A trip to the east region of Afghanistan

The eastern part of Afghanistan has four provinces: Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar, and Nuristan, with a total population of apporxinately three million in the region. Nangarhar is the central hub for region. The people in this region are known for their focus on education and knowledge and speak several languages. Besides Pashto, there are Dari speakers, Pashayees and Nuristanis, who speak many different dialects. They also have access to plenty of water for irrigation, beautiful mountains, and a rich mix of natural resources and cultural heritage. Additionally, the region produces a variety of agricultural crops, including popular vegetables and citrus fruits like mandarins, oranges, and lemons, the staple crop wheat, barley, soybeans, olives etc. These products are loved within the country and have the potential to be sold in international markets.

Our road trip journey to the eastern region took place from 01-07 March 2024. It was an unforgettable experience filled with stunning landscapes, lively communities, and inspiring stories of resilience. In the past, it would have been really difficult to visit these places due to insecurity concerns. But along the way, we were lucky enough to meet Afghan farmers, community leaders, and even got a glimpse into the amazing work of visionary Dr. Nakamura. We also got to explore the beautiful natural wonders of Kunar and Laghman provinces. These areas are known for their majestic mountains, deep valleys, and the rushing rivers of Kunar and Alishang. The towering peaks of the Hindukush mountains dominate the horizon, giving visitors breathtaking views and endless opportunities for activities like mountain climbing and sightseeing.

During the first two days of our trip, we focused on a training programme designed to improve the communication and reporting skills of implementing partners and FAO east regional staff. It was a great opportunity for us to interact with representatives from organizations like Future Generations Afghanistan, ActionAid, and Rural Rehabilitation Association for Afghanistan, as well as with FAO regional staff. Around 25 participants took part in the training, which covered a wide range of skills. We exchanged how to communicate effectively, improve our photography and video-making abilities, create insightful stories about rural areas, and make the most of social media. In addition, we had discussions about FAO's new approach to communications and visibility, as well as how to transmit rural insights to the general public.

On March 4th, we visited Kuz Kunar district, which is one of the 22 districts in Nangarhar province. During our visit, we had the opportunity to see the amazing work of Dr. Tetsu Nakamura over the past sixteen years. He has transformed 240 square km of arid land, including part of the Gamberi desert, into lush green fields, benefiting 650 000 farmers. This achievement is a great source of pride and honor not only for the eastern region but for all of Afghanistan. Dr. Nakamura's efforts have had a positive impact on the local community, and they have also gained recognition from humanitarian aid workers and organizations around the world.

Dr. Nakamura was in charge of a Peace (Japan) medical services called PMS for many years, staying in Jalalabad throughout the civil war. However, during the drought of 2000, he realized that simply providing medical aid wasn't enough, as so many of his patients were dying from waterborne diseases. He recognized the importance of improving access to irrigation water and natural resources to enhance food security and overall health in Afghanistan. To achieve this, he decided to replicate an old Japanese water management system and began building the Marwarid Canal in the Kuz-Kunar district. This canal stretched for 25 kilometers along the Kunar River and completely transformed what was once a barren desert into one of the major breadbaskets of Afghanistan. At the extremity of the canal he established an experimental farm shielded from the desert by nearly a million trees, to grow new varieties of orange and lemon trees, date orchards, other tree species, livestock, honeybees and new crops. At the center of the farm is a visitors centre with water fountains, canals, and pleasant green lawns. This oasis attracts not only Afghan visitors and tourists but also the occasional foreign ones, especially Japanese, for whom Nakamura remains a hero. A memorial monument has been established in the middle of the park.

During our visit to Kuz-Kunar, we had the opportunity to explore Kashkot village, which is a remote area on the eastern side of the Kunar River. There, we observed the impact of FAO's work on the lives of farmers. Farmers come together in what is called the Farmer Field School (FFS), where they exchange ideas and share their experiences in wheat farming. We witnessed a session on weeding. Later, a bit further down the road, we attended the meeting of a Community Interest Group of soybean farmers. Although they were happy with the income obtained from this cashcrop, they requested FAO to distribute seeds on time, allowing them to obtain greater yields.

