National Horticulture And Livestock Project (NHLP)
Donor: World Bank
Budget: Overall $55,000,000.
Total expenditure as of 31st March 2011: $39,370,922.
For the year 1390: $15,729,078.
Status: Ongoing as one of the MAIL projects
Duration: May 2006 – December 2011.
Location: In 7 Northern provinces (Baghlan, Samangan, Balkh, Jowzjan, Sar-e-pul, Kunduz and Takhar) and 4
central provinces (Kabul, Kapisa, Parwan and Panjshir). The focus is in one district of each one of the 11
provinces.
Objectives:
Overall: Improving the livelihoods of the rural households through stimulating production and productivity of
marketable perennial horticulture and livestock;
Since July 2009: Restructuring of NHLP finalized with increased port-folio in all components including
introduction of extension approach along the principles of Farmers Field School (FFS).
Components
Horticulture:
- 782 men (421) and women (361) farmer trainers (782 demo orchards) are involved in training of 18,000 radial orchard owners in the focus districts of the 11 provinces. More than 50% of the radial farmers are adopting the improved orchard practices.
- 3,187 ha (beyond the project objective – 3000) of new orchards of almond, apricot, grapes, apples,cherry, plum and pomegranate were established in all 11 provinces.
- 152 extension workers are trained in horticulture and IPM along the principles of FFS.
Livestock:
- Privatization of 52 government Clinics has started and provided with 6 weeks refresher training and vet. Package worth $8,000 including vet. Medicines, vaccines, equipments and other logistics.
- 12000 women are identified and organized into groups of 50 for training and access to poultryequipments, 75kg of feed and 15 vaccinated layer pullets of 8 weeks age.
- 22 livestock (men and women) extension workers are recruited to work closely with HLP-FOD teams in 5 focus districts: Mirbachakoot (6), Mahmoodraqi (2), Sheberghan (4), Khulm (6), and Aybak (4).
- The building of the Liquid Nitrogen plant is almost finished. The installation and training of the plant operators from the breeding department of MAIL is expected to start by the end of April.
Farmer Organization Development (FOD):
- 175 male and 175 female producer groups completed the first phase and started the second phase of integrated service delivery, promotion of common activities for input supply, savings/credit, and marketing.
- 75 male and 75 female groups are receiving training in organizational development as the first phae.
- All groups in the second phase are going through their seasonal calendar along the implementation of FFS and are linked to relevant traders and some micro-finance institutions.
Institutional Capacity Building (ICB):
- 1,220 persons from NHLP / MAIL are trained in various technical areas. Modules in horticulture and livestock components for the extension workers and the farmers.
- District Agricultural Service Provision System (DASPS) and Provincial Agriculture Service Provision System (PASPS) workshops in Mirbachakoot and Panjshir benefited the coordination and collaboration between the state and non state organizations working in agriculture sector in the district. In Panjshir, NHLP supported the holding of the agriculture conference attended by over 400 participants in Feb. 2011under the theme: Beyond production and productivity; adding value to Panjshir agricultural products. NHLP also supported a farmers’ day event in Mirbachakoot with over 500 participants.
- 7th and 8th NHLP Newsletters in Dari, Pashtu and English are published and ditributed widely.
- Radio broadcasts in Dari and Pashtu carried out for the fall 2010 and spring 2011 campaigns covering both livestock and horticulture topics.
Gender Mainstreaming (GM):
- Gender equity and equality is in the core of NHLP gender mainstreaming policy.
- Integration of GM sessions in monthly coordination and training meetings.
- GM aspects integrated into the base “model” for NHLP next phase.
ESSF:
- Conducted two training workshops to the horticulture and livestock extension workers on the safe handling of agrochemicals and water pollution.
- Development of ESSF extension modules for training.
M & E:
- Baseline survey completed in 38 districts of the 11 provinces where NHLP has been active since 2006.
- Outcome survey was conducted in the 11 out of 13 focus districts of the 11 provinces. A full report is completed; so far it shows an overall positive trend in all activities and attainments of HLP in the field.
- A process monitoring survey was also designed and conducted on extension delivery and adoption processes on stages; data are being organized as of April 2011.
- An ICT – based Geo-locational output monitoring (GLM) has been designed, piloted and developed into a new M&E project and subcontracted to AIMS for software design, database hosting and GISmapping.
- Monthly progress reports are regularly prepared and submitted to MAIL; 16 quarterly reports are prepared and submitted to MAIL and the donors.
Service Sections:
- The operation section of NHLP provided efficient logistical, human resource and day to day services to keep the project going at its best with 126NHLP staff.
- The total HLP expenditure till 31st March 2011 is $39,370,922. The proposed budget for 1390 is $15,729,078.
- External audit of NHLP is completed up to 1387 and 1388. This exercise is going on for the year 1389.
- 99 contracts of goods, works and services were issued for a total amount of $15,895,584 since summer 2010.