Agri-Business Development Team

Ongoing ADT Projects

The ADT Mission project engages in research and supports efforts that help improve the effectiveness of military teams when deployed on stabilization and reconstruction/development missions in post-conflict and post-disaster situations.

Current Reports From The Field

Kentucky ADT Continues Efforts to Transition Reconstruction to Afghan Officials

As the ADT mission winds down in Afghanistan, remaining ADTs are focusing much of their effort on assisting local and provincial Afghan government officials to take over responsibility for reconstruction efforts. As part of this transition, Kentucky ADT members, along with representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, met with staff from both the district and provincial DAIL, as well as staff from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL), on 13 May 2013 to discuss operations of a demonstration farm (ZDEC) in the Zhari District of Kandahar Province.

Crisis in Syria: Latest Numbers From Reuters

Reuters news agency has complied data on the costs of Syria's civil war. Here are the latest numbers released by the news agency:

DEATH TOLL IN SYRIA
- The United Nations said on May 15 the death toll in Syria from the two-year-old civil war is at least 80,000, an increase of about 10,000 from February 2013.
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group which monitors the violence through a network of activists inside Syria, said on May 13 at least 94,000 people have been killed but the death toll is likely to be as high as 120,000.
- The Syrian Revolution Martyr Database website, a benchmark tally compiled by opposition activists, shows a toll of 65,834 as of May 2.

REFUGEES FROM SYRIA
- The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said the number of Syrian refugees including those awaiting registration is 1,515,639. [ID:nL6N0DY1BN]
JORDAN: 473,587 including those awaiting registration
LEBANON: 470,457 registered and awaiting registration
TURKEY: 347,157 registered and awaiting registration
IRAQ: 147,464 registered refugees
EGYPT: 66,922 registered refugees

REFUGEES INSIDE SYRIA
The U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated this month that out of Syria's 23 million population, 4.25 million were in need of humanitarian assistance across all 14 governorates. Of those, about 1.5 million are at imminent risk of food insecurity. OCHA says that 6.8 million people in Syria are classed as people in need.

Kentucky National Guard Soldiers help put the "business" into Afghan agribusiness

By Terry Hutchins
Civilian Expeditionary Workforce,
Kentucky Agribusiness Development Team 5

KANDAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (4/1/13) - The production of livestock is very important to the majority of Afghans whose livelihoods are dependent on agriculture.
The number of cattle, sheep, goats and poultry reared in Afghanistan is 3.7 million, 8.8 million, 7.3 million and 12.1 million respectively. As an example, on an average marketing day, the outdoor livestock market located within Kandahar province will see 4,200 sheep, 700 goats and 1,500 cattle sell within a few hours, according to the Afghanistan Livestock Census: 2002-2003.
Kentucky's Agricultural Development Team number 5 recently spent a successful day evaluating the attributes and economic potential for the Hikmat Feed Factory located in Kandahar City. The team is charged with the responsibility of assisting agricultural development within Kandahar Province.

Afghans Take Over Training Once Provided by ADTs

A key focus of ADT missions in Afghanistan was to provide agricultural training to Afghans so that they could then train their fellow Afghans. As U.S. forces draw down, Afghans are stepping in to take on roles once provided by U.S. forces. This is also evident in the ADT missions. On 16 March 2013, members of Georgia ADT III attended a veterinary training seminar in Helmand Province but whereas in past year's ADT veterinarians would have provided the training to Afghans, this time the training was conducted by an Afghan veterinarian.

Logar Province Representatives at International AgFair

The Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) hosted an international agribusiness fair in Kabul this month. Among the agribusinesses, producers, and sellers in attendance were representatives from Logar Province, home of Georgia ADT II.

Daman Veterinary Clinic Creation

The Kentucky ADT helped to create a new veterinary clinic in the Daman District Center. At the request of the Daman District Governor and Daman District Extension Agent, a vacant District Center building was selected and renovated, providing a work area for a Veterinary Field Unit which will provide health care to the District's livestock herds.

South Carolina ADT Working to Assist Development of Cotton Industry in Lashkar

The South Carolina ADT, USAID Agriculture Advisor Tom Love, and Helmand PRT Agriculture Officer Dirk Dudman recently met with a private cotton gin owner in the city of Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province. The goal of the meeting was for the South Carolina ADT to identify needs and determine possible areas of technical assistance.

