By Army Sgt. James Wilt
KHOGA OMARI DISTRICT, Afghanistan – "You can't get an excavator across that bridge," said Army Lt. Col. Larry Orchard, a project manager with the Ghazni Provisional Reconstruction Team, jokingly.
The bridge, which is nothing more than three logs with sticks across them would have to be replaced with something a little sturdier. And it will have to be replaced by September.
In September, an agricultural fair will be held at a government owned farm in Khoga Omari district for the people of Ghazni and surrounding provinces.
The Ghazni Agricultural Director, a U.S. Department of Agriculture representative and members of the Ghazni PRT and 351st Civil Affairs Battalion met here June 12 to discuss the upcoming fair, survey the site and begin preparations for the event.
Education will be the primary focus of the fair but the event will also host other activities for the participants.
"A big part is the teaching part," said Tom Stefani, the representative for the USDA in Ghazni. "We don't want to forget that."
Training, such as how to use fertilizer and how to graft trees, will be available for farmers, said Sultan Husain, the director of agriculture for Ghazni province.
Classes will also be held for the women in the area, Stefani said.
Junglbagh, the name of the farm where the event will be held, has already implemented women's agricultural education, Husain said. They have women tending gardens, working with chickens and training in apiaries.
Husain also hopes to have classes on creating products like embroidering for the women. The team plans on having product demonstrations to educate the farmers. One exhibit, a potato storage bin, is in the planning stage for the event.
By having one at the fair, "people can see what it is," said Stefani.
Both Stefani and Husain have their own plans drawn up for the bin. During their next meeting, the two plan on comparing notes.
"I would like to look at [Husain's] design and see how the two compare," Stefani said.
Like any agricultural fair in the U.S., the coordinators are planning for a livestock and garden show at the event, as well as other farm-based competitions.
Prizes are planned for the winners of the events.
"We want to give them something they can use," said Army Sgt. Maj. Dennis Kretzschmar, the PRT sergeant major.
The prizes given out will be items that can be used on the farm.
Over the next several months, the combined Afghan and U.S. coordination team will continue to refine the plans for the event. The site where it will be held is a large tree farm with acreage dedicated to other crops.
In the past three years, with support from the PRT, approximately 20,000 trees have been planted on the farm, which has created jobs for local residents including 10 fulltime jobs, Husain said.
By planting trees, Husain said the farm is helping the environment, controlling flooding and soil erosion, and keeping the population of Ghazni healthier.
He hopes to expand the project throughout the province once security improves in other districts.