Current CRAA Projects

Animal Husbandry and Reforestation for Community Health (HPI and CRAA). This program represents the largest-ever donation of support by Heifer Project International for any effort to promote sustainable development and environmental rehabilitation - approximately $1,200,000. The project includes a large amount of construction work including animal shelters and a Food Processing Learning Center at our Chaparhar demonstration farm.

Other elements include:

• Construction education that is relevant for the homes of the beneficiaries and the construction of animal shelters.
• The beneficiaries must provide then- own construction materials;
• Water provision;
• Forest tree and Fruit tree cultivation, (more than 1,000,000 trees distributed);
• Establishing a protected herd of increasingly rare, indigenous breed cattle (Achey and Watanee), to safeguard their genetic distinctiveness;
• The construction of a community center where Extensionists provide training in construction and other vocations. Other outreach workers conduct health and nutrition training for participants and aid the formation of cooperative groups;
• Training Village Level (Primary Care) Veterinarians, and equipping these trainees to work as mobile independent providers;
• Distribution of chickens, goats and cattle to the members of cooperative groups who have completed a comprehensive preparation course and that have constructed appropriate shelter for the animals
• A "Passing on the Gift" component to increase the number of beneficiaries;
• Introduction of a basic, small scale drip irrigation system at the demonstration farm;
• Education in sustainable agriculture practices such as the use of kitchen scraps to feed chickens and goats - a new concept, the use of manure for soil enrichment, and the use of trees to improve soils and supplant manure as fuel source

Every aspect of the program exists for the purpose of helping people provide for themselves and their families via sustainable agricultural practices, improved nutrition, and the marketing of surplus produce and value-added products. (Kabul, Kapisa, Logar, Paktya, Laghman, Kunar and Nangarhar Provinces)and events thereafter in Afghanistan.