You Think You've Got it Tough: Farmers in Afghanistan Face Serious Hardships, College Instructor Finds
WENATCHEE - Imagine trying to farm and export fruit where the agricultural and industrial infrastructure has been destroyed, where there is scant access to hospitals, schools, main roads or bridges.
Teacher Jim Du Bruille of Wenatchee Valley College found that people in Afghanistan face these problems every day in the aftermath of the 14-year war with the Soviets and an ongoing civil war.
Du Bruille, Wenatchee Valley College's orchard business management instructor, returned Dec. 4 from a three-week trip. He went with an international team of four, including Afzal Rashid, the U.S. director of the Afghan Development Association (ADA). Du Bruille said the ADA's philosophy is to provide technology to help Afghans help themselves. Some of the projects include improving fertilizer, horticulture and irrigation.
Afghanistan, with a population of 17 million, is south of Russia. Kandahar, where Du Bruille did most of his work, lies in south central Afghanistan in an area of desert that is similar to Arizona. In fact, it falls at the same latitude.
Du Bruille said his team's assignment was to evaluate the ADA, one of the top five aid agencies in the country. The evaluation was twofold: They looked at the goals, objectives, effectiveness and efficiency. And they examined the impact and sustainability of the project, asking questions such as: Was the income level improved? What were the disparities of income? What was the impact on women? And can ADA meet their future needs?
They found that there are about 400 aid agencies in the country, only 40 of which are effective. The rest were considered corrupt by experts in the country, Du Bruille said. The U.N. was cited as the most corrupt, he added.
"If you want to see the epitome of welfare, go to Afghanistan. Some aid agencies are passing out money, and some do the projects all themselves."
He added, "Every congressman in the U.S. should go there if they have any questions on how welfare works."
He said there seems to be some success in exports to Pakistan, India and other countries.
"Fruits - apples, pears and pomegranates - are making $2,000 to $3,000 an acre. In a lot of cases villages are involved in subsistence agriculture. If they can get water to the land, it's fairly productive."
Even the country's former minister of agriculture and acting managing director of the ADA, Dr. Wakil, who is famous around the region for his red delicious apples, was looking for ways to increase market share.
Du Bruille said he gave him a box of Aplets and Cotlets, and "(Wakil) said that he introduced a method to dry apricots and transported them to Pakistan and had a tremendous increase in profits. He looked at the box of Aplets and Cotlets and said if he boxed them (dried apricots), he could double his profits once again."
Du Bruille noted Wakil has made several trips to Wenatchee and Yakima. Du Bruille said he spoke with Wakil about the different varieties of apples including Gala, Fuji and Braeburn, and he seemed to be interested in looking at these and others for production.
With stability and access to agricultural help which has improved varieties, chemicals and horticulturist expertise, the future looks bright, Du Bruille said.
All in all, he said, "It was a privilege for me to be involved with so many quality people - well-trained and dedicated working under extreme circumstances. Not to mention perpetual risks and kidnappings."
Du Bruille said he will not be applying what he learned from the trip directly to his classes, but he will use - as he already does - economic analysis illustrations for decision-making and goal-setting that he used in Afghanistan.
An interim report outlining the evaluation of the project and recommendations will be submitted by Du Bruille to the ADA office in Peshawar, Pakistan, on Jan. 15. The final report, with input Du Bruille received from the ADA, will be sent March 15.
Du Bruille said despite the dryness of the region, there was a kind of beauty.
"You would be looking at a desolate scene and then see a donkey led by a man with his wife on it. You would ask yourself, `What century is this?' It's really amazing," he said.
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