Integrated development of milk chain in Afghanistan
FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization, is the specialized agency of the UN, with the explicit mandate to raise awareness, coordinate, promote and implement international policies to fight world hunger, increase agricultural productivity, improve the living conditions (especially food) of rural populations in developed countries and contribute to global economic growth.
Recent studies carried out by FAO showed that, in rural areas of Afghanistan, the production of cow’s milk is considered by most families as an important income generating activity. The breeding is therefore an essential area of the entire production system, an important element of the local economy, both for domestic consumption and for the sale of products.
Within the Programme of Co-operation Italy/FAO, the project Development integrated chain of milk in the province of Herat assists dairy farmers in the selected areas to improve both the efficiency and the amount of production.
This program is developed in rural areas, where the poorest people live in Afghanistan, to give them technical assistance and advice in the production of milk, feeding, hygiene and animal health. The overall objective is to improve food security in Herat, increasing the production capacity of the local livestock sector, through the improvement of activities, good husbandry and animal health, access to domestic markets for their products. The project will therefore help to increase revenue income, creating more job opportunities at the local level and contributing to the country’s food security. The project is aimed specifically at local authorities and women groups involving family, owners of small animals, with one or two cows, families landless and sharecroppers. Through training and distribution of necessary tools, the project also intends to develop organizational structures that ensure the sustainable management of the production chain in the future.
