Panjshir Gov. Keramuddin Keram talks with U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Curtis Velasquez, Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team commander and Abilene, Kan., native, July 1, about a project that could potentially bring 35,000 new trees into the province by the end of the year. Photo by U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Jason Smith

Panjshir Gov. Keramuddin Keram met with the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team, July 1, to discuss a project that could potentially bring 35,000 new trees into the province by the end of the year.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey Casada, Kentucky National Guard Agri-Business Development Team leader with the Panjshir PRT, and Jim Hoffman, U.S. Department of Agriculture advisor to the Panjshir PRT, presented the governor with a slide show highlighting key elements of the Panjshir Valley Green Belts Project.

The ADT, in a joint venture with the PRT and provincial government line directors, have proposed a large-scale reforestation project. The purpose of the meeting was to bring the plan to the governor’s attention to obtain full consensus, said Hoffman.

“Decades of war have caused deforestation in the Panjshir Valley,” said Hoffman, a Boise, Idaho native. “The loss of the tree cover is causing soil erosion, landslides and destabilization of the sides of the valley. Planting trees and other shrubs helps to stabilize soil and snowpack and will allow for continued normal hydrological functions of the Panjshir River drainage. In turn, it will have positive effects for the people and businesses downstream.”

During his presentation to Keram, Casada, a London, Ky., native, said the project will involve planting 5,000 seedlings in each of the six districts and one municipality. Each district would have two belts of 2,500 trees in each belt.

“Our goal is to start in October of this year and finish in November,” said Casada. “We’ll start in Paryan and move south to Shutol.

“We’re proposing hiring 10 day laborers per district for a total of 70 in the province,” continued Casada.

According to the proposal, the Panjshir Director of Agriculture, Irrigation and Land, and his staff, would receive two days of training prior to the arrival of the trees. In addition, the 70 tree planters would receive one day of training. The tools purchased to use in the project will remain in the districts in which they are used.

Five thousand Eco Bags are also part of the proposal. Casada said the Eco Bags are a form of new technology used in agriculture. He said each bag holds 28-30 days of water that slowly drips where the plants or trees need it. If used properly, the bags eliminate the need to water the trees by traditional standards.

Keram had many questions during the presentation. One concern he had was that the right trees would be planted for the right climates of the individual districts. He said, through an interpreter, that projects like this have failed in the past, and he wanted a realistic assessment of the survival rate for the trees.

“Some will not survive the winter,” said Casada. “Our goal is for 70 percent of these trees to live.”

Near the conclusion of the meeting, Casada said, “This project will last 180 days or less. That’s six months to get the trees planted, watered and off to a good start. I’m asking your help to get the letters of support from the districts so we can submit this project.”

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Curtis Velasquez, Panjshir PRT commander and Abilene, Kan., native, told Keram that while it’s important to have his support for the project, it’s also important to have district and village leaders be a part of the plan for it to work in the long term.

“The Panjshir Valley Green Belts Project has many potential benefits,” said Velasquez. “Workers will get training and have jobs while the project is ongoing. Also, as discussed by our agricultural experts, this could reduce flooding and soil erosion, improve irrigation, provide electricity, support fisheries, recharge groundwater, and support forest resources,” said Velasquez.

Following a discussion after the presentation, Keram told the group that the project had his support. He said he would work with the line directors and local leaders to get their support as well. He concluded the meeting on a motivational and humorous note.

“According to this plan, give me a shovel and I’ll get started digging,” said Keram smiling.

“It fits in with many elements of the Provincial Development Plan that deal with water,” said Hoffman. “They’re generated from the Afghan people in their PDP as individual projects, and they’re covered in the larger analysis of Task Force Wolverine and Regional Command-East.”

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By U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Jason Smith

Civilian and military members of Provincial Reconstruction Team Panjshir enjoy the view. Photo by 2nd Lt. Jason Smith

The mineral water-bottling plant, kabob restaurants along the river and construction site of the Massoud Tomb Complex don’t necessarily reflect images of a war-torn nation, nor does the permissiveness that allows American military and civilian members of Provincial Reconstruction Team Panjshir to move relatively freely throughout this area of Afghanistan.

