40ID ADT, Chowkay District gov’t to launch first demonstration farm in Kunar Province

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Farmers in an impoverished section of Afghanistan will soon have a classroom for learning more productive methods of growing crops thanks to their local district government and the California Army National Guard’s 40th Infantry Division Agribusiness Development Team.

The Chowkay District Demonstration Farm is the first facility of its type in Kunar Province, said U.S. Army Col. Eric Grimm, the ADT commander.

It offers people whose farming techniques have not changed in hundreds of years the opportunities to see modern methods and technologies in action.

“This demonstration farm is the first of several facilities we are launching throughout Kunar Province to show farmers things that they can do to grow more abundant, healthier and profitable crops,” said Grimm, a resident of La Habra Heights, Calif.

“Things like planting corn in furrows to get each stalk more nutrients will increase the productivity of their land, and allow them to use some land to grow forage to feed to their livestock,” he said. “That will address another problem that is widespread in Kunar – livestock malnutrition.”

Engineer Mashoqullah Hajji, the Chowkay District Agriculture Extension Manager, was responsible for most of the farm planning, and the funding came from the ADT.  They selected the Chowkay District for the first Kunar demonstration farm because it is central to the province, allowing many people to see its techniques on display, and because the district is well run and secure, increasing the likelihood that it will be successful, Grimm said.  Additional facilities are planned for other districts throughout the province; two have already been initially surveyed.

To ensure the farm is successful and accomplishes its goals, the ADT has worked closely with the engineer.  In addition to furrows and forage crops, the farm will demonstrate the advantages of different types of seed that the ADT is hoping to introduce into Kunar; methods for lifting and storing water; and irrigation methods other than the flooding that Afghans traditionally use.

The ADT delivered high-quality seed July 19 to be showcased on the demonstration farm.

“The new seed we delivered is designed for drought-like environments, and it grows shorter, which helps prevent attacks on coalition troops,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Jason Stevens, a Lynchburg, Va., native and orchardist for the ADT; his civilian job is as an orchard manager for Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Estate in Virginia. “As companies begin to introduce this seed into Kunar, it is important that farmers see exactly how much more valuable it can be for them to use.”

“Ultimately, by showing folks better ways of farming, we hope to give the people of Kunar a path to economic freedom that will improve their quality of life, and enable them to better resist the influence of extremists in the region,” said Grimm.