Kansas City, Missouri — April 7, 2009 — As the USDA and USAID International Food Aid Conference convenes in the “breadbasket “ of America today, IRD and Roots of Peace (RoP), a California-based humantiarian NGO, announced the award of a major grant for 12,5000 metric tons of wheat flour estimated at $4 million.

This harvest, donated from the heartland, will be shared between Afghan farmers through U.S. Department of Agriculture, IRD and RoP. The wheat flour will be directly donated and sold to fund local development projects, providing food security and horticultural programs to fund the creation of 5,000 new orchards and grape vineyards in the challenging war-torn South Central Afghan provinces of Ghazni, Wardock, and Logar.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan on February 21, 2009, stated, “Through “Mines to Vines,” Roots of Peace brings hope to the people of Afghanistan by replacing the scourge of landmines with bountiful agricultural fields.  Their work is an outstanding example of how an organization committed to improving the lives of the Afghan people can bring about positive change.”

"We're excited not just to be working with Roots of Peace," said Isatou Jack, IRD Director of Sustainable Foods and Agriculture Systems, "But also excited to build off our success with the AVIPA program, to reach even more farmers in Afghanistan, and to help the people there recover from more than thirty years of war."

Since 2001, Roots of Peace has removed over 100,000 landmines to create fertile grounds for peace and trained over 120,000 Afghan farmers to grow alternative agricultural crops to poppies.  Through innovative programs such as "Mines to Vines" and "Poppies to Pomegranates", the funding from USDA other international agencies has created successful export markets for Afghan farmers-often doubling their income through sustainable horticultural programs to teach the next generation.

IRD has been working in Afghanistan since May 2004 to provide tools to rebuild the country’s infrastructure and economy. IRD is currently implementing three USAID-funded programs: AVIPA, to train and provide seeds for drought-affected farmers; the Human Resources and Logistical Support program, to oversee construction projects across Afghanistan; and Strategic Provincial Roads, to build 1505 km of gravel roads in the particularly challenging eastern and southern provinces. And IRD recently completed a project to create the now self-sufficient Construction Trades Training Center in Jalalabad to help basic labor workers receive training to increase their skills.