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 Winter/Spring
2006 Issue |
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Extension Veterinarian Helping to Solve Afghan Ag Problems
But recently he did just that. Wolfgang was invited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be part of a team that visited Afghanistan to work with three major Afghan universities in Kandahar, Kabul, and Jalalabad. “One issue facing the professionals at these universities is a lack of opportunity for retraining,” says Wolfgang. “Many teachers at these universities have an adequate education but lack field experience and the ability to adapt applications from the textbook to the field. Furthermore, many graduates are not being hired in their area of study. “In light of this problem, one potential project for the future involves teaching the teachers-providing them with more knowledge and experience so that they can pass it on to others,” he says. “As these three main universities establish a stronger presence in their vicinity, they can have a stronger impact on rebuilding the country’s agricultural infrastructure.” Wolfgang tries to look at the big picture in searching for solutions to agricultural problems. This wide-angle approach differs from most of what he saw in Afghanistan, Wolfgang believes. “There are many organizations and countries saying ‘let us come in and help you, let us kill you with kindness,’ basically,” he says. “There is a lot of giving right now. ‘We will give you food or give you aid or give you help.’ But, from my perspective, one of the problems is that they are getting lots of stuff but not really building a structure that is sustainable. If you give people food for three or four years but don’t build a system for them to create their own food and wealth, then when you take your giving away, they are right back where they were before—sometimes even worse.”
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has stated that he has a six-year plan to rid the country of its dependence on poppy farming; however, legitimate agricultural alternatives are not as financially rewarding. Karzai alluded to a future in such crops as honeydew melons, a fruit traditionally grown in Afghanistan. “However, without an internal infrastructure, melons or any other delicate fruit are an unlikely source of revenue, at least for several years,” Wolfgang says. “The process depends heavily on transportation and marketing. With a road system that has been destroyed, transportation of delicate fruits leads to bruising and spoiling of the goods, lowering their market value.” He suggests returning to hardy crops that have worked for the country in the past, such as raisins, grapes, barley, cotton, wheat, carrots, and cauliflower. “These crops have grown well in the past, and there is a market for them in the surrounding Arab nations,” he says. “Raising and selling small livestock, such as sheep and goats, also provides a viable source of outside income. If the Afghans rebuild a solid foundation in these areas, then they will have a strong base from which to explore other avenues.” To facilitate the “big-picture approach” that Wolfgang advocates, he has been invited to return to Afghanistan, possibly even for a six-month stay. He would be working primarily with livestock but would coordinate his work with other volunteers in such areas as water management and soil preservation. “Part of the problem right now is that there are people in the country starting good projects, but there is no overlap between one person’s visit and the next person’s, resulting in abandoned projects that are not beneficial,” Wolfgang says. “Coordination and good communication could help to solve these problems and focus the work to build something lasting in Afghanistan.” Wolfgang doesn’t know when this next trip will occur. The major obstacle is safety. While in Afghanistan, he and his team were constantly escorted by soldiers in large vehicles, and having civilians in the country is a risk. “When the caravan is seen leaving the base in the morning to visit a university, it is obvious to everyone that they will be returning the same way later that afternoon and so they become an easy target,” he says. “Traveling itself is also an issue as many of the roads have been destroyed. And the security situation has recently deteriorated, so I don’t know when I might go back.” —Whitney Glaser |
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Penn State | College of Agricultural Sciences | ICT Copyright - Alternative
Media - Affirmative
Action |
David
Wolfgang, extension veterinarian and senior research associate in veterinary
and biomedical sciences, often travels throughout Pennsylvania conducting
dairy and livestock continuing-education programs for other vets, agriculture
professionals, and farmers. But he never dreamed he’d go to a place
like Afghanistan to lend his expertise to improve that nation’s agricultural
infrastructure. 