In his August 2009 International Security Assistance Force Commander’s Counterinsurgency Guidance, Gen. Stanley McChrystal writes, “Earn the support of the people and the war is won, regardless of how many militants are killed or captured.”

Based on that guidance, the “war is won” in the Panjshir province. The people of Panjshir support their PRT, says Rohullah Yousufi, Panjshir province director of Culture and Information.

“They support them because of what the PRT has done for the people,” said Yousufi. “The people didn’t expect to support them, but they saw what they did, and now the expectations are too high.”

Panjshir, the newest of the 34 provinces in Afghanistan, is the story of a successful, Afghan-led province with good governance, said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Curtis Velasquez, PRT Panjshir commander and Abilene, Kan., native.

“We are the model province for what security and good governance can do to win the war through counterinsurgency operations,” said Velasquez. “Our province is unlike any other in Afghanistan. You can look around and quickly see how the people here look at us as guests in their country and partners in their reconstruction efforts.”

Yousufi’s recommendation to other provinces looking to build a Panjshir-style model is cooperation with the PRTs, but more importantly cooperation between the people and government. He says trust for the government is earned when reconstruction efforts meet the legitimate needs of the people.

“Unity, security and people supporting the government; these are the positive things about Panjshir that makes it different than the rest of Afghanistan,” said Yousufi. “The government should try to keep the people united by showing it is with them.”

The history and ethnic population of Panjshir also contribute to its success, according to Khalid Siddiqi, PRT Panjshir political advisor. Siddiqi said when U.S. Soldiers initially came to Panjshir, they came to help Ahmad Shah Massoud fight the Taliban.

“[Americans] raised their hands first for friendship; to fight the enemy for both of us,” said Siddiqi. “Most support for the Taliban comes from the south because their leadership is coming from the Pashtun Tribe.

“When the Taliban came into Panjshir, Parwan and Kapisa, they had no rights for other tribes,” continued Saddiqi, an ethnic tajik. “They said only one tribe could be in control,” added Saddiqi. “That’s why we resisted.”

The future of the other provinces depends on the politics of Kandahar, according to Siddiqi. He said traditionally that the Afghan people follow proven leaders, just like they followed Massoud.

The Panjshiris are not strangers to Taliban activity either. Afghan national army Col. Rajab Khan, commander of the Panjshir Operations Coordination Center (Provincial), or OCC-P, fought the Russians and Taliban. Now he works with the PRT because he says he wants to stop the Taliban from becoming the whole world’s problem.

“We know about the Taliban and al-Qaida because we were their victims,” said Rajab. “They are creating problems for the whole world, and if we don’t stop them now, then it will become a much bigger problem.”

Rajab says the Taliban originally claimed to be fighting because they had no power in the government.

“Now they are fighting for opium,” said Rajab. “Now it’s more about business than it is political. They’re claiming they grow narcotics because they say no one helps them with agriculture. No one helped [Panjshiris]. We’re not selling narcotics. It’s just an excuse.”

There are many factors involved in the equation of Afghanistan. For those hoping to rid the country of the Taliban and other extremists, the vision of what the rest of Afghanistan could look like exists today in Panjshir.

The “Strong Food” recipe has been passed to other areas of Afghanistan and more children will not die of malnutrition because of this unique product.

In the country with one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world, U.S. military and civilians are teaming with local governments to combat malnutrition and save the lives of children.

On March 28, members of Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team delivered a shipment of ingredients to make a concoction dubbed, “Strong Food” to Charmaghzak Basic Health Clinic in the Dara District of Panjshir, Afghanistan.

According to U.S. Air Force Capt. Michael Calnicean, a physician’s assistant with the Panjshir PRT, the delivery of almonds, sugar, sunflower oil, soy flour and multi-vitamin enriched milk will be mixed together to form a low cost nutritious food with a long shelf-life.

