RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN YEMEN

Yemen! In the news unfortunately for all the wrong reasons, political strife and terrorism - the themes for our age. Geoff QB is in Sana’a looking at the rural development situation and suggesting what can be done for a country where 90% of the people live in abject poverty in rural areas, where the most remunerative crop is a mild narcotic shrub (“qat” or “khat” - Catha edulis), only a fraction of the land is cultivable (most is desert and mountain) and where a population of 22million will double in 20 years. Yemen imports its essential food stuffs and exports oil and gas, but the supply of those commodities is running out. Worse still, water for agriculture and social use is limited. Aquifers get recharged from sudden rainstorms in short periods so run-off is massive. Water catchment, conservation and distribution is the priority sector in rural development – but qat uses 30% of water available for agriculture with no nutritive value whatsoever. The other issue is terracing (see photo). Yemen has a terrace system thousands of years old. But it is being abandoned except where it can grow qat; farmers don’t find it worthwhile to grow food in such a labor intensive way. Yemen is probably one of the most challenging countries we’ve ever worked in (and that includes Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan!). Not to mention the risk of being shot or kidnapped if you even try and get to see the farmers!

Photo shows qat terraces in the Haraz Mountains

NEW WORK IN 2009

EMPOWER PAKISTAN: AGRICULTURE. This program is a new USAID initiative undertaken via CSF (see link) aimed at counter-terrorism, poverty alleviation and rural development along the supply chain. Geoff Quartermaine Bastin is currently working as Design Economist with the Program Design Team led by Don R. Mickelwait of Experience International, Inc. The EPAG will be a $400 million group of projects in livestock (mainly dairy) horticulture and food security (including wheat, maize, oilseeds, pulses and sugar). The activities and interventions will be right along the supply (value) chain "from farm to fork" and will be implemented throughout Pakistan with trade connections to the Middle East, Afghanistan and Central Asia. The US Government under the new administration emphasizes three elements in foreign policy: Defense, Diplomacy and Development. The EPAG program is aimed square on at improving incomes and creating jobs in those areas of Pakistan most likely to produce radical insurgents. Success in this Program which will last 3 to 5 years and will bring 1 million women into the cash economy is seen as critical to winning the argument over radicalism and winning the War on Terror. Pakistan's agriculture accounts for more than 40% of employment and food security is vital. Failure in either the design or implementation of the EPAG is not an option.