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AgricultureAfghanistan is a beautiful country that has seen many of its orchards and forests destroyed by the ravages of war. Many of the trees that lined Kabul streets and grew in urban open space and parks were cut down in the civil war after the Soviet armies left Kabul so that there would be less tree cover to hide opposing fighters. Many other trees were cut down by urban poor desperate for firewood. Newly planted trees need water and reliable caring for them.
Afghans4Tomorrow is trying to reverse this devastation by planting thousands of trees with the help of generous donors and volunteers.
Since 2005 A4T has been a partner in the Bare Roots Project with the First Presbyterian Church of San Anselmo, in the San Francisco Bay Area of CA. The purpose of the Bare Roots Project is to plant trees in rural and urban Afghanistan. Trees are planted with the participation of local community members to meet their needs and establish positive relationships between the people of the U.S. and Afghanistan.
Summary of activities:
Spring 2010:
The Bare Roots Group planted and distributed over 4,500 new trees in communities outside of and in Kabul during their March trip. In addition they visited Istalif, a village north of Kabul, to see the many fruit trees they had planted there in 2005.
If you are interested in supporting this re-greening project, please write to: info@afghans4tomorrow.com.
Spring 2009:
The Bare Roots Group traveled at their own expense to Afghanistan to plant and distribute over 5,800 fruit trees with Afghan partners in Kabul and nearby villages.
Spring 2008
In April, a nine-member delegation of the Bare Root Trees Project from the San Francisco Bay Area traveled to Afghanistan and planted 5,105 trees. They were led by Asma Eschen, A4T Director of Agriculture and co-founder of the Bare Roots Project.
Please click on the link Bare Root Trees Project for the summary of the Bare Roots Group activities in 2008 and photos.
Bare Roots Group activities from 2005-2007
From 2005 to 2007 the Bare Root Project has:
• Cultivated 70,000 pomegranate tree in three Kabul nurseries and distributed them for planting to communities in and around Kabul and in Kandahar.
• Planted 2,000 pine trees on Tapa Maranjan, a large hillside park in Kabul beside the tomb of King Nadir Shah that was once an urban forest that has been denuded of trees. This is the kite flying hill featured in “the Kite Runner”.
• Planted trees and rose bushes to help transform the Woman’s Garden of Kabul into an oasis and refuge.
• Donated over 1,000 fruit trees to be planted in the town of Istalif, an hour north of Kabul.
2007 project details:
Between April 2006 and February 2007 the Bare Root Project paid five gardeners in two Kabul nurseries to prune, cultivate and maintain the 70,000 pomegranate tree saplings. In January and February 2007 arrangements were made for their disposition.
In March 2007 representatives from the A4T-Bare Root Project (M. MacColl and N. Sedeque) went to these nurseries to oversee the distribution of the pomegranate trees to communities in and around Kabul and in Kandahar. They visited and paid the gardeners at Tapa Maranjan Hill and the Women's Garden of Kabul.
The Watershed Foundation contributed $5,000 to help tend to the trees between April 2006 and February 2007 and to assist with the distribution and transportation of the trees purchased in March for nearby communities.
Summary for 2006:
The A4T-BARE ROOT TREES project was honored in 2006 with an anonymous donation, by a Southern California nursery, of more than 80,000 pomegranate saplings growing in tree farms in Kabul. The eight-member delegation was spearheaded by Asma Eschen, President of A4T in 2006, who led the group to Afghanistan from March 31 to April 20, 2006. Ash Wood, of the 1st Presbyterian Church of San Anselmo, returned for the second year and was joined by six other delegates from the San Francisco Bay Area.
The delegation stayed at the A4T Guesthouse and A4T staff arranged for the transportation, translators, meals and meetings with the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation Development (MRRD) and others. The delegation pruned and weeded the saplings in the Kabul tree farms. They also visited the A4T Vocational and Training Centers # 1 & #2 and Istalif; Ali’s* Shrine in Mazar-E-Sharif; and Andkhoy, a city 13 hours northwest of Kabul.
(*Ali was the son-in-law of Mohammad)
Please see the links on the right for more information.
To make any donations to A4T's Agriculture projects please see the link:
DONATE TO AFGHANS 4 TOMORROW. Donations are needed to pay our gardeners, who take care of our pine trees, and for new trees and supplies.
For further information you may contact:
Asma Nazihi Eschen
Afghans4Tomorrow, Director of Agriculture/ Bare Roots Project Co-Founder
Please click here.
April 2006
Report for 2005:
Bare Root Trees Project
A Delegation traveled from San Francisco to Kabul, March 11 to March 28, 2005, and planted 2,000 pine trees in Tapa Maranjaan, one of the large hills above Kabul next to the tomb of King Nadir Shah, and 500 trees and 112 rosebushes in the Woman’s Garden of Kabul. Three gardeners and a guard were hired to do the up keep of these newly planted trees & rosebushes. The delegation also planted fruit trees in several mosques, farms, widow’s homes and the A4T schools in Kabul.
This delegation was lead by Asma Nazihi Eschen, A4T Director of Agriculture. She facilitated the purchase & donation of the bare root trees, travel arrangements and itinerary for this delegation, who are members of First Presbyterian Church of San Anselmo, California. The visionary behind this project is Ash Wood who has been developing this vision over two years: for people from Marin County to establish a connection with the people of Afghanistan through planting bare root trees together.
Other projects completed in 2005:
• Water improvement projects in Farza District: built 2 water wells for drinking and crop irrigation and a Viaduct bringing water from a spring to a reservoir in the village of Bustan, with our partner Engineers Without Borders International (EWBI)
They met with villagers at the greenhouse (financed by Seeds for Afghanistan), which was built by A4T. It was successfully growing a variety of vegetables. Asma and members of the Bare Roots Group delivered 500 packets of seeds, donated by the Baker Creek and Parker Seed Co. through Seeds for Afghanistan from Colorado, to the greenhouse and villagers.
• Two water wells have been dug for the A4T Vocational Center and at the Ufian Shrine
Other Agricultural goals:
Ensure equitable access to agriculture and promote the contribution of agriculture to the development of all communities, society at large, and the national economy, in order to enhance income, food security, employment and quality of life in a sustainable manner.
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