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UC-Davis helps replace Afghanistan's minefields with vineyards June 2, 2004 DAVIS, CA -The University of California at Davis is assuming a major role in a large-scale project to transform minefields in Afghanistan to the thriving vineyards they were before the effects of more than 20 years of war. The U.S. Agency for International Development awarded $10 million to a number of groups collaborating for this effort, including Roots of Peace, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the global eradication of land mines. Over $850,000 will go to UCD to fund a number of goals planned for the two-year project. These goals include the institution of an agricultural extension program, the implementation of demonstration plots and post-harvest collection centers, and the supervision of a nursery system. ÝThe mission of Roots of Peace is to replace all minefields with farmland. However, this project is specifically focused on vineyards. With grapes as the No. 1 legal crop in the world, according to Gary Kuhn of Roots of Peace, it carries great economic promise for the country. ÝWhen Roots of Peace was searching for the top viticulture experts for technical support in writing their grants and conducting the project, UCD was their first call, according to Kuhn. "This university is No. 1 in the world in viticulture, so when you're going to be writing a grant saying you want to revitalize grapes, what better technical backstop than UC Davis?" said Todd Rosenstock, one of the UCD project members and a graduate student studying international agricultural development. Afghanistan has a rich history in viticulture, with grapes and raisins as its primary legal produce. However, less than half of the original vineyards remain today, lost to the devastation of a quarter-century of war. ÝUCD will send trainers to Afghanistan to teach 40 extension agents the latest viticulture practices, including different techniques, from the effective use of fertilizers to complex irrigation techniques, according to Rosenstock. Half of the agents will be employed by Roots of Peace and half by the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. After completing training involving a series of workshops, the agents will assume full responsibility of the extension program. The remaining vineyards will be revitalized and a replanting program will work to undo what years of damage and neglect have caused. Post-harvest collection centers will help establish marketing of the products, noted Kuhn, which in turn can help revive Afghanistan's economy. The nursery system UCD is establishing and helping to oversee will assist in the organization and preservation of the local Afghan grape varieties so that their future utilization is ensured. Seeds will come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Germplasm Repository at UCD. Over 60 varieties of grapes in the repository were originally collected from Afghanistan. Only funded for two years, these elaborate goals have a "fairly short timeline to be completed," said Rosenstock. "Hopefully, we can apply for more [funding] at the end of two years." Copyright 2004 U-Wire. All Rights Reserved. |
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