BRIEF PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT

The action aims primarily at alleviating rural population groups’ poverty through an increase of incomes from fruits production in Kunar and Laghman provinces (Eastern zone of Afghanistan). The project’s objectives will be achieved through the implementation of a range of activities that will tend to:

▪Contribute to establish the economic environment that is required to develop the fruit sector in Kunar and Laghman provinces.
2 associations of producers will be established to support orchard owners through free and commercial services that are not available yet.

▪Contribute to improve the local availability of quality plant materials required for the establishment and/or improvement or commercially oriented orchards.
21 private nurseries will be established within the targeted areas to ensure the sustainable supply of quality plant materials required for the development of the fruit sector, thus allowing farmers to establish / increase their orchard.

▪Contribute to improve the skills of fruit producers through trainings based on approved production guidelines and training curriculum.
At least 300 orchard owners will acquire improved horticultural skills from extension work.
15 demonstration orchards will be developed as a sustainable way of training and promotion among orchard owners.

▪Contribute to improve the negotiation capacity of farmers through networking, access to loans and availability of market related information.
The associations’ members will have privileged marketing links with local and regional markets’ actors through the associations networking that will translate, among others, into the availability of relevant and accurate information from and to markets.

▪Contribute to introduce new fruit varieties and new technologies that will tend to improve the orchards’ productivity and related incomes.
Research and development activities will be implemented in the fields of drip irrigation and fruits processing technologies. The outputs are expected to increase the orchards’ productivity and/or production’s added value. In addition, trials will be done on new fruit varieties and wind breakers.


The implementation of the proposed action will be greatly based on the outputs of the baseline and market survey, first step of the activities. These outputs, once analysed will allow refining the methodology to be applied in all further steps of the project in the fields of social mobilisation, establishment of the associations, design of production guidelines & training curriculum and research & development activities.

Along the project duration (more than 3 years), the diverse activities planned are expected to evolve slightly according to the wills and needs of the beneficiaries, as well as according to the evolution of the marketing environment.

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Madera is seeking an experienced horticulturist in the frame of the PHDP project to take a lead position for the implementation of the project’s technical components. The horticulturist will particularly focus on knowledge capitalization and sharing, capacity building of Madera’s horticulture team and participation in drip irrigation R&D.


HORTICULTURIST’S MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Acting under the responsibility of the Project Manager in close collaboration with the Horticulture Technical Advisor in Kunar & Laghman provinces:

▪To supervise the elaboration of horticultural quality standards to be implemented by the private nurseries and orchards supported by Madera, in link with related PHDP activities and Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) departments.

▪To supervise the elaboration of horticultural technical guidelines for orchards and nurseries’ management in link with Madera’s horticulture team and other partners (NGOs, PHDP team, MAIL...) and based on the expertise of Madera.

▪To organise technical trainings of Madera’s horticulture team in order to upgrade their skills and practices and in link with the quality standards and guidelines elaborated.

▪To participate in the field implementation of the project’s horticultural activities (establishment of 20 private nurseries and 200 private orchards in 2 provinces).

▪To participate in the implementation of a R&D component on drip irrigation in the 2 provinces in collaboration with the consultant to be selected for that purpose.