Research
in Alternative Livelihoods Fund (RALF)
Afghanistan
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Purpose
The
purpose of RALF is to develop and promote innovative alternative
livelihood options for rural Afghans currently economically
dependent on opium poppy, which will contribute to the overall
goal of sustainable elimination of opium poppies in Afghanistan. |
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Lessons: |
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‘Afghanistan
Research in Alternative Livelihoods Fund (RALF)’ Department
for International Development (DFID), United Kingdom; International
Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) PDF |
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AG
3794. ‘Afghanistan: Research in Alternative Livelihoods
Fund (RALF): ANNUAL REPORT’
January 19, 2005 – January 31, 2006 PDF |
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AG
3794. Afghanistan: Research in Alternative Livelihoods Fund
(RALF):ANNUAL REPORT PDF
19 January 2004 – 18
January
2005
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AG
3794. Afghanistan: Research in Alternative Livelihoods Fund
(RALF) Quarterly Narrative Report. PDF
January 19, 2006 – April 18, 2006 |
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Joint
Monitoring Mission Report for RALF Project 01-08 “Innovative
financial mechanisms for improvingthe livelihoods of rural Afghans
currently economicallydependent on opium poppy” PDF |
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Monitoring
and Evaluating the RALF (Research in Alternative Livelihoods
Fund) Programme.
A Report to ICARDA (The International Centre for Agricultural
Research in the Dry Area)
Adam Pain and Adrienne Martin. PDF
May 2005 |
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“Saffron
Production and Farmer Perceptions in Pashtun Zarghun District
of Heart” Ali Gohar and Peter Wyeth, based on Interviews
by DACAAR Field Staff. PDF
May 2006 – Updated November 2006 |
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Proceedings
of the National Saffron Workshop 14-16 November, 2006, Herat,
Afghanistan HTML |
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“Enhancing
livelihoods for resource poor households In the Afghan Hindu
Kush using the Territorial Approach to Agroenterprise Development”
Melody R. McNeil, Paul Hicks, Kamal Bhattacharyya,Carlos F.
Ostertag, Adam Pain PDF
February 2006 |
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”Organic
Export Feasibility Study, Southern Afghanistan: Phase 2 - Laying
the groundwork for a pilot-scale organic conversion in the Kandahar
region” A. Chubb & J. Wright. PDF
May 2006 |
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Use
of Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches
The
Research in Alternative Livelihoods Fund (RALF) is a component
of the UK's development assistance programme to Afghanistan.
The overall scope of RALF is applied research and promotion
of natural resource-based livelihoods, including post-harvest
processing and services, specifically directed at farmers
and other rural stakeholders in areas currently affected by
poppy production. The beneficiaries will be the, predominantly
poor, farming population and casual workers who currently
depend on the illicit activity of growing poppy for their
livelihood. The outcome of RALF will be licit alternatives
to opium production that are practicable in the socio-economic
environment of Afghanistan, and that are accessible to rural
people.
The
programme sought, through a competitive research grant mechanism,
projects with an emphasis on participatory research methods,
and with a capacity building component for Afghan government
and NGO collaborators. Projects supported include the development
of saffron production and marketing systems; developing the
‘territorial approach to agroenterprise development’
to identify marketing opportunities and interest groups; researching
the potential for medicinal and aromatic plant production;
mint production and processing; oilseed crops; and the role
of self-help groups.
Project
monitoring reports emphasise the need to address the complex
inter-linkages between poverty/ vulnerability, power and resource
access, poppy production and trade; and the need for analysis
of the current role of poppy production in the livelihoods
of different social groups – who is growing, who is
financing, who provides land resources and who is trading.
The livelihoods framework is recommended as an organising
principle for assessing where project outputs are likely to
have fitted into diverse rural livelihoods. Particularly requiring
attention are the relations between household assets, the
activities in which they engage to construct a livelihood,
and the outcomes in terms of income or livelihood security
that they achieve. |
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