Unveiling the secret to productive wheat cultivation

Afghan farmers attend an eye-opening technical training on wheat cultivation as part of FAO’s emergency wheat cultivation assistance package, comprising certified seed, fertilizer, technical training, and COVID-19 sensitization.

“If the foundations of a house are not solidly built, can the house be safe and steady?” asked Abdul Qodus Shams, extension worker, to the farmers attending the training on land preparation, wheat cultivation, fertilizer application, and irrigation techniques in a village of Noorgal district, Kunar province, Afghanistan.

Abdul’s training session was specifically discussing the most effective way of applying fertilizer for wheat. He intended to disprove with facts the traditional but ineffective methods, as most farmers used to apply urea only once during the crop growing season. “I looked after my wheat crops very carefully, but they were very often too weak,” says Pak Rahman, one of the 37 200 farmers who have attended this same training organized by FAO in 16 provinces across Afghanistan.