Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized UNDERSTANDING GENDER IN AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAINS: THE CASES OF GRAPES/RAISINS, ALMONDS AND SAFFRON IN AFGHANISTAN Agriculture and Rural Development Unit Sustainable Development Department South Asia Region The World Bank Public Disclosure Authorized May 2011 Report No. 62323-AF CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (Exchange rate effective as of July 2010) Currency unit = Afghani (Af) US$ 1.00 = 46.2 Af FISCAL YEAR March 21 – March 20 UNITS OF MEASURE 1 jerib 0.4942 acres or 2,000 square meters 1 ser 7 kilograms ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS AAIDO Afghanistan Almond Industry Development Organization ACCI Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries Af Afghani (currency) AFSA Afghanistan Farm Service Alliance AMIP Agriculture Market Infrastructure Project ANDS Afghanistan National Development Strategy ANSA Afghanistan National Standardization Authority APPRO Afghan Public Policy Research Organization APTTA Afghanistan - Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement AREDP Afghanistan Rural Enterprise Development Program ASAP Accelerating Sustainable Agriculture Program ASMED Afghanistan Small and Medium Enterprise Development AWBC Afghan Women's Business Council AWBF Afghan Women's Business Federation b Billion CDC Community Development Council CSO Central Statistics Organization (Afghanistan) DACAAR Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees ECO Economic Cooperation Organization EPA Afghanistan Raisins, Fruits and Vegetables Export Promotion Agency EPAA Export Promotion Agency of Afghanistan EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FGD Focus group discussion FOD Farmer Organization Development g Gram GTZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit ha Hectare HLP Horticulture and Livestock Project ISO Information Organization for Standardization KAIIFC Khulm Agriculture Islamic Investment Finance and Cooperative Kg Kilogram i M Million MAIL Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock MBDFA Mazar Sharif Balkh Dry Fruits Processing Association MEDA Mennonite Economic Development Associates MFI Microfinance institution MOC Ministry of Commerce MOWA Ministry of Women's Affairs MRRD Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development NGO Nongovernmental organization NSDP National Skills Development Program NSP National Solidarity Program PRT Provincial Reconstruction Team PTA Preferential Trade Agreement Rs Rupees SAARC South Asia Association of Regional Countries SAFTA South Asia Free Trade Agreement SDO Sanayee Development Organization t Metric ton TTGG Through the Garden Gate Project UAE United Arab Emirates UK United Kingdom UN United Nations USAID United States Agency for International Development USA United States of America VF Village facilitator WOCCU World Council of Credit Unions WTO World Trade Organization yr Year Vice President: Isabel Guerrero Country Director: Nicholas J. Krafft Sector Director: John Henry Stein Sector Manager: Simeon Ehui Project Team Leaders: Jennifer Solotaroff, Mio Takada ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. vii Executive Summary ................................................................................................................ viii Chapter 1: Understanding Gender in Afghanistan’s Agricultural Value Chains: Context, Methodology, and Case Studies .................................................................................................1 1.1 The Context ..........................................................................................................................1 1.2 Study Objectives ..................................................................................................................2 1.3 Methodology ........................................................................................................................2 1.4 Selecting Value Chains for the Case Studies .......................................................................4 1.5 Organization of this Policy Note..........................................................................................7 Chapter 2: Afghanistan’s Expanding Export Markets and Women’s Potential to Participate ....................................................................................................................................9 2.1 Exports and Export Partners in Regional and International Markets ..................................9 2.2 Gender Dimensions in the Agricultural Sector ..................................................................12 2.3 Conclusion: Toward a More Nuanced Understanding of Gender in Agricultural Value Chains ................................................................................................................................14 Chapter 3: Women’s Constraints and Opportunities in the Grape/Raisin, Almond, and Saffron Value Chains ................................................................................................................15 3.1 Women’s Roles in the Grape/Raisin, Almond and Saffron Value Chains ........................15 3.2 Constraints and Opportunities for Women Producers .......................................................23 Chapter 4: Policy Recommendations ......................................................................................31 4.1 Promoting Opportunities For Women Producers ...............................................................31 4.2 Conclusion: Developing Value Chains That Work for Rural Women ..............................33 References ..................................................................................................................................35 ANNEXES Annex 1: Grape and Raisin Value Chain Annex 2: Almond Value Chain iii Annex 3: Saffron Value Chain Annex 4: Meetings with Key Value Chain Participants Annex 5: Interview Data Annex 6: Stakeholder Workshop TABLES Table 1.1: List of key export products with women’s involvement in value chains Table 1.2: Value chain selection Table 1.3: Export of raisins and almonds by Afghanistan Table 2.1: Afghanistan’s exports by country, 2004–09 Table 2.2: Afghanistan’s participation in multilateral trade and trade-related organizations Table 2.3: Preferential tariffs on Afghan raisins, almonds, and grapes by the Government of India Table 3.1: HLP farmers’ sals and income from grapes, raisins, and almonds Table A1.1: World’s top 10 fresh grape exporters and Afghanistan, 2006–09 Table A1.2: World’s top 10 fresh grape importers, 2006–09 Table A1.3: World’s top 10 raisin exporters, 2006–09 Table A1.4: Major importers of Afghan raisins, 2006–09 Table A1.5: World’s top 10 raisin importers, 2006–09 Table A1.6: Differences in fresh grape yields, sales volumes, and income among HLP producer households Table A1.7: Differences in raisin yields, sales volumes, and income among HLP producer households Table A1.8: Prices and costs along the value chain for fresh grapes and raisins Table A2.1: World’s top 11 almond exporters, 2006–09 Table A2.2: Major importers of Afghan almonds, 2006–09 Table A2.3: World’s top 10 almond importers, 2006–09 Table A2.4: Differences in almond yields, sales volumes, and income among HLP producer households Table A2.5: Prices and costs along the value chain for almonds Table A3.1: World’s top saffron exporters, 2006–09 Table A3.2: World’s top 10 saffron importers, 2006–09 Table A3.3: Prices of imported and domestically produced saffron, Afghanistan, 2010 FIGURES Figure 2.1: Afghanistan’s exports in 2008 Figure 3.1: Raisin subsector map Figure 3.2: Red raisin value chain Figure 3.3: High-quality, in-shell almond value chain Figure 3.4: Constraints tree: Raisins Figure 3.5: Gender constraints in the raisin subsector Figure A1.1: Fresh grape subsector map Figure A1.2: Raisin subsector map Figure A1.3: Trade values: Fresh grapes (in-season and off-season) Figure A1.4: Trade values: Red raisins Figure A1.5: Trade values: Green raisins iv Figure A1.6: Trade values: Golden raisins Figure A1.7: Constraints tree: Fresh grapes Figure A1.8: Constraints tree: Raisins Figure A1.9: Gender constraints in the fresh grape subsector Figure A1.10: Gender constraints in the raisin subsector Figure A2.1: Almond subsector map Figure A2.2: Value chain: High-quality, in-shell almonds Figure A2.3: Value chain: Medium-quality, shelled and in-shell almonds Figure A2.4: Value chain: Low-quality, shelled and in-shell almonds Figure A2.5: Constraints tree: Almonds Figure A2.6: Gender constraints in the almond subsector Figure A3.1: Saffron subsector map Figure A3.2: Value chain: Saffron Figure A3.3: Constraints tree: Saffron Figure A3.4: Gender constraints in the saffron subsector BOXES Box 2.1: Afghan women’s land ownership Box 3.1: The Kabul Women Farm Store Box 3.2: Providing extension services to women: The HLP experience Box 3.3: Two saffron producer associations for Afghan women Box 3.4: The Afghan Pride Association: A women-owned processing company Box 3.5: Through the Garden Gate: A project mobilizes women in the vegetable value chain Box 3.6: Developing the saffron value chain with women producers MAP Map 1.1: Main production areas and trade routes in Afghanistan for grapes/raisins, almonds, and saffron v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was prepared by a team led by Jennifer Solotaroff and Mio Takada, with the core team comprising Miki Terasawa, Cornelia Staritz, and Najla Sabri. The report was developed under the overall guidance of Simeon