The following case study explores the lessons learned at the nexus of agricultural planning, community participation, and gender concerns during the implementation of two inter-linked projects aimed at improving livestock production in Afghanistan from 1994 - 1997. The two projects are the "Animal Health and Livestock Production Programme in Afghanistan (AFG/93/004)"1 and "Promotion of Farmers' Participation through the Implementation of Animal Health and Production Improvement Modules (AHPIM) in Afghanistan (TCP/AFG/4553)".
1The new project phase continues under UNDP-funded "Sustainable Livestock Development for Food Security (AFG/96/007). Also AHPIM= PIHAM.
This case study is one of a series of background papers being prepared for a "Workshop on Gender and Participation in Agricultural Development Planning - Harvesting Best Practices" to be held in Rome in December of 1997. The Workshop will provide the opportunity to bring together nationals from a number of countries where FAO has tried to assist institutions and communities to support planning processes which are participatory and that address the different needs and priorities of rural women and men. The objectives of this workshop are to:
· compare and share experiences from different countries and thereby build capacity among institutions and organisations working in the agricultural sector to use participatory and gender sensitive approaches in agricultural planning;
· from this shared experience, potentially develop a framework or model for gender-responsive participatory agricultural development planning;
· share what was learned from this field experience with interested FAO technical divisions and explore linkages with complementary FAO programmes, such as the Special Programme for Food Security (SPSF) and the Socio-Economic and Gender Analysis Programme (SEAGA).
It is hoped that this case study will be of interest to others working on programmes and projects particularly those in Afghanistan - which seek effective ways to include rural women, their experience and their priorities in agricultural planning processes in a context where their participation and mobility have been severely restricted for the past year or so.
