Afghanistan Agricultural Extension Project

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Responses to the teleconference hosted on June 16, 2011 can be accessed via NIFA's website at http://www.nifa.usda.gov/globalengagement.cfm. Teleconference - In order to answer questions that you may have concerning this RFA and the pending project, we will be hosting a teleconference on Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 1:00 pm (eastern time). For those unable to participate in the call, we will distribute a summary of the questions and the information provided shortly thereafter. You may also e-mail Mike McGirr at Mmcgirr@nifa.usda.gov, in advance, any questions that you would like us to address during the call. To participate in the teleconference, please call toll-free 800-769-9389; the passcode is 7713122.On behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Foreign Agricultural Service, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announces the availability of funds and requests applications for the Afghanistan Agricultural Extension Project (AAEP) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011. NIFA is requesting applications from U.S. land-grant universities to assist Afghanistan�s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) as they attempt to deliver more effective, demand-driven extension services to producers and other rural clientele in selected areas of the country. The project will focus on professional development training for extension staff, primarily at the provincial and district levels, in order to increase extension�s ability to meet farmers� needs and ultimately build public confidence in MAIL�s capacity to provide critical services. Anticipated results of the project include a cadre of extension staff with the technical expertise and appropriate methodologies to effectively extend information and knowledge; increased public accessibility to, and use of, government extension services; development of extension training modules and educational materials based on high-priority needs; targeted agricultural universities, vocational high schools, and technical institutes with increased capacity to prepare future extension personnel; improved services for women working in the agricultural sector; and a pluralistic approach to extension that responds to farmers needs for research-based technologies, builds upon the innovations of Afghanistan farmers, and promotes coordination among the various entities providing extension-related services.In FY 2011, approximately $14 million is available for support of this program. All funds related to this project must be expended, and all activities must be completed, no later than September 30, 2014.

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