Agriculture
“The discovery of agriculture was the first big step toward a civilized life” (Arthur Keith)
The majority of developing countries are still highly dependent on agriculture. When considering the fact that more than 75% of the population lives in rural areas, indicating a strong link of these people to agriculture. Therefore, a sustainable agricultural development and their effective management are important pillars for growth, alleviation of poverty and strengthening food security. Improvement of productivity in agriculture will also have a positive impact on other economic sectors.
More than 55 % of Afghan households are still engaged in farming and 68 % possess various types of livestock. More than 36 % of the population lives below the poverty line. The contribution of the agricultural sector to the Afghan GDP is less than 32 % on average.
The aforementioned figures indicate a huge dependency on the agricultural sector. Therefore, effective and tailored concepts are required, in order to increase the productivity of the sector.
GTD wants to contribute to a more productive agricultural sector through the provision of sustainable and tailored solutions that can help Afghanistan to achieve food security, reduction of poverty and self-reliance. The development of agricultural infrastructure (e.g. appropriate and demand-driven irrigation systems, greenhouses and introduction of effective value chain techniques) are part of GTD’s mission.
GTD’s competencies are:
⦁ Development and implementation of horticulture programs
⦁ Development and implementation of dairy programs
⦁ Development of business plans for dairy farms and fruit processing
⦁ Development and implementation of demand-driven marketing concepts
⦁ Design and implementation of infrastructure measures
⦁ Provision of tailored capacity building measures to increase productivity
⦁ Monitoring & Evaluation of agricultural programs