Young Professional Association Mentor Supports Agribusiness Development

Recently, the Georgia ADT II Young Professional Association Mentor traveled throughout Logar and Wardak Provinces meeting with the leaders of several key agribusiness associations to assess each association's progress, challenges and future training needs. Each association is at varying stages of development and faces unique obstacles and successes. The Young Professional visits included the Baraki Barak Handicapped Farmers Union, the Muhammad Agha Wheat Seed Association, and the Sayed Abad Wheat Seed Association.

Georgia ADT II Meets with Logar Province DAIL

Members of Georgia ADT II recently met with Humayun Omar, Logar Province DAIL, and his staff to discuss ongoing and future projects in Logar Provice. The meeting focused on current and proposed projects and training in Logar Province, and was part of an ongoing process of mentorship and training by the Georgia ADT II team.

Georgia ADT Celebrates Afghanistan's Peace and Unity Week

Afghanistan celebrated Peace and Unity Week during September and women's shuras across the country joined the celbration. In Logar, the provincial governor, Provincial Development Council, and Director of Women's Affairs (DOWA) hosted a shura with about 800 female attendees. The governor addressed the important role women have in the peace process as mothers, wives and sisters.

PRT Assists with Cool Storage and Market Assessments

As part of the effort to improve food security in Afghanistan, ADTs and PRTs (Provincial Reconstruction Teams) have supported the construction of cool storage facilities. Such facilities extend the shelf-life of produce but ADT and PRT personnel are finding that Afghan farmers are not making use of all of the cool storage facilities.

Paktya PRT Provides Mentoring Assistance to DAIL

As part of the continued process of mentoring Afghan government officials to build government capacity, the agricultural team with the Paktya PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) joined with staff from USDA and USAID in meetings with Niaz Mohammad Zadran, the Paktya Director of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (DAIL). The DAIL is working to modify its tashkil - organizational structure - so that it is more consistent with the national level Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL).

Georgia ADT II Assists in Providing Veterinary Training

ADTs have found that a simple, low-cost way to increase agricultural production and improve food security in Afghanistan is to provide Afghans with information that helps improve the health of their livestock herds. And based on the large turnout of Afghan farmers at veterinary training events, it seems that Afghan farmers themselves see the benefit.

Small Projects Can Provide Big Benefits

Small projects can do many beneficial things, especially when targeted at woman. This is something the Zabul ADT has noticed during its support of a woman's gardening project overseen by the provincial-level Department of Women's Affairs (DOWA) in Zabul Province. The garden project is managed by the Humanitarian Organization for Local Development (HOLD), an Afghan non-governmental organization.

It is a goal of the ADT Project to improve information sharing between the military and civilian organizations with regard to their reconstruction efforts in regions that have been de-stabilized by conflicts and natural disasters. Through the generous support of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the ADT Project is able to provide public access to information on the missions of military units, particularly National Guard Agribusiness Development Teams (ADTs), working to reconstruct Afghanistan.

By clicking here you will be able to access SACCADE (System to Aid Counterinsurgency Campaign Analysis, Design and Evaluation), a Department of Defense-funded knowledge management system where you can search and view mission reports coming from ADTs operating in Afghanistan. The ADT Project continually updates this system with new information as it arrives from theater.

Latest News…

Regional Instability Has Residents of Niger on Edge
As instability in neighboring Mali spills into Niger, residents of that African country report that they are feeling increasingly insecure. An AFP news report cites the increasing presence of police and government troops on the streets as a sign of the country's growing concern over terrorist attacks. Citizens of Niger's normally peaceful capital Niamey say they are beginning to feel like they are living in a state of siege.

NGO/Private Sector Partnership Expands Markets for African Farmers
A partnership between an international NGO, Technoserve, and the Woolworths company has provided farmers in South Africa's Mpumalanga region with access to markets previously out of their reach . Through the joint effort, Technoserve is providing farmers in the remote region with technical and business assistance and Woolworths is providing the famers with a market by buying their produce and selling it in Woolworths stores.

