Afghanistan

Farmers Travel to Afghanistan

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 07:25:33 GMT

As they watched a young girl lugging a sack of wheat nearly her size, representatives of Farmers Feeding the World, a Farm Journal Foundation initiative, realized why they had traveled to Afghanistan to witness the steps being taken to address food insecurity.

Foundation board members Andy Weber and Kip Tom were part of a delegation traveling under the auspice of the Department of Defense’s Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO). Thanks to the efforts of Howard W. Buffett of TFBSO, who organized the trip, the group spent 10 days going where visitors rarely go in Afghanistan and Iraq: into farm country and the hinterlands.

Also traveling with the group were Buffett’s father, Howard G. Buffett -- an Illinois farmer and the philanthropist son of Warren W. Buffett -- and a professional video crew.

The once-in-a-lifetime trip was especially rewarding for the elder Buffett, as it was a chance to see the results of the generosity of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation (HGBF). Support of his foundation by the World Food Programme’s Red Cup program helped make it possible for Afghan schoolchildren to carry sacks of wheat home to their families.

“The Red Cup program is one of the two principal charities that Farmers Feeding the World is supporting, so it was great to see the results in action,” explains Tom, a Warsaw, Ind., farmer.

The delegation also had the opportunity to spend time with producers across the region. In one meeting with farmers in the Afghan countryside, Tom and Howard G. Buffett explained how center-pivot irrigation works and how it can improve yields and allow for double-cropping.

“It was really encouraging to see how things are changing,” Buffett explains. “While there is still lots of anxiety and poverty, you can see change happening.”

You can learn more about the trip, view photo slide shows, and watch videos on the Farmers Feeding the World website .

Bringing Hope Around The Globe

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 07:25:29 GMT

We began working with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation (HGBF) in November, 2010 with our Foundation’s Farmers Feeding the World (FFW) initiative and separately with HGBF and Farm Journal Media on a couple of sustainable agricultural production information programs.

In that first planning and strategy meeting at HGBF, Howard mentioned that he was looking to hire a film crew to accompany him to Afghanistan to film some of the initiatives he had started with both the United Nations World Food Programme (anti-hunger relief and development) and the Norman Borlaug Institute (agricultural development and anti-hunger development.

When I volunteered that the Farm Journal TV crew that shot the “More Than A Promise” video for FFW was probably available, Howard jumped at the chance, especially if Kip Tom, our farmer representative on the Foundation and key to the video, would accompany the film crew. Kip readily agreed, and I was invited to tag along.

The original trip was just to Afghanistan. Because of some security issues in the mountainous region of the Afghan—Pakistan border near Jalalabad, we had to eliminate that part of the trip, which was unfortunate because HGBF was funding the completion of the new building for the agricultural college at Nangarhar University which was overseen by the Borlaug people. I guess Howard felt guilty when I asked if we could return early or see some ag development elsewhere, so he and his son Howard W replaced Nangarhar with a two day trip to Kurdistan, the Northern region of Iraq. This provided an incredible before and after comparison—N. Iraq vs Afghanistan-- as to what can be accomplished with grassroots agricultural development efforts. It also provided a good look at what a true, grassroots and entrepreneurial development effort can accomplish in working with the people on their “home court”.

At this time I should mention the U.S. Department of Defense “Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO)"—which was the heart of the positives we witnessed in both Afghanistan and Iraq—and which is now being neutered and folded into the USAid program and is a short-sighted travesty.

The Department of Defense, and in particular TFBSO, was the sponsor of our mission, as well as, in essence, co-funded the logistics of the mission with HGBF. Howard W. Buffett, the son of Howard G., is a very bright, energetic, matter-of-fact and effective 27 year old director of agricultural development for TFBSO. He reports to a juggernaut Silicon Valley executive turned War-Zone Economic Turnaround Artist named Paul Brinkley who left his important CA job to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan as Undersecretary of Defense in charge of the TFBSO.

Howard W and Brinkley made sure that we witnessed situations and developmental activity in especially Afghanistan that few other American politicians and business executives etc would ever venture out to see. It’s a story that is not told at all in the American media, because it’s not headline-worthy enough—but it completely turned around Kip’s and my (and TV producers) impressions of Afghanistan and what’s needed by 180?.

