Road to Jobs (R2J) Afghanistan

An example of market system development implementation

Road to Jobs is a three-year Sida/ILO/Government of Afghanistan project that aims to create more and better jobs in the provinces of Samangan and Balkh in Northern Afghanistan. The project intends to unleash the economic potential of the expanding rural road network established by the Rural Access Improvement Project (RAIP) implemented by (UNOPS) through improving the underlying pro-poor performance of selected agricultural sub-sectors including grapes, poultry, goat and sheep, dairy, cotton, and almonds.

In collaboration with the Lab, the project is implementing a market systems approach to address important underlying constraints inhibiting better growth and employment outcomes through the facilitation of targeted interventions that are led by market players, not by aid.
To date, the project has achieved outstanding results in less than 4 years of implementation (2015-2019): 52’162 improved jobs created, out of which 3’475 for women and more than USD 3.5 millions of income generated in selected agricultural sub-sectors. To have more information about the project’s results, please read their last evaluation available here.

It all started with a sector selection analysis and several market system analyses to select the agricultural sub-sectors with the highest potential to generate more and better jobs in the region and to understand the root causes of markets underperformance.
Have a look at them!

Selecting the road to more and better jobs				Market System Analysis of Grape and Raisin Sector in Balkh and Samangan provinces of Afghanistan		Cotton Sector Market Systems Analysis (Msa) Report – Balkh And Samangan Provinces; Afghanistan

R2J is currently implementing market systems interventions in a number of value chains (grapes, poultry, goat and sheep, dairy, cotton, and almonds) in addition to cross-sector interventions that aim at facilitating access to finance for poor and disadvantaged groups, as well as improving the position of women in key value chains. The project is adopting a ‘light touch’ way of intervening, facilitating interventions that are led by capable market actors rather than performing market functions directly. Have look at R2J case studies and stories of implementation:

		Radio Azad “Farmer’s Voice”			Enhancing the capacity of food storage
		Paravets – Afghan Veterinary Association			Extension services on good agricultural practices for cotton
		Dairy Market Linkage – Rural milk producers and dairy company			Water and Beverage production – Grape Juice
		Extension services on good agricultural practices for grapes			Converting chicken litter into organic fertilizer
		Promoting a poultry buyback syste			Improving the functioning of the cotton sector in Balkh