IDRC
I N T E R N AT I O N A L D E V E LO P M E N T R E S E A R C H C E N T R E
IDRC in Afghanistan
Promoting food security
The knowledge gained from research is
essential to Afghanistan’s reconstruction. Amid chronic food shortages, for
example, the country needs reliable
research to inform both agricultural
and aid policies. One recent IDRCsupported study revealed that little of
the seed aid that poured into the country in 2002 was ever sown. Farmers
relied instead on the informal seed production and exchange system, which
has survived the years of upheaval with
surprising resilience.
Working with the Afghan Ministry
of Agriculture, researchers from the
International Center for Agricultural
Research in the Dry Areas generated a
wealth of information on community
ICARDA
I
DRC is helping to rebuild
Afghanistan’s research community,
which has been devastated by
decades of conflict and authoritarian
rule. IDRC began supporting research
in Afghanistan in 1973, but was soon
forced to limit its involvement. This
support resumed in earnest with the fall
of the Taliban government in 2001.
Since then, senior IDRC representatives have met with Afghan researchers
in the capital, Kabul, to craft a renewed
program of activities in line with the
country’s most pressing needs. Local
researchers are now working with IDRC
support in critical areas such as food
security, health, democracy, and human
rights. They continue to face tough
challenges as they work to produce the
evidence that policymakers and others
need to make sound decisions aimed at
improving Afghans’ lives.
IDRC support is helping Afghan researchers involve communities in research activities.
seed management. Thanks to this
research, it is now known that the
informal system, although in need of
strengthening, holds the greatest promise for food security in Afghanistan.
Total IDRC support
21 activities
worth CA$6 million
since 1973
Supporting democracy
IDRC support is helping:
In addition to supporting research in
Afghanistan, IDRC has enabled Afghan
National Assembly staff, women journalists, and women parliamentarians
to take part in short study programs
and public education tours in Canada.
These events and several IDRCsupported conferences raised awareness
in Canada about the challenges faced
by Afghan democrats and women in
politics and journalism. The visitors
received a first-hand look at the workings of the Canadian parliamentary
system and media.
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Farmers bolster food security
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Health workers respond to needs
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Universities rebuild
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Journalists report on human
rights
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Citizens access local language
Internet
Current IDRC support
8 activities
worth CA$4.6 million
TAJIKISTAN
UZBEKISTAN
CHINA
TURKMENISTAN
Kunduz
3
H
45
I N
D
U
S H
K U
1
Jalalabad
AFGHANISTAN
2
Kabul
Herat
Ghazni
Gardez
PAKISTAN
Kandahar
IRAN
1. Local language computing
$2,700,000 • 1 global activity
0
300 km
2. Agriculture and environment
$1,587,750 • 2 activities
EA
The boundaries and names shown on the map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by IDRC.
3. Health
$210,000 • 2 activities
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4. Human rights
$113,000 • 1 activity
5. Building research networks
$28,995 • 2 activities
Some activities are regional in scope.
Some current activities
IDRC support aims to strengthen the
capacity of Afghan institutions to carry
out research, make policy recommendations, and participate in critical international discussions. The Centre also
fosters Afghan collaboration with South
Asian research institutions. Here are
some examples:
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Boosting university research capabilities
Funding: $1,306,100
Duration: 2008–2011
Grantee: International Centre
for Integrated Mountain Development
(ICIMOD), Nepal
While conflict isolates researchers, IDRC support puts them in contact with peers in other
countries. This initiative brings Afghanistan
into the Hindu Kush-Himalayan University
Consortium, an alliance of 15 universities in
Afghanistan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
The aim is to build research capacity among
Afghan faculty members and, in particular, to
help Kabul University regain its position as a
leading university in the Western Himalayas.
A health sector responsive to needs
Funding: $150,000
Duration: 2007–2008
Grantee: CIET Canada
Afghanistan’s health system suffered chronic
neglect during decades of instability. The
medical research organization CIET Canada
is working with Afghan partners to demonstrate how communities’ health needs can
be rapidly assessed and the findings fed into
decision-making.
■
Tackling public health challenges
Funding: $60,000
Duration: 2007–2008
Grantee: University of Manitoba, Canada
Child and maternal mortality rates in
Afghanistan are among the highest in the
world, and serious diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria are common. University of
Manitoba researchers are exploring opportunities for launching a course in Afghanistan
to train field epidemiologists skilled in tackling the country’s public health challenges.
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Involving farming families in research
Funding: $281,650
Duration: 2006–2008
Grantee: International Center
for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
(ICARDA), Syria
The agricultural research organization
ICARDA is working with Afghan government
and university researchers on developing
sustainable alternatives to opium poppy cultivation. The goal is to involve farming families, and especially women, in the research.
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Human rights reporting
Funding: $113,000
Duration: 2007–2008
Grantee: Killid Group, Afghanistan
The Killid Group, a non-profit media organization, is training local journalists, civil
society groups, and justice officials on
human rights. One important objective is
to improve reporting on rights violations.
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Local language computing
Funding for Afghanistan: $135,000
Duration: 2007–2010
Grantee: National University
of Computer and Emerging Sciences
(NUCES), Pakistan
With computing and the Internet dominated
by English, researchers in Afghanistan have
begun the important task of developing computer software in Dari and Pashto, the country’s two main languages. The effort, led by the
Ministry of Communications, forms part of a
10-country initiative coordinated by NUCES.
For more information visit the
Asia Regional Office website:
www.idrc.ca/aro
Subscribe to the IDRC Bulletin:
www.idrc.ca/idrcbulletin/
December 2008
Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is one of the world’s leading institutions in the generation and application
of new knowledge to meet the challenges of international development. For 40 years, IDRC has worked in close collaboration with
researchers from the developing world in their search for the means to build healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous societies.
International Development Research Centre
PO Box 8500, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1G 3H9
www.idrc.ca