Home  »  Where We Work  »  Afghanistan  »  Afghanistan Project Irrigation Rehab Kajaki

Project Overview
The aim of the project is to provide farmers in the Kajaki District with an alternative means of generating income as opposed to the existing poppy cultivation, which is dominant in the region by the implementation of an irrigation rehabilitation project.

It is anticipated that this project will support activities such as establishing community groups and providing skills based training, assisting the communities to adopt alternative farming activities.

Project Background
The land holding size in Kajaki is changing rapidly over the last five years as small farmers are forced to surrender their agriculture lands for settling old debts and advances taken mainly for the opium poppy crops.

However, small farmers still constitute significant proportion of the farming community. The farmers cultivate wheat as staple crop, whereas watermelon, pomegranate and cherry are the marketed fruits. Opium poppy is the major cash crop.

Project Objectives
Food security of local communities in Kajaki district will be increased and opium poppy cultivation decreased.

Specific objectives:
• A sustainable social organization is in place.
• The agriculture fields, orchards and vegetables have sufficient irrigation water.
• Awareness increased among farmers regarding the use of water and alternatives to opium crops through various projects on irrigation models, nurseries, orchards and vegetable plots.

Project Activities
• Establish an Agriculture Research Station
• Repair, lining and reconstruction of Karaz water well
and water channel
• Formation of community organizations
• Sustainable use of water resource training course
• Nurseries at the village level
• Vegetable, orchards and irrigation demos at the village level

Beneficiaries
The project beneficiaries are mainly small farmers of 30 villages in Kajaki district, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. This includes 1,800 families, totaling approximately 12,600 individuals.
At present, refugees are returning to the district and they will also benefit from the project.