the Export Department of the Ministry ofCommerce of Afghanistan used to providemarket information to traders and establishexport quality criteria. The Agricultural Bank ofAfghanistan and some cooperatives alsoprovided market information to farmers.However, these services were disrupted with thewar, and nowadays traders and farmers have noaccess to any kind of centralized marketinformation. Without such information, farmershave little possibility to rationally plan theirproduction. As a result, they often refer to theprevious year’s market prices when planning
28%
38%
28%
6%
Village market District market
Province market Outside the province
FIGURE 16. Kinds of markets used by the Afghan villages (spring 2003)
26%
21%22%
19%
12%
Poor roads Perishability of product
Limited bargaining power
Limited market information
Existence of middleman
FIGURE 17. Various marketing problems cited by Afghan farmers in marketing their horticultural crops
(spring 2003) (in percentage of responses)
28
production of a given crop for the next year. Thiscan lead to high volatility in the production andmarket prices of a given horticultural productfrom one year to another, and subsequentlycause situations of alternating produce gluts andshortages.
The most common horticultural cashcrops This enquiry was included in the questionnaire tocrosscheck the data gathered on horticulturecrops. The farmers ranked the most importantcrops in relation to cash income and marketopportunities.
For vegetables, potato ranks as the mostprofitable, followed by watermelon, tomato andonion. For fruits, grapes followed by apricots,almonds and apples are the most important cashcrops (see Figure 18).
The crops mentioned are also in line with thedata gathered on the most commonly cultivatedhorticultural crops in the country (see Figure 19).
The average percentage of fruit productionmarketed by farmers indicates that grape is themost important crop, followed by almonds,pistachio, mulberry, walnut, apricot, peach andplums. Apple, with almost 50 percent beingmarketed, is also an important marketed product(see Figure 20).
Concerning vegetables, honeydew melons,watermelons and potatoes are the mostmarketable with more than 60 percent ofproduction marketed at the village level.Data indicated that beans, onions, okras andcarrots are also marketed in large quantities(see Figure 21).
Potato28%
Tomato16%
Watermelon16%
Onion15%
Almond5%
Apple5%Apricot
6%
Grape9%
PotatoTomato
WatermelonOnionGrape
ApricotAlmondApple
FIGURE 18. The most important cash crops in Afghanistan
59%
9%
26%6%
CerealsFruitsVegetablesOther crops
FIGURE 19. The priority of importance (in terms of percentage of responses) of various Afghan cash crops (spring 2003)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Alm
ond
Appl
eAp
ricot
Cher
ryG
rape
Mul
berry
Peac
hPe
arPi
stac
hio
Plum
Pom
egra
nate
Wal
nut
FIGURE 20. Percentage of fruit crops marketed at the village level(spring 2003) (Total crop area per province > 5 ha)
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Melo
nPo
tato
Wat
erm
elon
Onion
Tom
ato
Carro
t Okr
a
Garlic
Bean
S1
FIGURE 21. Percentage of vegetable crops marketed at the village level (spring 2003) (Total crop area per province > 5 ha)
29
30
31
The survey was conducted in three distinctphases according to the timeframe of theconsultants’ missions, the project take-off andthe seasons. The onset of spring was the idealtime to launch the large national survey of thehorticulture sector.
The survey was conducted in selected villages,chosen according to data gathered from FAO(land cover map and information), from theMinistry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry(MAAH) and from the Vulnerability Analysis andMapping (VAM) Unit of the World FoodProgramme (WFP). The selection of villages forthe national survey was made randomly, takingthe most traditional areas of fruit production intoconsideration. Six to seven villages for each ofthe 329 districts were chosen for a total of about1 800 villages.
The country was divided into seven regions inorder to more efficiently manage the conductingof the survey at the field level. This requiredseven teams composed of a RegionalCoordinator and three field researchers for eachof the 32 provinces surveyed. These areas or sub-regions were assigned to the appointed NationalProfessional Project Personnel (NPPPs).
