Use of Feed Block for Crop-livestock Systems in Kunduz and Badakhshan Provinces

NSDO implemented the project for a period of performance 16 months (September 21, 2016 – January 19, 2018) funding by USAID/ DAI RADP-North in Kunduz and Badakhshan provinces. The project aims to increase the crop-livestock systems as well as raising awareness among the livestock farmers about the benefits of Feed block as a supplementary feeding system for small ruminants and helped to introduce feed block as an alternative feeding strategy to replace the traditional and old feeding system like fodder and other materials during their scarcity period in the winter and early spring seasons. Using feed block was quite a new experiment and experience for them whose utilization was of the utmost significance and importance and they have termed it appealing and beneficent for their small ruminants. During the initial and subsequent stages of its utilization, farmers have reported increase in the weight and reduction in the mortality rate of small ruminants while the VFUs and cooperatives have also reported increase in their sales of feed block.

Sustainable Economic Development and Employment Promotion (SEDEP)

This is awarded by GIZ Afghanistan. NSDO is implementing the SEDEP since 2016 which is continuing up to the end of 2022 in Kunduz province of Afghanistan. SEDEP consists of three interventions areas: 1. Value Chain promotion, 2. Reconstruction and Rehabilitation of small infrastructure, and 3. strengthening dialogue between producers, processors, traders, and government to improve the business climate. The first intervention area is implemented by NSDO in Kunduz province. SEDEP is promoting five value chains – dairy, poultry, nuts, wheat, and vegetable in Kunduz province. The goal of the program is to increase income and employment opportunities. In Kunduz province, SEDEP significantly enhanced the technical and entrepreneurial capacities of the local value chain partners, improved the efficiency, production level of producers and processors, as well as displaced people and strengthened the linkage and coordination among all value chain partners. It has observed that these value chains have enormously boosted the local jobs and income generation activities in various districts of the targeting districts of Kunduz province. 

Advancing Women-led Agro Businesses to Reach Economic Empowerment (AWARE)

Concern Worldwide is leading a consortium with Save the Children and New Way Social and Development Organization (NSDO) for a European Commission-funded project: Advancing Women-led Agro Businesses to Reach Economic Empowerment (AWARE). The project will be implemented in five provinces of Northern Afghanistan―Badakhshan, Takhar, Kunduz, Jawzjan, and Balkh―over a 48-month period beginning in April 2021 and NSDO is particularly implementing this project in Kunduz province.  AWARE aims to support the development or expansion of sustainable women-led Agro businesses and to foster an enabling environment for women’s economic empowerment in urban and rural areas by jointly addressing economic and behavioral barriers.  The project aims to develop the agriculture sector’s potential to generate better quality employment opportunities for women, building on interventions and strategies proven effective in Afghanistan and globally. AWARE’s Overall Objective is to contribute to the Women’s Economic Empowerment National Priority Programme (WEE-NPP) by advancing Afghan women’s economic capacity and maximizing their contribution to growth and poverty reduction and primarily supports unemployed/underemployed women and existing women-led micro and small Agro businesses with potential for sustainable scale-up. This involves the provision of quality business and Agro-asset support as well as competitive conditional cash grants, alongside a comprehensive package of carefully phased trainings ranging from gender and life skills to in-depth agriculture and business courses.