Att._J.7_USAID_AFG_PMP.docx

ATTACHMENT 1. USAID/Afghanistan PMP

A. GENERAL

The U.S. Mission in Afghanistan has established a strategy and performance monitoring plan for all U.S. government activities to ensure that results are being achieved. The goal for USAID/Afghanistan is Afghan-led sustainable development. RADP-West will work towards the Mission’s goal by contributing to Development Objective 1, sustainable agriculture-led growth expanded.

B. RESULTS FRAMEWORK

Figure 1: USAID/Afghanistan PMP and RADP-East Results Framework

Mission Goal: Afghan-Led Sustainable Development DO1: Sustainable Agriculture-Led Growth Expanded (RADP-East Goal)

U.S. Mission in Afghanistan Performance Management Plan

IR 1.2: Vibrant and Prosperous Agricultural Sector Developed (RADP-East Purpose)

Sub-IR 1.2.1: Productivity of Key Agricultural Crops Increased (RADP-East Sub-Purpose 1)

Sub-IR 1.2.2: Commercial Viability of Agribusinesses Increased (RADP-East Sub-Purpose 2)

Sub-IR 1.2.3:

Public and Private Agricultural Service Delivery Strengthened (RADP-East Sub-Purpose 3)

RADP-East Results Framework

C. RADP-East

RADP-East is a five-year activity, commencing in 2015, with the goal to “Improve food and economic security for rural Afghans in targeted areas.” The activity will focus on Nangarhar, Logar, Laghman, Kapisa, Parwan, Wardak, Ghazni, and Kabul provinces.

EASTERN AFGHANISTAN CONTEXT

Eastern Afghanistan offers tremendous potential for economic growth and the expansion of national and regional trade and integration. The eight provinces selected for RADP-East are part of the eastern Regional Economic Zone. Primary roads provide access to the domestic markets of Kabul, Jalalabad, and Ghazni, as well as to regional markets, beginning with Peshawar in Pakistan. The provinces were selected based on the potential to capitalize upon existing agricultural activities and to maximize cost-effectiveness and returns on investment. The Regional Economic Zone also coincides with the future electrification plans for eastern Afghanistan, which will provide opportunities for value addition in agriculture.

With favorable climate and soils, there is a long tradition of horticultural production. Both perennial crops and annual crops do well. The region yields a wide variety of crops, including wheat, corn, potatoes, and rice. Vegetables (such as okra, tomatoes, and spinach) are widely grown. Small orchards (pine nuts, olives, walnuts, citrus, apricots, and pomegranates) are common. Livestock is also commonly kept on small farms throughout the East.

Key trade agreements, including the Afghanistan Pakistan Transit and Trade Agreement and South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA), provide export opportunities for Afghan traders by decreasing tariffs and increasing access to foreign markets. The region’s dependence on trade through Pakistan poses many challenges, including Pakistani policies that discriminate against Afghan transporters.

The challenges and weaknesses that face the region’s agricultural markets are similar to those in many other developing agricultural economies. For example, Afghans lack reliable input supplies and the other supporting services needed for well-functioning agricultural markets, and producers and traders often lack access to reliable market information, particularly with respect to the market requirements for agricultural products. As a result, most of the region’s agricultural production is sold into the lowest end markets. In addition to these problems, security for Afghans remains a primary concern.