Figures from UNICEF place the average lifespan for an Afghan at 44.5 years old. Information from the UNICEF web site says that one in four Afghan children doesn’t live past the age of 5 and more than half the children in the country are malnourished.

Calnicean points to Strong Food as a way to help solve the medical crisis affecting Afghanistan. Strong Food is a medicinal product that is appealing to children.

According to Calnicean, “It’s kind of like cookie dough.” The amount needed is based upon the height and weight of the individual, added Calnicean.

The mixture was originally formulated by a PRT in another province. The malnutrition issue is wide spread across the country.

Currently Strong Food is only distributed at two clinics in the Panjshir province. Dr. Samad Karim, Line Director of Public Health for Panjshir province, is looking to expand distribution of the product.

“Dr. Karim is looking at ways of getting Strong Food out to all the clinics in the district, including two mobile clinics,” said Calnicean.

One way to increase distribution according to Elizabeth Smithwick, United States Agency for International Development Field Program Officer for Panjshir PRT is to train women to administer the Strong Food through a program in the works called Strong Women.

Smithwick said the Strong Women program will help distribution in many ways.

“One is that it employs women,” said Smithwick. “It will employ three women per clinic to mix it, distribute, administer, keep the records and everything else,” Smithwick said. “Hopefully, by doing this, it expands it throughout the province, all seven districts.”

Another advantage is that it will free up clinic personnel to handle the normal case load of an all-purpose clinic in Afghanistan.

“It will help reduce the strain on the clinic. On the days that they do Strong Food, it’s insane,” said Smithwick. “They have difficulty addressing all the Strong Food needs as well as all the people who are regularly coming to the clinic.”

U.S. Soldiers, Airmen, and civilians from Panjshir PRT drove to the clinic on narrow, winding roads hauling the life-saving ingredients. Once at the clinic, they carried the 110-pound bags of almond and sugar up 10 flights of steps to a storage room.

Dr. Amed Abdullah was there to greet them and help offload the supplies. At the Charmaghzak Clinic, Abdullah sometimes sees upward of 400 patients a month.

Abdullah said through a translator that the biggest problems he deals with are stomach related illnesses, pneumonia and skin diseases. When asked how many of these cases were related to nutrition, he said, “All of it is affected in some way by nutrition.”

Grateful to get the supplies, Abdullah said, “It will help out so much.”

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Carolyn Mcilvaine, of Westfield Mass., who is currently deployed as a medical technician for the PRT says it is rewarding to see progress.

“It’s good to see the improvement as things go on,” said Mcilvaine. “They keep a record of height and weight measurements. You can look back over a period of time and see the kids getting healthier and stronger.”

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Story by Staff Sgt. Donald Reeves

Khermensan road, a six kilometer compacted gravel spur connecting the historic Daraband pass to the main valley road in Anaba, Panjshir was officially opened, Oct. 8.

The Daraband pass is the strategic connection between the Shomali Plain and the Panjshir Valley; it is here where the Northern Alliance and U.S. troops began their campaign to roust the Taliban shortly after September 11th attacks on the United States.

Members of the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team joined Panjshir Governor Hajji Bahlol, Anaba district governor Hajji Sadiqi, and over 100 residents in ceremony held at the Daraband High School. After the opening prayer, local school children sang a traditional song called “Torona” about the brave people of Panjshir and their resistance to the Soviet occupation and Taliban rule. PRT commander, Lt. Col. Eric Hommel, was the first speaker.

“I ask for your continued assistance as we proceed forward,” Hommel said. “We are moving from a time where the PRT working with the government provides for the people to a time where the people must take ownership for their future.”

PRT Director Mr. James DeHart spoke next, trumpeting the progress that has made here though cooperation.

“The reason the PRT has been able to build roads, schools, and clinics is because the people of Panjshir have provided for their own security and for the security of the PRT,” DeHart said. “We share a vision with the people of Panjshir for peace, stability, and economic development. Together, we stand against terrorism, narcotics, and corruption.”

