The Horticultural Advancement Activity (THAzA)
Request for Applications (RFA) # 01/19
Vegetable Cultivation in Plastic Tunnels, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
‘The Horticultural Advancement Activity’ (THAzA) is a 5-year project awarded by USAID and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. THAzA focuses on selected horticultural value chains in Balochistan and in the Newly Merged Districts (NMDs) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (previously called FATA). The objective of THAzA is to create jobs and generate income, through increased productivity and quality, improved marketing and access to services and investments in horticultural value chains.
To achieve these objectives THAzA introduces vegetable production in plastic tunnels as a sustainable and profitable agribusiness in KP and Balochistan. Therefore FAO will extend in-kind grants to business entities, including male and female farmers, for the establishment of plastic tunnels to produce (off-season) vegetables using modern production technologies.
Through this RFA THAzA invites eligible applicants, who:
- Want to invest in vegetable cultivation in plastic tunnels in the selected districts of Balochistan (Loralai, Quetta, Khuzdar, Naseerabad, Jaffarabad, Killa Saifullah, Killa Abdullah, Ziarat, Pishin, Kalat, Mastung) and KP (North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Kurram and Orakzai).
- Have the agricultural and entrepreneurial capacities to successfully produce and market vegetables.
- Have the financial resources to cost share investments with THAzA in their business.
Apart from in-kind grants for high quality standardized plastic tunnels THAzA will also provide training on high quality vegetables production in tunnels, seeds and drip irrigation systems and equipment and facilitate and support farmers with the marketing of their produce.
For further details regarding this RFA, including the small grants application form, interested applicants may either download the complete RFA from www.brightspyre.com or obtain RFA copies from the FAO THAzA Provincial offices in Quetta and Peshawar. For ease of access, RFA and the small grants application form will also be made available through the relevant District Agricultural Extension Offices.