Agriculture accounts for 45 percent of Afghanistan's gross domestic product and is the main source of income for the Afghan economy. Over 80 percent of the Afghan population is involved in farming, herding, or both. However, decades of war, drought, and security challenges have devastated the country's agricultural sector, and the current level of U.S. government civilian support has been unable to keep pace with the tremendous need for assistance in this region. Revitalizing Afghanistan's agricultural sector is critical to building the government's capacity and to stabilizing the country.The symbol of the National Guard depicts the Concord Minuteman, one hand carrying a rifle and the other resting on a plow. It graphically depicts the fact that from the earliest days of America's history, farmers have played key roles in the militia. This proud lineage continues today as we perform operations in Afghanistan.In assessing the current situation in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, International Security Assistance Force Commander, says that "the fight is not a cyclical campaign driven by an insurgent 'fighting season.' Rather, it is ayear-round struggle, often conducted with little apparent violence to win the support of the people." A guiding principle is to "change the operational culture to connect with the people." The National Guard agribusiness development teams(ADTs) exemplify this premise and have proven their value.This handbook is a product of the National Guard Agribusiness Development Team Coordination Office with input from current and previously deployed ADTs. It contains information and lessons to assist ADTs preparing for deployment and those already deployed.

Emerging from decades of war in 2002, Afghanistan and its rich agricultural history were in need of urgent repair and reinvigoration. Since that time, FAO has been operating in the country to rehabiliate irrigation infrastructure, build new dairy and wheat seed industries, improve livestock health, help smallholders diversify their crops and add higher-value products, halt deforestation and help the country adapt to climate change. This report presents highlights from the work carried out over the past 15 years, featuring stories and testimonials from satisfied FAO beneficiairies. It is organized to reflect the priorities that the Government of Afghanistan has outlined in its current agricultural development plan, while also showing how FAO's work cuts across many sectors of agriculture. The report demonstrates that, despite some setbacks, FAO has brought increased prosperity, sustainability and self-reliance to the farmers, pastoralists and farm product processors of Afghanistan.

Agriculture accounts for 45 percent of Afghanistan's gross domestic product and is the main source of income for the Afghan economy. Over 80 percent of the Afghan population is involved in farming, herding, or both. However, decades of war, drought, and security challenges have devastated the country's agricultural sector, and the current level of U.S. government civilian support has been unable to keep pace with the tremendous need for assistance in this region. Revitalizing Afghanistan's agricultural sector is critical to building the government's capacity and to stabilizing the country. In 2007 the Secretary of the Army, Pete Geren; Director of the Army National Guard, Lieutenant General Clyde Vaughn; Missouri Farm Bureau President, Charles Kruse; and the Adjutant General of the Missouri National Guard, Major General King Sidwell developed an idea to deploy Soldiers with agricultural expertise and organic security capabilities to Afghanistan. They realized the development of Afghanistan's agriculture and agricultural products distribution capabilities was vital to long-term economic development and that governmental civilians (United States, Afghanistan, and other countries) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) were not resourced for the massive amount of work necessary in these areas as well as for the security they required.

The Kunar Agribusiness Development Team (ADT) was created from volunteers from the 40th Infantry Division and Task Force Warrior of the California National Guard. ADTs are special units, which only exist in Afghanistan. The Kunar ADT supported Battle Space owners in the Kunar and Pech River valleys in north eastern Afghanistan. During the Kunar ADTs deployment between September 2009 and August 2010 they saw combat 19 times while working in remote villages. This book is the chronicle of the Kunar ADTs deployment and operations in support of counter insurgency (COIN) operations by working with farmers to stabilizing the economies of remote villages.