The three phases were implemented asfollows:
ANNEX 1
Survey methodology
■ PHASE I
Sub-Phase (a)A national survey was conducted of all nucleusfruit nurseries, national research stations andprivate nurseries. Private nurseries were selectedaccording to data gathered from previous FAOhorticultural projects in Afghanistan.
Organization and management The survey was organized and launched by oneinternational horticulture survey specialist and anational horticulture survey coordinator.
• Questionnaires were prepared and translatedinto the Dari and Pashto languages.
• A team of regional field survey coordinatorswas established. Priority was given to theMAAH personnel when available.
• Coordination was established with FAO AreaManagers to facilitate logistics and theplacement of field researchers.
• Computers and adequate support wereprovided for data entry and analysis andcommunication facilities were procured.
Sub-Phase (b) A test survey was conducted of the horticulturesector in Kabul Province, Nangarhar Province andKhost Province. It was conducted in at least fivevillages for each district in each province. Arange of between five to seven villages for eachdistrict was monitored by the survey.
Organization and management • District level field researchers (9-11) were
recruited and trained for about 10-20 days.Each appointed field researcher had to befamiliar with the area to be surveyed.
• The FAO Area Manager assisted in providinglogistical support in the targeted areas.
• The questionnaire translated in Dari and Pashtowas tested in Kabul Province.
REGION PROVINCES
North Faryab, Jawzjan, Saripul, Balkh
North-east Baghlan, Samanghan, Kunduz, Takhar, Badakhshan
West Badghis, Hirat, Ghor, Farah, Nimroz
East central Kabul, Parwan, Kapisa, Ghazni Logar, Wardak, Bamyan
South-east Nangarhar, Kunar, Laghman, Nuristan
South Khost, Paktiya , Paktika
South-west Zabul, Kandahar, Uruzghan, Helmand
Designated survey regions within Afghan provinces
32
• In the district where private nurseries arepresent and still active, at least three villages ofthe five to seven villages monitored werechosen to be surveyed according to theirvicinity to the private nurseries.
• Collection of data and information for the testand fruit nursery surveys was implemented inDecember 2002.
• Data entry and analysis of Phase I nurserysurvey results were conducted in January 2003.
• Following the results of the test survey,questionnaires were reviewed. The NationalHorticultural Survey at the village level wasthen prepared and launched on February 2003.
■ PHASE II
Results of Phase I (a) and (b) of the survey wereanalysed.
Organization and management • One international horticulture survey specialist
and a national horticulture survey coordinatorlaunched and supervised the NationalHorticulture Survey and finalized the baselinestudy (6 weeks).
• A team of regional field survey coordinators (8nationals) was established.
• District level field researchers (87) wererecruited and trained for 22 days; most ofthem were assigned to the province wherethey reside.
• The FAO Emergency Area Manager assisted inproviding logistical support in the targetedareas.
■ PHASE III
Data entry and analysis of results of the nationalhorticulture survey (Phase II) were completed.
Organization and management • One international horticulture survey specialist
finalized the baseline study (1 month); three tofour clerks (3 months each) worked on datacomputerization and processing.
■ DATA COLLECTION TOOLS
The main data collection tools were thequestionnaires and notebooks for the fieldresearchers’ remarks.
The questionnaire forms were prepared inEnglish and translated into Dari and Pashto. Thequestions are shown in Annex II.
Field researchers’ remarks were used to obtainadditional information not included in thequestionnaire for debriefing purposes.
A team of three field researchers was assignedto each province. Following meetings anddiscussions previously held with provincialauthorities, local guides were provided by theDistrict Administration through consultation withthe Provincial Shura (Council) or anotherdesignated liaison institution.
The criteria for selecting a target communityfor questionnaire completion were representativegroups of 30 to 100 families who cultivated anidentifiable geographical area.
