📋 Tender Overview
Scope :
The project will support afghanistan to strengthen water resources management in rural areas. the proposed project is expected to comprise 3 outputs: (i) modernization of community based irrigation schemes, (ii) construction of small-scale rainwater harvesting structures for sustainable land management, and (iii) application of water and energy efficiency in local water management. support will include policy support and technical assistance to strengthen o&m and rural asset management and to promote innovation.
Agriculture and other rural-based activities remain the predominant engine of economic growth for afghanistan. the agricultural sector contributed about 20% to the national gdp in 2017, and provides employment and livelihood for at least 40% of the population. while women account for nearly 43% of the sectors labor force and play a critical role in agriculture and food security, they still remain on the periphery with limited access to productive resources. afghan women are still under-represented in local community development councils (cdc) and water user associations (wua), and, compared to afghan men, have little access to decision-making.
the coverage of irrigated agriculture stalled or even declined from 3.1 million ha in 1957 to less than 2.8 million ha in 2016. considering that the population in afghanistan is expected to grow from the current 31.6 million in 2018 to about 40 and 50 million in 2030 and 2040, respectively, the government is concerned about food security in afghanistan. wheat production, a key indicator used for food security in afghanistan, has been directly linked with the reliability of irrigation systems, particularly during the critical months of june and july. in 2018, growth in agriculture shrank from 3.8% to 2.0% as drought affected more than half of the country, causing wheat production to fall by 71% in rainfed fields and by 6% in the much smaller irrigated area.
water resources are under stress because of poor management and water shortages, particularly for irrigated agriculture. the subsequent low water productivity is a result of (i) outdated and inadequate rural irrigation infrastructure, (ii) limited capacity to adapt to changing climatic conditions, and (iii) insufficient usage of technological innovations widely applied in other rural areas in the world. many local farmer communities lack the knowledge or resources to make a change and initiate more sustainable water resources management practices, and ensure adequate operation and maintenance arrangements for their local irrigation systems.
notable improvements have been made to improve the sustainability of rural infrastructure, but a much larger effort is needed. firstly, the number of small communities that need support largely outnumbers the coverage of existing programs. mrrd estimated that about 18,400 communities are waiting for support, while 12,000 already benefitted over the last 3 years from the ccnpp. secondly, the impa
