July 2015—Ajmal* runs a shop that sells pesticides in Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan. Until recently, he was unaware that protective clothing should be worn while spraying and that some chemicals are harmful to the environment and are banned by the government.

Earlier this year, Ajmal attended a training session on the safe handling and use of pesticides organized by USAID’s Incentives Driving Economic Alternatives for the North, East and West (IDEA-NEW) program in Jalalabad and Kabul. The sessions, held in May 2015, used a variety of interactive demonstration tools to convey the need for personal protective equipment while spraying. Retailers were given a handbook, posters with hand-drawn depictions of best practices for display in their shops, and laminated summary cards to distribute to customers.

A total of 49 people participated in the training, including agriculture input suppliers/retailers and representatives from the Directorate of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock.

During the past three months, these input suppliers have passed on the knowledge gained during these two trainings to an additional 600 farmers and 100 retailers.

Agriculture is the mainstay of roughly 75 percent of Afghanistan’s population, and integrated pest management is key for farmers looking to improve crop yield. They use chemical pesticides, which can be quick and effective but may be poisonous and have adverse effects on people and the environment.

The USAID training covered all aspects of the safe handling of pesticides, including transport, application, storage and disposal. It encouraged retailers to help farmers buy the right product for their needs as well as the appropriate amounts.

Ajmal, who has been running his shop for five years, said that the training was an eye-opener: “Before I attended, I did not know about the proper use of safety clothing while spraying pesticides. I also learned about pesticides that are banned by the government and that are harmful to the environment. I will share this information with farmers as well as other retailers.”

The IDEA-NEW program, which runs from 2009 to 2015, provides agricultural incentives and economic alternatives to poppy farming for provinces in central and eastern Afghanistan. To date, the program has provided training to more than 15,000 business owners and their employees to improve business/technical skills and increase sales.

*Many Afghans use only one name. 

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