KABUL - Next month the province of Sar-i-Pul will receive its first artificial insemination centre for livestock, paid for by the district’s own farmers.

What is now a gaping hole into the ground will be the location of Sar-i-Pul’s first artificial insemination centre for livestock improvement and animal breeding.

Sar-i-Pul which lies in the north western part of Afghanistan, has been hard bit by several years of drought.

In July 2008, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched a Technical Cooperation Programme project worth US$ 500 000 to help 2,980 farming families in the region.

Through the project, high-quality seed was provided to selected families for one-fifth of the actual price.

In cooperation with a local non-governmental organization SOFAR, the payment was collected and deposited in a bank account for micro development projects.

“The intention is to encourage activities in the field based on requests from the Department of Agriculture and the local community. In this way, the whole community benefits,” said Mohammed Nabi, the Head of the Agricultural Department of Sar-i-Pul,

The artificial insemination centre is one such micro project.

On the horizon are also an animal health clinic in Sancharak and an extension department in Sozmaqala.

“Such a centre is important for the improvement of livestock,” said Shair Mohammed Karyab, from the National Area Agronomist in the Emergency and Rehabilitation Unit at FAO’s Mazar office.

“Special breeds will also be imported from abroad, and this will enhance the quality of livestock,” he added.

Construction work started on 31 July 2009 and is due to be completed on 15 October.

At that point, the building will be handed over to the Department of Agriculture.

By Tonje Viken, FAO

Website: Food and Agriculture Organization, Afghanistan