On Tuesday, March 5th, 2024, our journey started in Kunar province. We traveled through Noor Gul district, which is the birthplace of the visionary Syed Jamaluddin Afghan and the starting point of the Marwarid Canal. Moving forward, we crossed Narang and Khas Kunar districts, known for their fertile lands suitable for agriculture. It's worth noting that Kunar province shares a border with Pakistan, which adds to its geopolitical significance. After passing Narang and Sarkani districts, we arrived at Kunar's center, Asadabad city. This route also serves as a gateway to Nuristan province. We then drove up the enchanting Pech Valley, where the meandering river coming from Nuristan fertilizes the narrow valley.

We visited Sundar and Kandigal villages in Watapur and Mano Gai districts of Kunar, where we met with Afghan farmers, communities, and Forest Associations. In these areas, the FAO with support by the Global Environmental Fund (GEF) has created agro-forests, rangelands, and afforestation projects, as well as water basins and distribution systems. These initiatives aim to reduce the stress on local forests and promote efforts to preserve the forests and protect the environment.

It took a 20-minute walk to climb the mountain and arrive at the forest association of Dabbarzai village, Mano Gai district. FAO has planted 32 000 pine trees for the reforestation of the mountain slopes, alongside 1000 citrus and persimmon saplings to provide fruit and income to the villagers. They are watered by six reservoirs, holding approximately 800 cubic meter water holding capacity. We had a delicious meal at the top of the mountain with Afghan farmers, and the view of the mountains and beautiful areas of Kunar province was absolutely breathtaking. In Khanji village of Watapur district, we also had the chance to meet Afghan livestock owners and chat with a local extension worker. Kunar Province, with its stunning natural beauty and strong communities, gave us a glimpse into the diverse and vibrant core of Afghanistan. This incredible journey will always hold a special place in our hearts.

On the sixth day of our journey, we went to the Nangarhar Agricultural Research Farm, also known as Shisham Bagh Research Farm. Shisham is a type of tree, and Bagh means garden. We had some really interesting discussions about climate-change related issues. The research farm was a beautiful place, and we got to explore different research units. The heads of each department were so enthusiastic about their research projects, and they explained them to us with a lot of passion. They covered a wide range of topics, like horticulture, forestry, and more. We talked about things like climate change, plants that can withstand tough conditions, growing wheat, preventing diseases in crops, managing water, and the different ways people in Nangarhar province practice agriculture and take care of their livestock. Later that day, we visited the Nangarhar canal olive factory. It was set up in 1983 with the support of former Soviet Union and it used to be able to produce 8000 metric tons (4000 of olive oil, 4000 of olives in brine) employing over 1000 workers. Currently much of the machinery and wooden casks have fallen into disrepair, and this year the plant processed 300 metric tons of olives into oil and jars. While it's not as big as it used to be, the factory's technical team still had a lot of knowledge to share about making olives and pickles and the different steps involved in processing them.

We made our last visit to the Eastern Dairy Union, which is located in the Farm-e Hada area of Nangarhar province. This dairy factory was set up in 2015 with the help of FAO and International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD). Initially, it had the capacity to process 8,000 liters of milk each day. However, due to the lack of consumer demand, animal diseases, and infrastructural problems, the factory is currently only able to process 3,000 liters per day. Despite these challenges, the dairy union produces various products like milk, yogurt, cream, butter, and more, catering to local markets in the East and Kabul.

On the last day of our trip, we went to Laghman province, making a detour on our way back to Kabul. We went straight to Islamabad village in Alishang district, where we met some farmers. These farmers had received solar stoves, kits for processing dairy products, and support for rehabilitating community pastures and agroforestry activities. We also had discussions with members of the forest association in Gardi Selab village. And in addition to that, we visited the Shakarman water canal and the river bank protection wall in Islamabad village of the Alishang district. These water structures were built by the FAO with financial help from the World Bank in 2023.

We were a bit in the hurry and had lunch in the car, so we could still spend some time speaking to vegetable farmers in Chahr Bagh, Qarghayi district. We had the opportunity to walk through the fields where cabbage and tomatoes were grown as part of the Household Food and Livelihood Security (HFLS) project. This project was funded by the Government of Luxemburg and aimed to support around 2,700 households in the Qarghayi district. Local vegetable farmers, organized in community interest groups, help each other securing well-priced inputs, with obtaining optimal yields and finding good marketing outlets after the harvest, all with the joint support of FAO and local agricultural extension officers. They require renovation and maintenance of the canal providing water to their fields, and need post-harvest storage solutions. After our time in Laghman, we returned to Kabul on the evening of March 7, 2024, concluding our journey.