Afghanistan celebrates Farmers' Day
19 March 2008
 Image courtesy of
Stuart Freedman/Panos Pictures
The Afghan new year starts on 20 March and the first day of the year is called
Naw Ruz (The New Day). Jashni Dehqan (Festival of Farmers) is one of the events
during Naw Ruz.
The Festival is both a celebration of the start of a new planting season and an
encouragement for a good harvest in the year ahead. At Jashni Dehqan, farmers
start cleaning irrigation channels in order to be ready for the new season -
and, according to custom, they should plant the first tree sapling on their land
at this time.
DFID: Supporting agriculture in Afghanistan
Agriculture is one of the major traditional sources of income for Afghanistan's
rural communities, with the majority of the country's rural dwellers involved in
farming activities. Since agriculture is one of the sectors most affected by
the last two decades of war, DFID Afghanistan is supporting this sector through
a number of programmes, including agricultural research, the construction of
irrigation channels, and support for farmers wishing to experiment with new
crops and farming techniques.
DFID’s overall Livelihoods Programme, worth nearly £150 million from 2006-2009,
is designed to address
immediate needs as well as promote longer-term, sustainable legal livelihoods
in Afghanistan.
 Back
to top
Looking ahead
 With the dawning of Naw Ruz,
people from throughout Afghanistan, from many different tribes, will be taking part in the annual Jashni Dehqan festivities.
Farmers will come to Kabul, bringing their animals, decorated with flowers and
clothes, for exhibition at the stadium.
People from the north will arrive with their horses, the Sikh community will
come with their drums, and Pashtun farmers will put on very acrobatic
performances with their shovels.
Thousands of people, including top government
officials, usually attend the celebrations, which also include traditional
competitions and entertainments, such as kite-flying and
plough-driving contests.
As Afghanistan looks forward to a new year, and a new planting season, DFID
reiterates its commitment to reducing poverty for the country's people,
including through its support for agriculture.
Back
to top
Links
 Back to top
| 
Directgov |
