RADP-W Quarterly Report

The program aims to improve food and economic security for rural Afghans in Badghis, Farah, and Herat provinces by enhancing the productivity and profitability of the wheat, high-value crops, and livestock value chains. RADP-W focuses on addressing policy, legal, and regulatory constraints affecting value chain development, while providing alternatives to poppy cultivation. Implementation of RADP-W is aligned with Afghan and U.S. government strategies, focusing on advancing food security, regenerating agribusiness, and increasing agriculture sector jobs and incomes. The program aims to strengthen the capacity of producers, associations, traders, and agribusinesses to respond to market demands, facilitate lasting market linkages between value chain actors, and support an enabling environment that allows the private sector to thrive. RADP-W places the Afghan private sector at the forefront of implementation and addresses key crosscutting issues of women's empowerment, agribusiness value chain facilitation, and alternative development. During the quarter, RADP-W's startup activities were focused on operations, recruitment, procurement, grants, and work planning. Seven representatives from Chemonics International traveled to Afghanistan in August 2014 to establish temporary office and residence space in Kabul and Herat. Temporary office and residence space was established at The Baron in Kabul and the Tejarat Hotel in Herat, with the project relocating to the Nazary Hotel in Herat due to vetting requirements. The Operations Startup Specialist evaluated available options for the project's permanent office and residence space in Herat, identifying two properties that met most criteria required for implementation and security needs. The project's Director of Finance, Farhad Falak, started on September 3, 2014, and quickly established the project's finance and accounting system, including September's operating budget and checks and balances related to finance and procurement. RADP-W received its Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) license on September 15, 2014, and established two local bank accounts. The project's draft Grants Under Contract Manual was submitted on September 23, 2014, for USAID's review, comments, and approval. Vetting for key individuals related to RADP-W's intended contracts, subcontracts, or instruments for non-U.S. recipients over $25,000 remained a top priority during startup. A total of eight requests related to the project's subcontractors and office and residence space were submitted to the Kabul Vetting Unit (KVU) in August and September 2014, with the project receiving approval in October for the three expedited requests for the temporary and permanent space in Herat, as well as two project subcontractors. The Operations Startup Specialist worked closely with the DCOP to establish the project's protocol for vetting and set systems in-place to ensure that the project can accurately track vetting requests and approvals.