For
the past forty years, political strife and severe drought have devastated Afghanistan’s
food production capabilities. The country is heavily dependent on food aid from
international donors, and is destined to stay in this state as they lack the financial
liquidity to restore their rural production systems. In essence it is a catch twenty-two;
Afghanistan does not have the capital to begin its agricultural recovery, and does
not have the agricultural goods to sell and finance its return to economical stability.
In
a concentrated effort to address this economical shortfall, ATVI will harness the
best agricultural research available, and provide coursework over a four semester
program for its students. Students participating in this program will be given an
introduction to horticulture and the industry’s practices, training in crop selection
and marketing, greenhouse operations
and production, and the opportunity to practice
agribusiness
management. By training and providing a diversely knowledgeable agricultural
and horticultural based workforce, Afghanistan will be many steps closer to reviving
its once-thriving farming industry and move toward food self-sufficiency by the
end of 2008.
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