Each field researcher used one questionnaireform per village. One village usually consisted ofbetween 30 to 100 families. According to thesize of the village a representative group of fiveto ten readily available and knowledgeablefarmers residing were interviewed through groupdiscussions.
For a village of over 100 families, there wereusually sub-groups within the community. Inthese instances, one or more questionnaires werefilled out by the field researcher according to thenumber of sub-groups.
Villages with less than 30 families were
33
combined with neighbouring families to meetthe criteria for completing the questionnaires.Exceptions arose where a village was smallerthan 30 families and was located at aconsiderable distance from a neighbouringvillage. In such cases, exceptions to group criteriacould be made. Exceptions were also made inthe case of villages larger than 100 families thatcould not be divided into separate units becausethe agricultural land of the village could not bepartitioned into separate sub-groups; doing sowould have risked overestimating the total landarea.
The group selected for the interview possessedsound local knowledge of the cultivated land ofthe area and its communities.
The field researchers marked the villagesmonitored on the district maps provided by theAfghanistan Information Management Service(AIMS), which were returned to FAO at the endof the assignment in order to facilitate datacrosschecking. All the new codes and selectedvillages were therefore matched and updatedaccording to the AIMS maps and data system.
Field surveys were monitored and assisted byFAO horticultural national staff to ensure theaccuracy of the interviews conducted. Eachcompleted questionnaire was checked andverified in the field to maintain high levels ofaccuracy. A random check was performed in 10provinces and in a total of almost 30 districts forverification before computer data entries weremade. Moreover, field researchers were debriefedby the Regional Survey Coordinators followingtheir return from the field to extract all necessaryinformation pertaining to the districts surveyed.
Method of data analysisThe data collected were entered in a MicrosoftAccess database to facilitate further processingand analysis. The data entries were also checkedand verified before processing for final analysispurposes. Microsoft Excel was also used for thedatabase analysis.
Methodology limitations and possible causes of errorsThe data collection and entry are inevitablysubject to minor causes of errors, despiteaccurate crosschecks conducted at both the fieldlevel and during data computerization.
Some of these causes are as follows:
• Most of cultivated land cannot be physicallymeasured and all figures quoted by farmersmust be considered as estimates only.
• While the group interview is a useful methodfor conducting large-scale surveys, thisapproach can prevent all members of thegroup from having an equal opportunity toexpress their views, and some individuals’opinions can be influenced by the group.
It should nevertheless be mentioned that thefield survey was conducted in more than 1 800villages from 99 percent of the districts and allprovinces. Therefore, even with some minorerrors, the figures remain highly representative ofthe condition of the horticulture sector inAfghanistan.
34
35
(a) GENERAL VILLAGE AND RURAL FAMILY INFORMATION Number of families/number of farming familiesAverage AltitudeNumber of families that own land/number of families that rent land(percentage)
(b) OCCURRENCE OF EMERGENCIESNatural disasters within the last five yearsCases such as drought and floodEffect of the event upon farming familiesEmergency assistance
(c) THE IRRIGATION SYSTEM AND MECHANIZATIONTotal arable land/irrigation area/rainfed areaArea irrigated in 2003 by provinceType of irrigation usedPercentage of mechanized farms
(d) HORTICULTURE CROP MANAGEMENT Main horticultural crop management problems encountered
(e) VEGETABLES GROWNRanked by species (cultivated land in jeribs)
(f) FRUIT TREES GROWNRanked by species (number of trees)Average age of trees
(g) FRUIT NURSERIES (NUCLEUS NURSERIES AND PRIVATE NURSERIES)Active, non-active AltitudeType of irrigationSize in jeribsCalamities that occurred within the last five yearsTotal number of fruit species Local germplasm resources (indigenous varieties)
(h) MARKETING OF HORTICULTURAL CROPSFarmers’ access to marketsHandling, packaging and marketing practicesMarketing problems of horticultural products
Phase III of the National Survey for all nucleus fruit nurseries, national search stations and privatenurseries included the following selected queries:
ANNEX 2
Survey queries