From the Ground Up

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 18:06:56 GMT

The delegation, including Kip Tom, spent time distributing bags of wheat to Afghan schoolgirls. The grain was donated by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation via the World Food Programme.

Indiana farmer Kip Tom has planted thousands of acres, but this was his first with an oxen team. The field was being readied for the next potato crop.

These 18-hp tractors, which replace oxen, are part of the first steps to mechanize agriculture.

In Herat, Howard G. Buffett explained how center-pivot irrigation works. As a result of the conversation, he donated a pivot to help farmers in the area use the technology for double-cropping.

Photos: Lou Pierce and Eric Crowley

Delegation sees Afghan and Iraqi agriculture up close

What most of us know about Afghanistan we learn from the mainstream news. We hear about a land torn by war where women are devalued and success is startlingly hard to come by.

Heartache and strife dominate most of the headlines, but that doesn’t mean that’s all there is to tell. A delegation that included members of the Farm Journal Foundation board recently traveled to Afghanistan and Iraq and brought home firsthand accounts that go beyond headline news.

Traveling under the auspice of the Department of Defense’s Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO), the delegation spent 10 days going where visitors rarely go in Afghanistan and Iraq—into the hinterlands and farm country. What they found were inspiring stories of success and progress rising from the ground up.

“We saw firsthand how relatively small efforts can make a powerful difference in everyday lives,” says Andy Weber, chairman of the Farm Journal Foundation. “Traveling from Afghanistan to Kurdistan, the northern region of Iraq, provided an incredible before-and-after comparison and showed just what can be accomplished with grassroots agricultural development efforts.”

Thanks to the efforts of TFBSO’s Howard W. Buffett, who organized the once-in-a-lifetime trip, the group observed areas making huge strides in relieving food insecurity and returning to normalcy. Traveling with the group in addition to Buffett and Weber were Kip Tom, a Warsaw, Ind., farmer and Farm Journal Foundation board member; Buffett’s father, Howard G. Buffett; and a professional video crew.

The trip was especially rewarding for the elder Buffett, an Illinois farmer, philanthropist and son of the famous Warren Buffett. It was an opportunity to see the results of his generosity through the Howard G. Buffett Foundation (HGBF).

Working in the countryside in a little room made of dirt, rock and gravel, the group spent time bagging 20-lb. sacks of wheat donated by HGBF as part of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Red Cup campaign. Young schoolgirls, about 10 years old, lugged the enormous bags home to help feed their families.

“The Red Cup program is one of the two principal charities that Farmers Feeding the World is supporting, so it was great to see the results in action,” Tom says.

Red Cup is just one of four programs that HGBF sponsors with WFP on that day’s tour, which focused on engaging and elevating girls and women to a higher level in society.

“It was encouraging to see how things are changing,” says the elder Buffett. “While there is still lots of anxiety and poverty, you can see change happening. Women are working their own fields, and farmers as a whole are making strides.”

Buffett, who has traveled to 103 countries, brought a remarkable global perspective to the group. The delegation often felt at home in the farming communities but were unnerved at other times. While they never traveled in high-danger areas, driving in a convoy of armor-plated SUVs through the crowded city streets of Kabul or flying over the Himalayas in a Black Hawk helicopter still gave reason for pause.

“That’s what it takes to see what’s really happening,” Buffett says. “What we saw was the importance the U.S. farmer can make in global food assistance—by farmers helping farmers.”

That’s a perspective shared by his namesake son. “A hand up rather than a hand out can make a profound difference,” says the younger Buffett. “A small amount of money and a bit of risk is bringing positive change to the war-torn countryside.”

More Coverage

See compelling photos and video and learn more about how farmers are playing a role in rebuilding Afghanistan by tuning into upcoming episodes of “AgDay” and “U.S. Farm Report,” visiting AgWeb.com or liking Farmers Feeding the World on Facebook . For a one-stop collection of coverage, go to the Farmers Feeding The World website .

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