On August 30, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a Grant Agreement (G/A) with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for a grant of up to 1.328 billion yen for Afghanistan under the “Community-led Irrigation for Agricultural Production Improvement Project (FAO collaboration). (Grant Agreement: G/A) was concluded for Afghanistan.
Two years have passed since the political upheaval in August 2021, but Afghanistan is still in the midst of a serious humanitarian crisis due to the economic deterioration caused by economic sanctions and domestic turmoil, combined with the effects of natural disasters such as drought, floods, and earthquakes, and the need for prompt assistance to the needy people.
Food shortages are particularly critical, with approximately 24 million people, or 60% of the population, at risk of malnutrition. Improving food production is a pressing issue in Afghanistan today. Furthermore, agriculture, an important industry that accounts for more than 60% of the employed population, requires support because it is directly related to people’s livelihoods.
In Afghanistan, where rainfall is low, rain-fed agriculture is unstable, and irrigation using snowmelt and river water is important. However, due to the effects of drought and the lack of or inadequate maintenance of irrigation facilities, the necessary water is not sufficiently distributed to farmland, which is a hindrance to agricultural production.
In the Kunar River basin in eastern Afghanistan, a local NGO, PMS (Note 1), of which the late Dr. Satoshi Nakamura, a Japanese physician, was the general director, has been implementing irrigation improvement since 2003, resulting in improved livelihoods for about 650,000 people as of 2019 and restored about 23,800 ha of cultivated land as of 2023. Dr. Nakamura devised and planned the “PMS method of irrigation (Note 1),” which emphasizes local community ownership throughout the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of irrigation facilities, so that they can be used by the people of the beneficiary communities long after their completion, and he was instrumental in its construction.
Note 1: “PMS” is an entity of the Peshawar Association in Afghanistan and is an abbreviation of Peace (Japan) Medical Service. PMS Method Irrigation” is a simple and practical irrigation technology that utilizes locally available materials and equipment and combines traditional Afghan and Japanese civil engineering techniques through a process of trial and error.
JICA, in cooperation with FAO and Peshawar Society/PMS, will implement a project for the dissemination of the PMS irrigation system developed by Dr. Nakamura in the Kunar River Basin. This project aims to improve irrigation water supply capacity in areas where food shortages are serious through the rehabilitation of irrigation facilities using the PMS method and training on sustainable use of the facilities, thereby contributing to the improvement of agricultural production. The project will also contribute to SDG Goal 2 (zero hunger), Goal 6 (safe water and latrines worldwide), and Goal 16 (peace and justice for all).
For the dissemination of technology and knowledge related to PMS irrigation, JICA has been discussing with Dr. Nakamura, Afghan officials, and the Peshawar Association since 2018, and has systematically organized the knowledge, experience, philosophy, and innovations in flood control and water utilization technology related to PMS irrigation projects, and in 2021, published “Guidelines for PMS Irrigation The Guidelines were published in Japanese, English, Dari, and Pashto in 2021. The guidelines will be widely used in the planning, design, construction, and training of the project.
Note 2: Please refer to the “PMS Method Irrigation Project Guidelines” from the following website.
© Source JICA