Regional Programs Coordination Office

Introduction

The Regional Programs Coordination Office (RPCO) was established in 2007, as one of the largest rural support programs in terms of scope and operation working across the county in MRRD. The demand for rural development driven the program management to operate in several sectors that created a stage for diversified activities, whereas all other national programs of the ministry are engaged in their specific sectors. In addition, the Program responds to address the needs of the rural people addressing the basic services of community-based infrastructures and irrigation, which no other single rural development program has addressed so far. The program development efforts are focused on helping the poor communities in many walks of life – such as unemployment, low household income, low agriculture production, poor irrigation systems, lack of accessibility to market, lack of education and health facilities, lack of community-based disaster risk reduction infrastructures and insufficient potable water.

RPCO created a platform for sustainable community based participatory irrigation infrastructure rehabilitation and development to increase farmers’ access to irrigation systems. Management of water is the country’s first priority for engaging communities in poverty reduction. It generates employment in rural areas, and increases the agriculture production. Protecting irrigated land and houses from flash floods is another important activity of this Program.

RPCO is working to enhance the potential abilities, skills and knowledge of rural men and women enabling them to articulate their aspirations and to effectively arrange the resources through participatory methods and to be able to meet their recognized needs. The aim is poverty alleviation enabling people to break the cycle of poverty, and it begins with lack of opportunity, low income, extends to the well-known miseries of economic and nutritional poverty and leads new generations to endure the same conditions.

RPCO is allocating funds to respond the community’s needs and implementing incomplete projects through a community-based engagement contracts scheme which is creating abundant prospects for the rural community people. The large-scale projects of the program is carried out by reputed companies having a good background experience in irrigation and infrastructure projects.

Goals

The primary goal of the program is to reduce poverty through implementation of infrastructure and development of irrigation systems in rural communities. In long run the people will be able to overcome their economic challenges and will be better able to find a market for their agricultural products.

Objectives

The program objectives are:

• Increased agriculture production through community owned and managed irrigation infrastructure schemes.

• Restoration, construction and protection of roads, bridges, irrigation and other infrastructures affected by flood and natural calamities.

Mandates

• Rehabilitating and construction of irrigation and transportation related subprojects in rural communities

• Provision of drinking water facilities, health centers, school and public buildings

• Capacity building for CDCs

Key outcomes

• Regional Programs Coordination Office since its establishment has implemented projects in the areas of irrigation, water supply, transportation and public benefit projects worth of 182,541,311 USD in 33 provinces across Afghanistan. This has created 7,918,755 labor days and 8,269,011 community people were benefited.

Key outputs

Canals, intakes, small dams, retaining walls, aqueducts, super passages, weirs and siphons, Karize. - Roads, bridges, culverts and washes – water supply and buildings.

Future Plans

• Restoration and Rehabilitation of non-functional Karizes

• Community based Watershed Management and Rainfall Water Harvesting Structures

• Rehabilitation of Existing non-functional Irrigation schemes

• Construction and Rehabilitation of River Intakes

• Mobile Solar Energy Pumps for Agriculture-land at River Banks

• Other infrastructures