The keynote speaker of the event was Governor Bahlol, who thanked the PRT and the American people for providing the resources for projects such as the road. He also urged the citizens to take care of the road, schools and all the projects belonging to them.

Governor Bahlol recanted a story of the Panjshir people and their struggle against the Soviets. He told of a man with no shoes who, in the dead of winter, would carry ammunition and food to those fighting.

“It is this spirit,” he said, “that provides the security that makes development possible.”

In a show of solidarity, Bahlol then presented Hommel with an Afghan carpet made in the valley. Hommel accepted on behalf of the previous PRT commander, Lt. Col. Mark E. Stratton, who died along with three other members of his team in a suicide bomber attack in Kapisa province.

“Colonel Stratton’s team initiated this project, it is he who deserves this gift,” said Hommel. “I will ensure his family receives this so they can see the lasting impression his team made on this valley.”

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Story by Capt. John T. Stamm

In an effort to increase agricultural productivity and boost economic capacity, 450 families throughout Afghanistan’s Panjshir province were supplied with training and materials to operate and manage their own honey production businesses.

The program, sponsored by the province’s agriculture ministry, began in July 2008 with the delivery of 900 bee boxes called “lower deep supers,” or brood chambers, complete with a queen bee and a starter colony.

Initially, starter colonies produce only enough honey to survive, but as the colonies continue to grow, they produce excess honey that can be harvested. This natural progression requires an “excluder” for the queen, “deep upper supers” for the bees and additional training for the beekeepers.

“The deep uppers are where the bees store the excess honey that will be harvested and will allow the queen growing room for the colony to keep them from swarming to another location,” said Greg Schlenz, a U.S. Department of Agriculture representative to the provincial reconstruction team. “The training is necessary to ensure understanding in bee colony development and use of received materials.”

Local residents said they had no recollection of a substantial honeybee population ever existing in the province. Abdulla Shah, a lifelong resident of the valley, said Dara district had some honeybee hives prior to the team’s arrival, but doesn’t know what happened to them.

“I remember seeing the hives and the farmers selling honey in Dara about five years ago,” Shah said. “But, I don’t remember them anywhere else in Panjshir, not even as a child.”

Bees are a vital component in pollination, a process by which the male cells of a plant are carried to the female cells of another, which enables fertilization. This process is necessary in agriculture, because 80 percent of plant fertilization occurs by animal interaction. Without pollination, plants can’t bear fruit or reproduce.

“Pollination was the No. 1 reason for bringing bees into the province,” Schlenz said. “The secondary reason was the honey production.”

A single beehive can pollinate a three-mile radius and produce more than six pounds of harvestable honey a year. In Panjshir, the price of honey is between 300 and 1,000 afghanis per kilogram, or about $6 a pound. This translates into about $42 per hive per year, a substantial supplement to the average Afghan farmer’s income of about $400 a year.

Abdullah, a farmer in the province’s Khenj district, is a participant in the beekeeping project. His farm has grown from two to five hives in just one season, and he recently harvested almost 18 pounds of honey.

“This has been very good for my family,” Abdullah said. “I have the honey for my family, and the bees have increased the pollination in my fields.”

The beneficiaries of the starter bee farms were handpicked by the Panjshir director of agriculture through consultations during community council meetings. The recipients had to meet stringent criteria and attend four weeks of training, which included biology, species, identification, raising and caring techniques, maintenance, pollination, production and harvesting, and basic business and marketing skills.

The project not only benefits the ecosystem, but also builds capacity through cooperation. Only two honey extractors are within each of Panjshir’s seven districts, with beekeepers having to share the equipment. Through this process, beekeepers share experience, knowledge and information.

“It’s a win-win project where, agriculturally, we are seeing an increase in fruit, vegetables, wild flowers, clovers, alfalfas and other plants,” Schlenz said. “Secondly, the farmers are earning an extra income they probably never thought would occur from bees.”

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Story by Capt. John Stamm