South-South Cooperation: How Brazil
Can Secure the Future of Afghanistan
M. Ashraf Haidari
May 19, 2010
Brazil may be geographically distant from Afghanistan , but there is an
enormous potential for fruitful cooperation between us. Brazil has impressed the
international community with explosive development, especially in agriculture,
and its ascent to global leadership. Afghanistan is a traditionally agricultural
country and therefore reconstruction of Afghanistan ’s once-vibrant farms is
critical to its rebirth. But despite the fact that 80 percent of Afghanistan ’s
population resides in regions dominated by agriculture, the sector has been
severely underinvested by the international community.
Real progress in agriculture is critical to the attainment of Afghanistan ’s
goals. If we cannot assure Afghanistan ’s rural population access to a
legitimate livelihood, they will grow increasingly disillusioned, lose trust in
the government and, for lack of other options, support the Taliban. Through a
thriving agricultural sector, we can win the information war against al-Qaeda
and the Taliban, reduce poverty and rebuild and develop Afghanistan ’s economy.
Unlike most of the nations currently involved in rebuilding Afghanistan ,
Brazil is a developing country itself. Furthermore, having built its
agricultural system from the ground up and developed special expertise in the
same issues Afghanistan faces, Brazil is in a unique position to assume an
important role in reconstruction. The South American country has quadrupled its
agricultural production since the 1970s by transforming dry, formerly
unproductive soil, offering aid to farmers and using improved seeds and
irrigation.
The key to Brazil ’s success lies in its research. Embrapa, the Brazilian
Ministry of Agriculture’s research arm, is heralded worldwide as a leader in
agricultural research. Embrapa is responsible for more than nine thousand
technological advances in Brazilian agriculture that have reduced costs,
increased production, protected natural resources and improved Brazil ’s
self-sufficiency. Embrapa’s soil research has transformed entire regions of
Brazil , such as the Cerrado region in central Brazil . Once considered a
wasteland unfit for farming, the Cerrado is now one of the world’s most
productive agricultural regions, on par with America ’s Midwest .
Embrapa has expanded its operations to 36 countries in hopes of making a
difference in agriculture around the world. In 2006, Embrapa opened their first
office in Africa as part of an effort to “transfer and adapt” technology
pioneered in Brazil , working in cooperation with local embassies to ensure
security and coordination with the host governments.
Brazil takes a holistic approach to agricultural development, from education
and seed development to agribusiness and export markets. In partnership with
Angola , Embrapa is funding graduate education in Brazil for the future leaders
of Angolan agriculture. Embrapa has provided seeds and fertilizers, and operates
a school on agriculture and food processing, at no cost to Angolan farmers; in
just a few short years these programs have proven very successful.
Embrapa could be similarly successful in Afghanistan , a country that has
already proven it can be a breadbasket. The potential clearly exists, but
Afghanistan needs Brazil ’s modern technology and expertise for its agriculture
to blossom once again.
Many hold the lack of coordination between agencies responsible for the
inefficiency and inadequacy of many aspects of Afghanistan ’s reconstruction,
which leaves some jobs undone while others are duplicated. Therefore, they may
question the logic of adding yet another organization to the equation. However,
Embrapa knows the value of cooperation and coordination between agencies and
governments. Many Embrapa projects are coordinated with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); these same
agencies are already active in Afghanistan .
Through partnership between a new Brazilian Embassy in Kabul and a new Afghan
Embassy in Brasilia , Embrapa could focus significant efforts on close
collaboration with international organizations, other donor countries and the
government of Afghanistan . Embrapa has the experience necessary to not only
provide expertise and tools directly to Afghan farmers, but also to work
together with other players to deliver the best results on the ground.
Luckily, the green shoots of close relations and cooperation between
Afghanistan and Brazil have already sprouted. Brazil has attended international
conferences on Afghanistan and pledged support for reconstruction on multiple
occasions. In 2004, Afghanistan and Brazil reestablished non-resident diplomatic
relations. In 2006, they signed a Basic Agreement for Technical Cooperation. In
March of 2009, Afghanistan ’s former Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and
Development and the author of this article made an official visit to Brazil . We
had the opportunity to speak with many government officials, including the
Minister of Agriculture and the head of Embrapa.
At our March 2009 meeting, we found many similarities in the challenges and
the potential of the two countries. First, Embrapa has been operating research
centers for years in areas with similar climates to those in Afghanistan . They,
therefore, can provide important guidance and technology that Afghan farmers
currently lack. In addition to soil treatments, such as those used in the
Cerrado, Embrapa has also developed seeds that require little water or
fertilizer, critical for Afghanistan ’s unpredictable rainfall. We agreed to
exchange technical delegations in order to improve agricultural cooperation.
This was a very positive first step in what will hopefully be a close, vibrant
and cooperative relationship.
Devastated agricultural infrastructure is a large part of Afghanistan ’s
agricultural woes. All of the Ministry of Agriculture’s 24 research stations
remain closed and 40 percent of Afghanistan ’s irrigation network is still
non-operational. Embrapa technology transfer could temporarily fill the research
void while Afghans undergo training in the areas necessary to restart the
ministry’s research. Brazil also has experience in developing irrigation:
between 1950 and 1990, Brazil essentially built its irrigation network from
scratch and now irrigates about 3.5 million hectares. Again, Brazil ’s own
experience in developing its agricultural sector could sow a productive
relationship between the countries.
However, growing food is only part of the equation. Afghanistan has virtually
no agribusiness in place; it can be difficult for farmers to access credit and
get their food to market. In fact, for many farmers, the only crop for which
they can receive sufficient capital and have assured access to export markets is
poppy. Brazil , on the other hand, has made huge strides in the development of
agribusiness and export markets. Brazil ’s government provides loans and other
aid to 800,000 family farmers. Brazil could provide critical guidance on adding
value to agricultural products. For example, Brazil could help Afghanistan to
not just grow wheat, but also mill and process it. Adding value to Afghan crops
through processing improves farmers’ income, reduces the incentive for poppy
cultivation and helps further develop Afghanistan ’s economy.
The reconstruction of Afghanistan ’s agriculture is instrumental to the
country’s progress. With a bustling agricultural sector, Afghans will have
access to legitimate jobs, poverty will decrease, the economy will come to life
and the government will win the hearts and minds of its people. But we cannot do
it alone. The time is ripe and the possibilities are limitless for cooperation
between Brazil and Afghanistan .
The author is the Political Counselor of the Embassy of Afghanistan in
Washington DC .
The above article originally appeared in the
Journal of International Peace Operations Volume 5, Number 5- March/April
2010. Reprinted here with permission from the author.
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