The development of the agricultural sector in Afghanistan is viewed as a critical element in restoring the country’s stability and sustainability. Agriculture provides a livelihood for 80 percent of the population, but Afghanistan’s agricultural base has been eroded by years of war and internal conflict.
At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL), which has oversight responsibilities, has been unable to facilitate the restoration of the agricultural sector, due to lack of direction, coordination, and investment in employee development and automated management information and communication systems.
Starting in 2008, agricultural development became the focus of particular attention by the governments of the United States and Afghanistan. The U.S. government developed a new Agricultural Assistance Strategy for Afghanistan, and MAIL launched a new National Agricultural Development Framework. In addition, President Karzai appointed a new minister who demonstrated a commitment to improvements in response to public perceptions that the ministry is out of touch with its rural constituency.
To assist MAIL in its efforts to increase its effectiveness, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched a Capacity Building and Change Management Program (CBCMP) for MAIL in November 2010. In announcing the program, U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry set forth a vision of “an Afghanistan of green valleys and abundant food . . . of proud and prosperous farmers and bazaars full of its agricultural bounty.”
USDA selected the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA) to implement the program. ICMA, a VEGA member, serves on a team headed by the International Executive Service Corps (IESC). Other team members are Land O’Lakes (also a VEGA member) and the Institute of International Education.
The overall objective of the program is to support the leadership and directorates, or departments, of the ministry as they implement institutional reforms that will improve the ministry’s ability to effectively plan and administer agricultural programs in Afghanistan. Like other U.S. government funded programs in Afghanistan, it is designed to be “owned” by Afghans.
MAIL has more than 9,000 employees headquartered in Kabul with 34 provincial offices and almost 400 district offices Against this challenging backdrop, the IESC team has the following primary objectives:
- Develop the capacity of key MAIL directorates to design, procure, account for, and report on utilization and performance of its financial, capital, and human resources provided through both donor and government funding.
- Design and implement a program of change management to build overall organizational capacity of MAIL to increase its effectiveness in delivering services; this objective is grounded in four “pillars”—performance scorecards, annual work planning, organizational assessment and realignment, and service delivery process improvement.
To meet the first objective, the IESC team has implemented automated financial management and time-and-attendance systems, established a training and resource center, and acted on 36 recommendations by an auditor that will enable directorates to qualify for U.S. government funds.
The team’s approach to the second objective is to provide coaching/mentoring, training for local change management specialists, and supplemental training for managers and technical personnel at all levels in MAIL to raise the level of their professional skills and to instill a culture based on performance and merit.