KABUL, Afghanistan (Oct. 23, 2010) — The Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, in cooperation with the Canadian International Development Agency, is creating the Kandahar Regional Agriculture and Rural Development Institute at Tarnak Farms, located in Dand district in southern Afghanistan.
Tarnak Farms, a deserted al Qaeda training outpost just outside Kandahar Airfield, is scheduled to become the hub of agricultural development for Kandahar province.
The project, as requested by the local community and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, will focus on a wide range of activities to include the development of agriculture and infrastructure.
The Kandahar Regional Agriculture & Rural Development Institute is being created under the Integrated Alternative Livelihood Program - a $12 million program focused on helping create new livelihood opportunities for Afghans.