Information released online from June 2012 to September 2017. Note: Content in this archive site is NOT UPDATED, and external links may not function. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein.
In the Mekong region, USAID's Biodiversity Conservation Program is demonstrating an innovative approach to forest man-agement and sustainable conservation financing known as Payments for Environmental Services (PES).
The illegal wildlife trade is an immediate threat to Southeast Asia's biodiversity, natural resources, and environment. It threatens species including tigers, rhinos, and elephants. The multi-billion dollar illegal market in wildlife has spawned criminal syndicates with global reach and negative implications for national security and economic wellbeing. These networks also spread disease by illegally importing animal products.
In Afghanistan, where 67% of the total population can neither read nor write and the female illiteracy rate rises to 99% in some provinces, radio is the only effective communications method to raise awareness of health isues.
Eastern Afghanistan was once legendary for its production of quality fruits and vegetables. However, nearly three decades of conflict and several years of drought have had a negative impact on farming.
Afghanistan’s beautiful plains and fertile valleys have hosted many kinds of crops — but one crop has repeatedly caused the country and its people immeasurable harm: poppy.
In March 2006, Fareba Miriam became the first woman to enroll in a para-veterinarian training program that USAID is running in Afghanistan. She learned about the training opportunity while teaching geography at a high school in Feyzabad, Badakshan, a northern province of Afghanistan. Fareba is 26, the eldest daughter in a family of 12. Although her family does not raise livestock, many members of her community are dependent on healthy herds and flocks to maintain their livelihoods.
The women of Sari Pul Province in northern Afghanistan remember how, as little girls, their mothers taught them how to care for silkworms, and how to make hats, “chapans” (traditional male overcoats), and embroideries from their threads. Yet years of fighting and drought nearly destroyed this art, once common in these villages.
To bridge the gap between Afghans and the justice system, USAID has established 34 Community Cultural Centers in six of the country’s provinces. The centers rely on trained local volunteers to educate their fellow citizens about their legal rights and how to defend their rights in Afghanistan’s formal and informal justice systems.
Several years ago, there were only three produce merchants in the Baharak Bazaar, a market in Afghanistan’s remote northern province of Badakhshan. Today, there are 30 traders selling fresh fruits and vegetables. Farmers are growing more diverse crops and enjoying larger harvests as they take advantage of lower transportation costs resulting from a massive USAID program to build and improve roads.
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