Japan Increases Aid to Boost Stability in Sahel
Months after 10 Japanese citizens were killed when Islamist militants overran a gas plant in Algeria, the Japanese government has pledged $1 billion in aid to help stabilize the Sahel region of Africa. Japan is highly dependent on foreign energy sources. In announcing the aid, which is part of a larger package of Japanese assistance to Africa, Japanese officials noted the need to reduce unemployment and poverty in order to improve security and stability in Africa. In addition to the financial aid, Japan plans to provide training assistance in counter-terrorism.

Another 51 People Die in South Sudan's Continuing Conflicts
Inter-communal conflict in South Sudan, much of it due to cattle raiding among different tribes, continues to take lives. This past week, a battle between government troops and rebels caused 24 deaths while cattle raids involving two tribes caused another 27 deaths. A U.N. report has found that what contributes to the loss of lives in tribal conflicts is the fact that there seems to be easy access to weapons in South Sudan.

U.N. Official Sees First-Hand the Impacts of Conflict on Civilians in Sudan
Valerie Amos, United Nations Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, visited Sudan this week for a personal look at life for those who are living in refugee camps after fleeing regional conflicts in Sudan. "Shocked" is how she described what she saw. Amos noted that the U.N. estimates that fighting in the Darfur region has forced 300,000 people to flee this year, which is a dramatic increase from the number of people who fled in the previous two years

Continuous Natural Disasters Hamper Recovery of Africa's Sahel Region
A United Nation's official warned that "millions of households" in Africa's Sahel region are vulnerable to food insecurity because the region seems to be suffering from one disaster after another. Natural disasters such as floods and droughts are hitting the region more often than in the past and that is compounded by political conflicts in the region that are forcing people to flee their homes. The U.N. official, Robert Piper, estimates that five million children in the region are at risk of malnutrition this year.

Lagging Food Production in Africa Increases Risk for Future Food Insecurity
A report released by Accenture South Africa states that food production in Africa is lagging behind that in other world regions, with the result that food insecurity is likely to increase on the continent in the coming years. Lack of investment in the agriculture industry, particularly investments in technology, as well as lack of government support for the agriculture industry are cited as some of the factors contributing to low food production. Yields are lower in African than in other world regions and while the continent has much arable land, water resources will likely become more scarce in the future, according to the report. The report argues that food production must increase by 50 percent over the next two decades to keep up with population growth.

Report Warns of that Climate Change Could Dramatically Increase Global Starvation by 2050
A number of leading scientists with agricultural research centers are warning that climate change will make it difficult for agricultural production to keep pace with population growth and food needs over the next few decades. Some scientists even predict that food insecurity will be so severe in Africa that the continent will be in a permanent crisis by 2050. To avoid this disaster, experts say that food production would have to increase by as much as 60 percent over the next three decades.

Instability in the Central African Republic Creating Food Crisis
Both the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross report that recent instability in the Central African Republic is setting the stage for a food crisis. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that efforts to provide food and medical aid are hampered by insecurity in the country and that it is estimated that 80,000 people are in danger of running out of food.

U.N. Report Estimates More than 4 Million South Sudanese Will Be Hungry in 2013
A recently released report by the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program estimates that more than four million people in South Sudan will go hungry at some point in 2013. The report places much of the cause for this hunger on a poor agricultural infrastructure, including lack of roads to transport food and tribal violence and other conflicts that make it hard to farm. It is estimated that South Sudan's cereal deficit will be 371,000 tons, which is only about one-third of its cereal needs. This is actually a production increase over previous years but still too little to meet needs. Imports will cover some of the other deficit but not enough. The low supply will also mean higher food costs, putting food out of reach of the poor.

U.N. Warning that Droughts Becoming Serious Challenge to Global Food Security
Four United Nations organizations have joined forces to launch an initiative aimed at encouraging countries to develop policies focused on mitigating the risks that drought poses to agricultural production and hence, food security. The new "National Drought Management Policies Initiative" is based on a belief that climate change means that droughts will continue to be more frequent and severe. As the drought in the U.S. showed last year, no country is immune from the impacts of drought.

U.N. Says Security Improving in Mali But Humanitarian Aid Need
United Nations officials monitoring the situation in Mali say that the security situation in that country is improving. However, humanitarian aid, particularly food aid, is sorely needed and U.N. officials say now is the time to act. Aid has been hampered by conflict in the country, which has made it hard to reach people in need. With the security situation improving, U.N. officials say it might be possible to reach more people and aid organizations are being encouraged to step up their efforts to assist those in need.