FAO Digital Media Hub - AFGHANISTAN 2025. Launch of seed commercialization initiative via electronic vouchers

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AFGHANISTAN 2025. Launch of seed commercialization initiative via electronic vouchers

20 November 2025. Dehdadi district, Balkh province, Afghanistan. Women farmers with their electronic vouchers waiting in line at the Sher Abad Wheat Seed Production Company's outlet in the Dehdadi District Center Market.

11/20/2025

Country or Territory Afghanistan

Project ID OSRO/AFG/150/WBK

File size 12.90 MB

Unique ID UF1B9E0

Editorial use only. Photo credit must be given. For further information contact: Photo-Library@fao.org or digital-media-hub@fao.org

Background Information This photo gallery captures the launch of Afghanistan’s first large-scale seed commercialization initiative using electronic vouchers under the World Bank-funding Emergency Food Security Project.
Farmers purchase certified seed using co-pay electronic vouchers that cover 50% of the cost, while accredited Afghan private seed enterprises supply the seed through newly established retail outlets staffed with FAO-trained agronomists, who provide advisory and extension services to farmers.
Through this initiative, FAO aims to support 135 000 farming households across more than 20 provinces over the next two autumn planting seasons. All voucher transactions are registered through FAO’s Identification, Delivery and Empowerment Application (IDEA) platform, ensuring biometric verification and transparent tracking.
This milestone marks the shift from humanitarian seed distributions to a more sustainable, commercial and private sector–led seed market. This is an important step toward longer term agricultural transformation, strengthening seed markets, supporting crop diversification and bolstering the agricultural sector.