ICRC humanitarian assistance

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday that its sub-delegation in Herat, had been helping over 10,000 farmers directly through food-for-work schemes. “Irrigation systems have been neglected or destroyed during the various conflicts that have ravaged the country. The ICRC is running a programme in the drought-stricken area to clear them and thus enable 7,000 families to cultivate an additional 1,500 hectares with the help of vegetables seeds, seedlings, agricultural tools, saplings and fertilisers distributed by the organisation. Training has been offered in two districts of Herat province,” it said. Over 67,000 kg of wheat had been distributed to those working on the schemes to rehabilitate crucial irrigation systems such as conventional canals and “karezes”, it said referring to Afghanistan’s extensive traditional network of underground channels. “This and the seed distribution are part of a programme that targets areas where needy farmers are living and to which internally displaced people have returned or are expected to return,” it said. ICRC has also implemented similar projects this year in other parts of the country such as Parwan, Badaghan and Tahar provinces.