2004-02-24T14:25:00.000-08:00

PROJECT PROPOSAL FOR SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN AFGHANISTAN

Background:

Afghanistan has been going through 20 years of war and the country stands on the threshold of recovery. 12% of Afghanistan's land is arable, but less than half the arable land is cultivated and not all for food. In the most recent growing season Afghanistan has had the highest production of opium poppies. There is a need for people with a background in sustainable rural community development to assist in rebuilding the country.

Project Salah:

This project is designed to bring sustainable farming techniques and resources to the people and their land. In simple terms, it means finding a way to grow food locally. These resources primarily include seeds, tools, educational programs and start up funds for Afghan individuals to develop their own farmland, small business and sustainable communities. Sustainable agriculture and development can be a way of cultivating a deeper relationship to the land and to each other. In my experience it can develop a community structure that sustains nutritional as well as social needs. The primary focus is to develop a self-sustaining local economy for this generation and generations to come.

To begin, this effort will focus on one farm, one business and one community at a time. Salah’s role will last from five to seven years. By design, the result will be a self-sustaining and self-directed system created by the people who ultimately form these communities. It will be important to find out where exactly in Afghanistan this project can be most useful and welcome. The challenge is to determine the amount and the resources required and who might work to join in this project.

During phase one we will be searching for and interviewing Afghani families interested to participate in creating a community that is unique and innovative. We look for members who are willing to examine, honor and hold their role in the community, people who are willing to study their culture and faith in relation to the world. The task then will be to come up with peaceful visions to let their community evolve with God's grace.

From my experience and studying other communities through out the world, I know that a viable business to support the community is crucial. To begin with we will focus our search in finding experienced farmers and people interested in farming. We’ll be looking for other marketable farm related skills such as seed saving, and manufacturing basic gardening and farm tools.

Once in Afghanistan I plan to update the interested parties and contributors via Internet, with regular reports on the development of the project. Phase II of the project includes purchasing the land. We envision the title of the land to be under an Afghani land trust organization. This is an important element in the development of Salah Organization. It is important that the farm cannot be sold or bought, but it can be transferred to a group with a similar vision or to a nature conservatory organization.

Phase III begins once the community members can legally move into a farmland and after we are certain there are no mines, we will begin to cultivate, build/remodel and whatever else it take to establish roots. I would like the first community to become a model in order to serve as a template for other communities. Eventually as the first community evolves into a native sustainable design, I would then like to contribute to it’s natural spread. The success of this project is far beyond my will. I need God’s grace and your support and contributions for this cause

Roz Omid

Roz_Omid@yahoo.com

Bio

It seems that I always had a deep interest in “sustainable community”, and so I did everything I could to study, work and prepare myself, so that now I can fulfill my passion in helping create such community where it is most needed: my first target goal is now Afghanistan. My native language is very much the same as Dari the predominate language in Afghanistan.

I currently have been living and working for 2 1/2 years in a small rural community in Northern California, where I have had the opportunity to observe alternative ways of conducting business, maintaining a healthy environment and serving a wholesome utopian vision of living. Before coming to this community I was a teacher with Oakland Unified School District.

Coming to the US from my native Iran at age 17 I studied the Humanities, Philosophy and then concentrated on Social Ecology. Soon after the Iranian revolution in 1979 I lost my educational funding. I continued my work and training in carpentry and holistic health with a certificate in Accupressure Massage. In 1991 I received a B.A. in Transpersonal Studies from Burlington College in Vermont, and in 1995 a Masters Degree in Social Ecology from Goddard College in Vermont, focusing on community development and sustainable agriculture.

Wanting to learn and gain experience in developing sustainable community and healthy ways of living, I became involved in working as a counselor to young adults, and working on community farms and market gardens through out the US and in Europe. I have worked in Community Supported Farms in Colorado, Virginia and Vermont. Where-ever I have worked and traveled, it has been confirmed to me that the loss of community seems to be the “root-cause” of much pain and suffering. So that is why I am deeply motivated now to be of service in “Salah Project”.