DESCRIPTION:

Geopolicity was contracted to formulate a € 102,500,000 investment program to support the Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) Sector in Afghanistan. The focus of support was on the National Priority Program (NPP) 2, which focuses on Food For Life and Enterprise and Market Development (EMD). The program would provide considerable support to the attainment of EU ARD Overall Objectives.

 

The Overall Objective of the EU ARD support is to ‘improve the sustainability and increase the wealth of the rural population, by enhancing the social and economic development of rural communities and reducing hunger and vulnerability’. For this to happen, a more cohesive sector-wide approach had to be developed, around a shared services model between MAIL and MRRD, leveraging both extension outreach networks. Given the impossibility of providing direct budget support, an alternative Fund based arrangement was initiated to support the sector, in order to:

 

• Encourage a bottom-up demand-driven approach, which is currently lacking;

• Lay the foundation towards a sector-wide approach;

• Support nation-wide coverage, through a leveraged extension system;

• Demonstrate and replicating success at the subsistence and commercial levels;

• Improving knowledge management;

• Strengthen the private sector and improved public sector delivery;

• Place and target women extension cadre, farmers and entrepreneurs;

• Strengthen on-farm, off-farm and non-farm market linkages;

• Deliver a more integrated approach to farm level FFL and EMD planning;

• To establish a shared service delivery model;  

• Enhance community ownership and self-reliance;

• Deliver a community-owned and sustainable approach;

• Protecting the environment; and,

• Establish a fund arrangement that is scalable through new contributions.

 

ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN:

Description of actual services provided in the assignment: Design of Euro 102 million Agriculture and Rural Development National Priority Program 2 under the Annual Action Plan 2014 including M&E Framework.  

 

OUTCOME:

 

PROJECT DETAILS: